How many hours can a minor work?
Federal limits by age — start times, evening curfews, daily caps — and which of them scheduling software can enforce for you.
The short answer
A 14- or 15-year-old may work at most 8 hours on a non-school day, never before 7am, and never past 7pm — extended to 9pm from June through August. Under 14s generally may not be employed at all. At 16 the federal hour limits stop, though hazardous-occupation rules and state limits continue.
Federal limits by age
What ClockAll refuses to schedule
Most systems record a violation after it happens. ClockAll declines the shift instead — on publishing a schedule, assigning a shift, approving a swap, and when a minor tries to pick up an open or covering shift.
What the employee sees when a shift breaks the rules:
This shift isn’t allowed because it starts before 7am; runs past the evening curfew for their age; is longer than 8 hours.
What it does not do: ClockAll has no school calendar, so the 3-hour school-day and 18-hour school-week caps are not enforced automatically, and it does not issue or validate work permits. Those stay with you.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours can a 14- or 15-year-old work in a day?
Under federal law, a maximum of 8 hours on a non-school day, and no earlier than 7am or later than 7pm. From June through August the evening limit extends to 9pm. On a school day the federal limit is 3 hours, and 18 hours across a school week.
Can a 13-year-old work?
Not in most non-agricultural jobs. Federal law sets 14 as the minimum age for general employment, with narrow exceptions — acting, newspaper delivery, and a business owned entirely by the child’s parents, provided it isn’t mining, manufacturing or another hazardous occupation.
Do these limits still apply to 16- and 17-year-olds?
No federal hour or time-of-day limits apply once someone turns 16. They are still barred from occupations the Department of Labor designates hazardous, and many states add their own hour rules for 16- and 17-year-olds — so check your state before assuming there are no limits.
What are the penalties for a child labor violation?
Civil money penalties are assessed per minor per violation and rise sharply where a violation causes serious injury or death; they are adjusted for inflation annually, so check the current figure with the Wage and Hour Division. Violations are also frequently found in clusters — an investigator who finds one schedule usually finds every shift like it.
Does ClockAll stop me from scheduling a minor illegally?
Yes, for the limits it can verify from a shift: it refuses to publish, assign, swap or let a minor pick up a shift that starts before 7am, runs past their evening curfew, or exceeds 8 hours — and it blocks anyone under 14 entirely. It does not track school calendars, so the 3-hour school-day and 18-hour school-week caps are still yours to manage.
Do I need a work permit for a minor?
Most states require an employment or age certificate for workers under 18, issued by the school or the state labor department, and it is the employer’s job to have it on file before the first shift. ClockAll stores it as a compliance document against the employee record, but it does not issue or validate one.
Schedule teens without the risk
Add a date of birth once. The schedule stops accepting shifts that would break federal minor-labour limits.