You can work at 14. There are limits on hours and on which jobs, and they are federal so they are the same in every state — your state can be stricter, never looser. Here is the whole picture, and then the part that matters more than the job listings.
What federal law allows at 14
- Only outside school hours.
- Up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week.
- Up to 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week.
- Between 7am and 7pm — extended to 9pm from June 1 through Labor Day.
What you can do at 14
- retail and grocery — cashier, bagging, stocking, price marking
- restaurants — host, busser, serving counter, kitchen work that is not cooking over open flame
- office and clerical work of any kind
- lifeguarding at 15 with certification, at traditional pools and water parks
- creative and computer work — video, design, data entry
- yard work, car washing by hand, and errands
What is off limits until you are older
- manufacturing, mining, and processing
- operating most power-driven machinery
- construction, roofing, excavation
- driving as part of the job
- commercial kitchen cooking and baking, with limited exceptions
Agriculture runs on a separate and looser set of federal rules, including on a family farm. If farm work is what is near you, the DOL link below covers it.
The part almost nobody is told
Federal law funds paid work experience, tutoring and job training for young people starting at age 14 and running to 24. It is called the WIOA youth program, every county in the country is covered by a board that runs it, and the money is already appropriated whether or not anyone claims it.
Find the office covering your ZIP at CareerOneStop and say your age and "the WIOA youth program". That sentence is the whole password.
Where the openings actually are
- Your local workforce board — paid work experience through WIOA, ages 14–24: find your office.
- Your state's exact rules — the U.S. Department of Labor keeps the table: state child labor laws.
- Federal rules in full — YouthRules! from the Wage and Hour Division.
Your state's rules
Hour limits while school is in session, and whether you need a work permit, are set by your state on top of the federal floor. Pick yours:
En español
Hay dinero federal para jóvenes de 14 a 24 años. El programa juvenil de WIOA paga experiencia laboral, tutoría y entrenamiento. Busca la oficina de tu código postal en CareerOneStop y di tu edad y "el programa juvenil de WIOA".
A los 14 años puedes trabajar legalmente fuera del horario escolar, hasta 3 horas en días de clase y 18 horas por semana escolar.
Las reglas exactas de tu estado están en el Departamento de Trabajo.