Federal exemptions · 29 USC § 213(d), § 213(a)(15)
Jobs a minor can do at any age under federal law
The Fair Labor Standards Act sets 14 as the minimum age for most non-farm jobs — but a short, specific list of jobs sits entirely outside that floor. A child of anyage may legally deliver newspapers to the consumer, babysit on a casual basis, do minor chores around a private home, and make evergreen wreaths. Two more age-floor waivers — child performers and a parent's own non-farm business — have their own pages. Below is each “any age” job with the exact statute, plus the catch: a state can still set a stricter minimum age, and the stricter rule always wins.
— verified against eCFR + DOL WHD YouthRules guidance.
Federal any-age exemption cards
What “any age” means under federal law
The Fair Labor Standards Act sets 14 as the floor for most non-farm jobs. But Congress and the Department of Labor placed a short, specific list of jobs entirely outside that floor — a child of any age may legally do them under federal law. The list is narrow: newspaper delivery, casual babysitting and minor home chores, evergreen-wreath homework, acting and performing, and working in a parent's own non-farm business. Everything else generally waits until 14.
- Federal non-farm minimum age
- 14 for most jobs
- Jobs with no federal minimum age
- The narrow list on this page
- Who sets these exemptions
- FLSA § 213 + DOL regulations
- Does state law still apply?
- Yes — the stricter rule wins
Citation
29 USC §§ 212–213; 29 CFR Part 570
Delivering newspapers to the consumer
A minor of any age may deliver newspapers to homes and customers. Congress wrote this exemption directly into the FLSA: the child-labor provisions do not apply to an employee engaged in the delivery of newspapers to the consumer. It covers the delivery route itself — not work inside a printing plant or on a production line, which stays under the normal child-labor rules.
- Minimum federal age
- None — any age
- What's exempt
- Delivery of newspapers to the consumer
- What's NOT exempt
- Printing-plant / production-line work
- Statutory basis
- FLSA § 13(d) (29 USC § 213(d))
Note: The exemption is for the delivery route to the reader. A minor working inside a newspaper's printing or mailroom operation is doing covered work and the regular minimum ages apply.
Citation
29 USC § 213(d); 29 CFR § 570.124
Casual babysitting & minor chores at home
Babysitting on a casual, occasional basis and minor chores around a private home fall outside the federal child-labor provisions, so a minor may do them at any age. “Casual” means irregular or intermittent work — an afternoon for the neighbors, an evening for a relative. A regular, full-time domestic-service arrangement (a live-in nanny role, for example) is not casual and is treated under the ordinary rules.
- Minimum federal age
- None for casual babysitting
- Basis
- Casual / occasional — not regular full-time
- Setting
- A private home
- When it stops being casual
- Regular full-time domestic service
Note: Section 213(a)(15) defines casual babysitting for FLSA pay purposes; DOL's YouthRules guidance treats casual babysitting and minor home chores as outside the federal child-labor rules. A state can still set its own minimum babysitting age.
Citation
29 USC § 213(a)(15); US DOL WHD YouthRules
Making evergreen wreaths (home work)
A homeworker making wreaths composed principally of holly, pine, cedar, or other evergreens — including harvesting the evergreens used in them — is exempt from the FLSA child-labor provisions at any age. It is a small, seasonal carve-out written into the same subsection as newspaper delivery, aimed at traditional in-home and forest-gathering wreath work.
- Minimum federal age
- None — any age
- Covered work
- Wreath-making + harvesting the evergreens
- Materials
- Principally holly, pine, cedar, evergreens
- Statutory basis
- FLSA § 13(d) (29 USC § 213(d))
Citation
29 USC § 213(d)
Performers and a parent's own business
Two more age-floor waivers exist and have their own pages. Child actors and performers in motion-picture, theatrical, radio, and television productions are exempt from the federal age floor. So is a child working in a business solely owned by their parent — though the hazardous-occupations orders still apply, and manufacturing and mining are excluded. Follow the links for the full rules and the states that add stricter requirements.
- Actors & performers
- Federal age floor waived — see entertainment page
- Parent's solely-owned non-farm business
- No federal minimum age — see family-business page
- Still applies to a parent's business
- Hazardous Orders HO-1 to HO-17
- Statutory basis
- FLSA § 13(c)(3) (performers); § 13(c)(1) (parent's business)
Citation
29 USC § 213(c)(1), (c)(3); 29 CFR §§ 570.122, 570.123
State law can still set a minimum age
An FLSA exemption only removes the federal age floor. A state is free to set its own minimum age for babysitting, paper routes, or other casual work, and the stricter rule always wins. Before relying on the federal “any age” answer, confirm there is no tighter state rule — the cross-state comparison and your state page carry the binding figure.
- What the federal exemption removes
- The federal minimum age only
- Can a state set a minimum age?
- Yes — and it binds where stricter
- Default conflict rule
- Stricter law applies (29 USC § 218(a))
- Where to confirm
- Your state page / cross-state comparison
Citation
29 USC § 218(a)
Frequently asked questions
- What jobs can a 12-year-old (or younger) do legally?
- Under federal law, a child of any age may deliver newspapers to consumers, babysit on a casual basis, do minor chores around a private home, make evergreen wreaths, act or perform in productions, and work in a business solely owned by their parent (outside manufacturing, mining, and hazardous jobs). Almost every other non-farm job has a federal minimum age of 14. Agricultural work has its own, lower age rules.
- What is the youngest age you can babysit?
- Federal law sets no minimum age for casual babysitting — it falls outside the FLSA child-labor provisions. Some states, however, set their own minimum age or recommend one, and many parents follow Red Cross babysitting-course guidance (often around age 11–13). Check your state page for any binding state rule before counting on the federal answer.
- Can a child deliver newspapers at any age?
- Yes. The FLSA child-labor provisions do not apply to delivering newspapers to the consumer (29 USC § 213(d)), so there is no federal minimum age for a paper route. The exemption covers the delivery itself — not work inside a printing plant. A state can still set its own rule, and basic safety still matters.
- Does my child need a work permit to babysit or deliver papers?
- Federal law does not require a work permit for casual babysitting or newspaper delivery, because both sit outside the child-labor provisions. A handful of states require permits for other kinds of under-14 work, so if the job is anything beyond these exempt categories, check your state page for the permit rule.
- Do these jobs have to pay the minimum wage?
- Not always. Casual babysitting is exempt from the federal minimum wage and overtime under § 213(a)(15), and newspaper delivery to the consumer is exempt as well. That does not mean the work is unpaid — it means the federal wage floor does not attach. State minimum-wage rules can still apply, so check the state where the work happens.
- Can a young child work in a restaurant or store?
- Generally no. Most non-farm jobs — including retail and food service — carry a federal minimum age of 14, with limited hours for 14- and 15-year-olds. The “any age” list is narrow: newspaper delivery, casual babysitting and minor chores, evergreen wreaths, performing, and a parent's own business. A restaurant or store job does not fall on that list.