IL · State teen labor law
Illinois teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Illinois replaced its 1909-era statute with the Child Labor Law of 2024 (effective January 1, 2025), tightening the school-week cap for 14-15-year-olds to 24 hours and clarifying Employment Certificate requirements. 16-17-year-olds face no state weekly cap during the school year but cannot work past 10:00 PM on school nights.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Illinois tightens daily and weekly limits while school is in session, then eases them during summer and school breaks. Each age band below shows both calendars side-by-side — a distinction federal summaries and most state-comparison tables skip.
Ages 14–15
School year
When school is in session
- Hrs/day (school day)
- 3 hr
- Hrs/day (Sat / Sun / holiday)
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 24 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 19:00
Note: Maximum 24 hours during a school week (combined school + work) under the Child Labor Law of 2024. No work during school hours.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 40 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 21:00
Note: Summer hours (June 1 through Labor Day) extend evening cutoff to 9:00 PM.
Ages 16–17
School year
When school is in session
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 22:00
Note: No more than 6 consecutive days of work. Up to 11:00 PM with written parental consent on non-school nights.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 00:00
Note: Up to midnight when school is not in session.
Work permit
Illinois requires a work permit for minors aged 14–15.
Under the Child Labor Law of 2024 (effective January 1, 2025), 14- and 15-year-olds must obtain an Employment Certificate from their school superintendent before starting work. The minor presents a Statement of Intent to Employ from the employer, plus proof of age. 16- and 17-year-olds no longer need a state-issued permit but employers must keep age verification on file.
Form: Employment Certificate
Illinois work-permit reference (official source) →
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Illinois, with the federal hour caps and the state’s stricter rules built in.
Restricted occupations
All federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17
Federal: 29 CFR Part 570
Operating power-driven meat-processing machines
Federal: HO-10
Door-to-door sales for minors under 16
State: 820 ILCS 205/2.1
Roofing operations and work on or about a roof
Federal: HO-16
Excavation operations
Federal: HO-17
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Illinois hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Illinois-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Illinois requires a meal break for minor workers. Federal law (the FLSA) mandates no break at any age, so this state rule is the binding one for teens.
- Meal break
- 30 minutes
- Required after
- 5 consecutive hours
- Pay treatment
- Unpaid
Unpaid when the teen is completely relieved of duty.
Under the Child Labor Law of 2024 (effective Jan 1, 2025, replacing the former 820 ILCS 205), "minor" means a worker under 16. No such minor may work more than 5 continuous hours without a 30-minute meal period, scheduled no later than the 5th consecutive hour. 16- and 17-year-olds are instead covered by the general One Day Rest in Seven Act (820 ILCS 140), which requires a 20-minute meal break for shifts of 7.5 or more hours. The meal break is unpaid.
See the federal breaks & meal-period reference for how the FLSA treats paid rest breaks vs unpaid meal periods, and why a mandatory teen break can only come from state law.
Pay & minimum wage
Illinois lets some teens, or inexperienced first-job and trainee workers, be paid below the standard state minimum wage. The structure below is stable, but the dollar amount changes almost every year — confirm the current figure with the Illinois Department of Labor.
- How minors are paid
- Youth / training subminimum allowed
- State minimum wage
- Set by state law
- Below-minimum youth rate
- Permitted
- Subminimum structure
- Workers under 18 may be paid up to 50¢/hour below the standard minimum for the first 650 hours worked for the employer in a calendar year; above 650 hours the full minimum applies (820 ILCS 105/4(a)).
Illinois has a true general youth wage: a worker under 18 may be paid up to 50¢ per hour below the adult minimum, but only for their first 650 hours with the employer in a calendar year — after that they must get the full minimum. A separate learner rate (no less than 70% of the adult minimum) exists only under a license from the Illinois DOL. The 650-hour trigger and the 50¢ and 70% figures are fixed in law.
Rates change yearly. This page describes the legal structure, not the current dollar amount. State and federal minimum wages are adjusted regularly — always verify the live figure with your state Department of Labor or the U.S. DOL before relying on it.
See the federal youth minimum wage reference for the $4.25 90-day rule, student / learner certificates, the tipped cash wage, and how a higher state minimum wins.
Agricultural work carve-out
Illinois largely mirrors the federal agricultural carve-out under FLSA § 213(c)(1). The rules below confirm what applies for farm work in this state.
Mirrors federal Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11.
Illinois exempts agricultural pursuits from the state Child Labor Law: minors of any age may work on a family farm where they live with the farmer-parent at the farmer's principal place of residence. For non-family agricultural employment, minors aged 10 and older may work during school vacations or outside school hours — substantially looser than the federal floor of 14 (or 12 with parental consent on small farms). No minor under 12 (except family-farm members) may be employed in any agriculture-connected occupation under the act. Because the state Child Labor Law does not apply to ag work, Illinois imposes no state hour caps and no state hazardous-occupation list on agriculture; federal Ag HO-1 through Ag HO-11 (29 CFR § 570.71) still govern, requiring age 16+ for tractors over 20 PTO HP, harvesters, and other dangerous farm machinery. The state Employment Certificate requirement for 14-15-year-olds also does not apply to agricultural work.
See the federal agricultural-work reference for the FLSA § 213(c) baseline, parental-exemption rules, and the Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11 hazardous list.
Statute: 820 ILCS 206 (Illinois Child Labor Law of 2024) — agricultural pursuits exemption (carried forward from prior 820 ILCS 205/2)
Family-business carve-out
Illinois largely mirrors the federal parent-owned-business carve-out under FLSA § 213(c)(1)(C). The rules below confirm what applies when a minor works for a parent-owned business in this state.
Federal hazardous orders always apply — the parent-owned-business carve-out never reaches mining, manufacturing, or HO-listed work.
Illinois's Child Labor Law (recodified as 820 ILCS 206 effective January 1, 2025) preserves the parent-employed business exemption that existed under the prior 820 ILCS 205: a minor employed by a parent in a non-hazardous business owned and operated by that parent is exempt from the state Employment Certificate requirement and the related hour/time-of-day restrictions. The 2024 recodification tightened other provisions (employment certificate process, penalties, child-performer-specific rules) but did not eliminate the parent-employed carve-out. Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 always apply, and Illinois's hazardous-occupations list under 820 ILCS 206 applies to ALL minors regardless of who employs them — mining, manufacturing, slaughter, roofing, and other HO-listed work remain prohibited for under-16/under-18 regardless of parent ownership. Verify the recodified text and IDOL guidance for current procedural details.
See the federal family-business reference for the FLSA § 213(c)(1)(C) baseline, ownership-structure rules, and the hazardous-occupations overlay that always applies.
Statute: 820 ILCS 206 (Illinois Child Labor Law of 2024); parent-employed exemption carried forward from prior 820 ILCS 205/3
Entertainment-industry carve-out
Child performers in film, TV, theater, and modeling are regulated separately from general teen employment. These rules override the general age-band hour caps above when a minor is working on set or on stage.
Child Performer Permit
Issued by: Illinois Department of Labor
Coogan-style blocked trust set up by parent or guardian.
Min. 3 hrs of schooling per school day.
The Illinois Child Labor Law of 2024 (effective January 1, 2025) carries forward the prior statute's child-performer framework. The Illinois Department of Labor issues a Child Performer Permit (distinct from the general 14-15-year-old Employment Certificate), and 15% of a minor performer's gross compensation from in-state production work must be deposited in a blocked trust account established by the parent or guardian, accessible at age 18. A certified teacher must provide on-set schooling — generally 3 hours per school day — when production overlaps compulsory-attendance hours. Verify current trust-account procedure and permit requirements with the Illinois Department of Labor before production starts.
Statute: Illinois Child Labor Law of 2024, 820 ILCS 206 (child performer provisions); 56 Ill. Adm. Code Part 250 (employment of children in entertainment)
Where these rules come from
State code: Illinois Child Labor Law of 2024, 820 ILCS 206/1 et seq.
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://labor.illinois.gov/laws-rules/childlabor.html
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Illinois Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Illinois?
- Yes — under Illinois law a 14-year-old can work up to 3 hours per school day, up to 24 hours per week, between 07:00 and 19:00. A Illinois work permit is required.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Illinois?
- When school is in session, Illinois allows a 15-year-old to work up to 3 hours per school day, up to 24 hours per week, between 07:00 and 19:00. During summer or school breaks the cap rises to up to 8 hours per school day, up to 40 hours per week, between 07:00 and 21:00.
- Does Illinois require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — Illinois requires a work permit for minors aged 14-15 (form: Employment Certificate). Under the Child Labor Law of 2024 (effective January 1, 2025), 14- and 15-year-olds must obtain an Employment Certificate from their school superintendent before starting work. The minor presents a Statement of Intent to Employ from the employer, plus proof of age. 16- and 17-year-olds no longer need a state-issued permit but employers must keep age verification on file.
- How many hours can a 16-year-old work during summer in Illinois?
- During summer or school breaks, Illinois allows a 16-year-old to work up to 8 hours per school day, up to 48 hours per week, between 06:00 and 00:00. Federal FLSA caps for 16- and 17-year-olds do not limit weekly hours, so the stricter state rule (if any) applies.
- Does a minor get a meal break in Illinois?
- Yes. Illinois requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break once a worker reaches 5 consecutive hours; the rule applies to minors. Federal law sets no break requirement at any age, so the state rule is the binding one. See the breaks section on this page for the exact age scope and the statute.
- Can a teen be paid less than minimum wage in Illinois?
- Sometimes. Illinois lets some teens, or inexperienced first-job and trainee workers, be paid below the standard state minimum wage without a special certificate. Workers under 18 may be paid up to 50¢/hour below the standard minimum for the first 650 hours worked for the employer in a calendar year; above 650 hours the full minimum applies (820 ILCS 105/4(a)). Minimum-wage dollar amounts change almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the Illinois Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Illinois?
- Illinois prohibits minors from a number of hazardous occupations, including: all federal hazardous orders ho-1 through ho-17; operating power-driven meat-processing machines; door-to-door sales for minors under 16. The full list of federal hazardous orders (HO-1 through HO-17) also applies. See the Illinois Child Labor Law of 2024, 820 ILCS 206/1 et seq. citation on this page for the statutory source.