IA · State teen labor law
Iowa teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Iowa significantly loosened child-labor caps in 2023 (SF 542): 14-15-year-olds may now work up to 4 hours on a school day, 28 hours per school week, and until 11:00 PM in summer. 16-17-year-olds face no state hour or curfew restrictions.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Iowa applies similar caps year-round, with small calendar adjustments shown below. 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)
- 4 hr
- Hrs/day (Sat / Sun / holiday)
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 28 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 21:00
Note: Under the 2023 expansion (SF 542), Iowa allows up to 4 hours on a school day and 28 hours per school week — more than the federal 3-hour / 18-hour caps. 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 – 23:00
Note: Summer hours apply June 1 through Labor Day; evening cutoff extends to 11:00 PM (looser than federal 9:00 PM).
Ages 16–17
School year
When school is in session
- Max hours per day
- No state limit
- Max hours per week
- No state limit
- Time window
- No state limit
Note: Iowa imposes no state hour or time-of-day restriction on 16- and 17-year-olds (SF 542, 2023 removed the previous restrictions). Federal FLSA also has no cap for this age group in non-hazardous work.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- No state limit
- Max hours per week
- No state limit
- Time window
- No state limit
Work permit
Iowa requires a work permit for minors aged 14–15.
Minors 14-15 apply online through Iowa Workforce Development with proof of age, an employer's offer letter, and a parent or guardian's electronic signature. The permit is electronic and job-specific. 16- and 17-year-olds do not need a permit but the employer keeps age verification on file.
Form: Iowa Work Permit
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Iowa, 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
Roofing operations and work on or about a roof
Federal: HO-16
Door-to-door sales for minors under 16 without adult supervision
State: Iowa Code §92.7
Sale or service of alcohol for minors under 18
State: Iowa Code §123.49
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Iowa hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Iowa-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Iowa has no verified state law requiring a meal or rest break for minors, so the federal floor applies: the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require employers to give a meal or rest break at any age. An employer can legally schedule a teen for a full shift without one. If a short break of 5–20 minutes is given it must be paid; a bona fide meal period of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid when the teen is completely relieved of duty.
Confirm with the Iowa Department of Labor before relying on a break, and see the federal breaks & meal-period reference for the FLSA paid-vs-unpaid rules.
Pay & minimum wage
Iowa 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 Iowa 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
- An 'initial employment wage' lets an employer pay a lower statutory rate for the first 90 calendar days of employment, before the regular state minimum applies. It is age-neutral — it covers any new hire, so a first-job teen falls under it — and needs no certificate. Calendar days count (weekends and holidays included); rehire rules limit re-using the lower rate.
Iowa's sub-rate is a general new-hire training wage rather than a youth-specific one, but a teen starting a first job is squarely covered — the lower 'initial employment wage' applies for the first 90 calendar days, with no certificate. After 90 days the regular state minimum applies.
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
Iowa narrows the federal agricultural carve-out — the rules below override the federal floor when a minor works on a farm in this state.
Mirrors federal Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11.
Iowa Code Chapter 92 covers minors in both agricultural and non-agricultural employment, with ag-specific tiers. The off-family-farm minimum age for agricultural work outside school hours is 14, dropping to 12 for migratory agricultural labor (with a separate migratory-labor permit). Family-farm work for the minor's own parent or guardian is exempt — federal § 213(c)(1) mirrors. Hour caps for under-16 ag work follow § 92.7: no more than 6 hours per day on a school day, 28 hours per school week, 8 hours per day on a non-school day, 40 hours per week overall. Night-work restrictions apply: 7:30 PM (9:00 PM during summer, June 1 through Labor Day) to 7:00 AM under 16. Iowa adopts the federal Ag HO list by reference (§ 92.8 prohibited-occupation framework cross-references federal Hazardous Orders), so 16+ is the minimum for tractors over 20 PTO HP, harvesters, and similar Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11 tasks; the student-learner / 4-H tractor-certificate exemption (29 CFR § 570.72(b)) carries through.
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: Iowa Code Chapter 92 (Youth Employment and Permissible Work Activities) — §§ 92.6A, 92.7, 92.8
Family-business carve-out
Iowa 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.
Iowa Code Chapter 92 (Youth Employment) carries the federal parent-employed exemption forward through § 92.18's chapter-scope exemption list. A minor working for the minor's own parent (or person standing in the place of the parent) in a non-hazardous, non-mining, non-manufacturing business owned, operated, or controlled by that parent is exempt from the under-16 Work Permit requirement administered by Iowa Workforce Development and from the state's § 92.7 hour caps. After Iowa's 2023 SF 542 amendments significantly loosened state caps across the board (4 hours per school day, 28 hours per school week, 11:00 PM summer evening for 14-15-year-olds), parent-employed minors face the most lenient framework in Iowa history — but federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 always apply, and parent-owned manufacturing or mining employment for under-16 remains barred by federal law regardless of parent ownership. Verify the specific business context with Iowa Workforce Development before relying on the carve-out.
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: Iowa Code Chapter 92, § 92.18 (chapter exemptions — parent-employed and other carve-outs); federal mirror of 29 USC § 213(c)(1)(C)
Entertainment-industry work
Iowa does not separately regulate child performers (film, TV, theater, modeling). The general age-band hour caps and work-permit rules above apply to entertainment-industry work for minors. Federal FLSA carves out actors and performers from the general 14-year minimum age (29 CFR § 570.122), but neither federal nor Iowa law imposes a blocked-trust requirement on a child performer’s earnings.
States with dedicated child-performer frameworks (Coogan-style trust accounts, on-set studio teachers, performer-specific permits) include California, New York, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.
Where these rules come from
State code: Iowa Code Chapter 92 (Employment of Minors)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://www.iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov/14-15-year-old-work-permit
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Iowa Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Iowa?
- Yes — under Iowa law a 14-year-old can work up to 4 hours per school day, up to 28 hours per week, between 07:00 and 21:00. A Iowa work permit is required.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Iowa?
- When school is in session, Iowa allows a 15-year-old to work up to 4 hours per school day, up to 28 hours per week, between 07:00 and 21:00. 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 23:00.
- Does Iowa require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — Iowa requires a work permit for minors aged 14-15 (form: Iowa Work Permit). Minors 14-15 apply online through Iowa Workforce Development with proof of age, an employer's offer letter, and a parent or guardian's electronic signature. The permit is electronic and job-specific. 16- and 17-year-olds do not need a permit but the employer keeps age verification on file.
- Can a teen be paid less than minimum wage in Iowa?
- Sometimes. Iowa lets some teens, or inexperienced first-job and trainee workers, be paid below the standard state minimum wage without a special certificate. An 'initial employment wage' lets an employer pay a lower statutory rate for the first 90 calendar days of employment, before the regular state minimum applies. It is age-neutral — it covers any new hire, so a first-job teen falls under it — and needs no certificate. Calendar days count (weekends and holidays included); rehire rules limit re-using the lower rate. Minimum-wage dollar amounts change almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the Iowa Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Iowa?
- Iowa prohibits minors from a number of hazardous occupations, including: all federal hazardous orders ho-1 through ho-17; operating power-driven meat-processing machines; roofing operations and work on or about a roof. The full list of federal hazardous orders (HO-1 through HO-17) also applies. See the Iowa Code Chapter 92 (Employment of Minors) citation on this page for the statutory source.