MI · State teen labor law
Michigan teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Michigan caps combined school-plus-work hours at 48 per week for every minor under 18 and requires a job-specific work permit countersigned by the minor's school. A 30-minute rest break is mandatory after 5 continuous hours.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Michigan 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)
- 4 hr
- Hrs/day (Sat / Sun / holiday)
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 24 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 21:00
Note: Combined school + work may not exceed 48 hours per week. Daily on-site shift cap is 10 hours total (school + work).
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 21:00
Note: When school is not in session for the full week, weekly cap rises to 48 hours.
Ages 16–17
School year
When school is in session
- Max hours per day
- 10 hr
- Max hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 22:30
Note: Combined school + work cap of 48 hours/week. Until 11:30 PM on nights not preceding a school day. Employers in resort/recreation may extend to 11:30 PM with parental consent during summer.
Summer / school breaks
When school is out
- Max hours per day
- 10 hr
- Max hours per week
- 48 hr
- Time window
- 06:00 – 23:30
Note: Up to 11:30 PM during school breaks. Maximum 6 days per week.
Work permit
Michigan requires a work permit for minors aged 14–17.
The employer issues a Promise of Employment; the minor's school administrator countersigns the combined application/work-permit form (CA-6 for minors 14-15, CA-7 for 16-17). A parent or guardian must sign. The permit is job-specific and must be reissued for each new employer.
Form: Combined Application/Permit/Parental Consent for Minor (Form CA-6 or CA-7)
Michigan work-permit reference (official source) →
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Michigan, 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
State: MCL §409.116
Working without a 30-minute rest after 5 continuous hours
State: MCL §409.112
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Michigan hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Michigan-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Michigan 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 Youth Employment Standards Act a minor may not be employed more than 5 hours continuously without a documented interval of at least 30 minutes for a meal and rest period; an interval of less than 30 minutes does not interrupt continuous work. The statute does not require it to be paid, and Michigan has no general adult break law.
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
Michigan 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 Michigan 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 are paid 85% of the state minimum; separately, a new employee under 20 may be paid a training wage for their first 90 days (Mich. Comp. Laws § 408.934b).
Michigan has two stable youth rates: an employee under 18 is paid 85% of the general minimum, and an employer may pay a new employee under 20 a training wage for their first 90 days of employment. Employers may not displace existing workers to hire at these rates, with a civil-fine penalty. The 85% figure and the under-20 / 90-day training-wage structure 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.
Statute: Mich. Comp. Laws § 408.934b (Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act)
Agricultural work carve-out
Michigan 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.
Michigan's Youth Employment Standards Act (MCL §§ 409.101-409.124) exempts farm work from the act's general age, hour, and work-permit requirements, provided the employment does not violate a Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity standard. "Farm work" includes practices performed on a farm incident to or in conjunction with farming operations — preparation for market and delivery to storage, market, or carriers for transport. One state-specific age tier: a minor 13 years of age or older may be employed in seed-production operations (detasseling, roguing, hoeing, or similar acts in the production of seed) only during school vacation periods or when the minor is not regularly enrolled in school. For all other agricultural work, federal FLSA § 213(c) governs: 14+ off-parent farm outside school hours; 12 with parental consent on small farms; the federal parent-owned farm exemption applies; 16+ for federal Ag HO-1 through Ag HO-11. Important distinction: "agricultural processing" by an agricultural processor (cleaning, sorting, or packaging fruits or vegetables for a food processor other than the producing farmer) is NOT exempt — the full state act and work-permit requirement apply.
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: Michigan Youth Employment Standards Act, Act 90 of 1978, MCL §§ 409.101-409.124 — farm-work exemption from work-permit and hour-cap provisions
Family-business carve-out
Michigan narrows the federal parent-owned-business carve-out — the rules below apply when a minor works for a parent-owned non-agricultural business in this state.
Federal hazardous orders always apply — the parent-owned-business carve-out never reaches mining, manufacturing, or HO-listed work.
Michigan requires a Combined Work Permit/Age Certificate (CA-6 / CA-7) for every minor under 18 in covered employment, issued by the chief administrator of the minor's school district. The YESA's exemption list at § 409.116 enumerates specific categories (farm work, agricultural processing, domestic service in or about a private home, casual employment) — parent-owned non-agricultural commercial businesses are NOT separately listed. Hour caps (under-16: 8 hrs/day, 48 hrs/week with school+work combined cap of 48 hrs/week, 6 days/week max; 16-17: 10 hrs/day, 48 hrs/week with stricter school-week limits) apply to family-owned commercial businesses. Federal § 213(c)(1)(C) does NOT preempt the state's more-protective work-permit and hour caps under § 218(a). Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 also apply, and Michigan adds state-level hazardous prohibitions at § 409.112.
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: Michigan Youth Employment Standards Act, MCL §§ 409.103 (work permit/age certificate), 409.111-409.112 (hour limits), 409.116 (limited exemptions)
Entertainment-industry work
Michigan 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 Michigan 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: Michigan Youth Employment Standards Act, MCL §§ 409.101-409.124
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/wage-and-hour/employer/youth-employment-standards
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Michigan Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Michigan?
- Yes — under Michigan law a 14-year-old can work up to 4 hours per school day, up to 24 hours per week, between 07:00 and 21:00. A Michigan work permit is required.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Michigan?
- When school is in session, Michigan allows a 15-year-old to work up to 4 hours per school day, up to 24 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 48 hours per week, between 07:00 and 21:00.
- Does Michigan require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — Michigan requires a work permit for minors aged 14-17 (form: Combined Application/Permit/Parental Consent for Minor (Form CA-6 or CA-7)). The employer issues a Promise of Employment; the minor's school administrator countersigns the combined application/work-permit form (CA-6 for minors 14-15, CA-7 for 16-17). A parent or guardian must sign. The permit is job-specific and must be reissued for each new employer.
- How many hours can a 16-year-old work during summer in Michigan?
- During summer or school breaks, Michigan allows a 16-year-old to work up to 10 hours per school day, up to 48 hours per week, between 06:00 and 23:30. 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 Michigan?
- Yes. Michigan 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 Michigan?
- Sometimes. Michigan 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 are paid 85% of the state minimum; separately, a new employee under 20 may be paid a training wage for their first 90 days (Mich. Comp. Laws § 408.934b). Minimum-wage dollar amounts change almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the Michigan Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Michigan?
- Michigan 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 Michigan Youth Employment Standards Act, MCL §§ 409.101-409.124 citation on this page for the statutory source.