MO · State teen labor law
Missouri teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
Missouri requires a Work Certificate for minors 14-15 and follows the federal FLSA caps for that age group. 16-17-year-olds face no state hour limit or time-of-day restriction — only federal hazardous-occupation rules apply.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
Missouri 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)
- 3 hr
- Hrs/day (Sat / Sun / holiday)
- 8 hr
- Max hours per week
- 18 hr
- Time window
- 07:00 – 19:00
Note: 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 apply June 1 through Labor Day; evening cutoff extends to 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: Missouri imposes no state hour or time-of-day restriction on 16-17-year-olds; federal FLSA also has no hour 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
Missouri requires a work permit for minors aged 14–15.
Minors 14-15 must obtain a Work Certificate from their school superintendent before starting work. The minor presents a Statement of Intent to Employ from the employer along with proof of age. 16- and 17-year-olds do not need a state-issued certificate; the employer keeps age verification on file.
Form: Missouri Work Certificate
Missouri work-permit reference (official source) →
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in Missouri, 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: RSMo §294.040
Adult entertainment establishments (any minor)
State: RSMo §294.040
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the Missouri hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus Missouri-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
Missouri 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 Missouri 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
Missouri sets its own minimum wage and minors generally earn the full rate — there is no general youth subminimum a teen can be paid. The structure is stable; the dollar amount changes almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the Missouri Department of Labor.
- How minors are paid
- Full state minimum
- State minimum wage
- Set by state law
- Below-minimum youth rate
- Not permitted
- Subminimum structure
- No certificate-free youth or training wage. A below-minimum rate for learners and apprentices exists in statute (RSMo § 290.517) but is set by the Director only after a public hearing and regulation (certificate-gated); that subminimum was rescinded in 2009 and no current regulation authorizes it. RSMo § 290.515 separately allows a lower rate only for workers whose earning capacity is impaired by physical or mental deficiency, again by Director regulation after a hearing. An ordinary under-20 teen must be paid the full state minimum.
A teen earns the full minimum; any lower rate needs a special DOL certificate.
Missouri's minimum wage was set by voter initiative (Prop B 2018, Prop A 2024) and sits above the federal $7.25 (RSMo § 290.502). No certificate-free youth/training/opportunity wage exists. The only statutory paths below the state minimum (learner/apprentice under § 290.517; impaired-earning-capacity under § 290.515) each require a Director-issued regulation after a public hearing, so an ordinary first-job teen cannot be paid under them. Missouri's official labor FAQ confirms that, absent such a hearing and regulation, all covered nonexempt employees — including those under 20 — must be paid the full applicable minimum, and the prior learner/apprentice subminimum was rescinded in 2009.
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
Missouri 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.
Missouri applies its general Child Labor Act to off-family-farm agricultural work. The minimum age for commercial agricultural employment is 14 outside school hours and 16 during school hours (stricter than the federal '12-13 with parental consent' tier). The § 294.030 hour caps apply to minors under 16 in commercial agriculture (3 hours per school day, 8 hours per non-school day, 6 days per week, 40 hours per week, no work between 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM with the cutoff extending to 9:00 PM from June 1 through Labor Day). § 294.011 carves agriculture out of the act's definition of "employ" in two important ways: (1) occasional yard or farm work (including agriculture as defined in § 290.500(1)) performed by a minor with the parent's knowledge and consent is excluded, and (2) any child working under the direct control of the child's parent is excluded — together these cover the great majority of family-farm scenarios. A Work Certificate is required for minors under 16 in commercial agriculture during the school term. Federal Ag HO-1 to Ag HO-11 govern at 16+ off the family farm.
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: RSMo §§ 294.011, 294.030, 294.040 (Missouri Child Labor Act, Chapter 294)
Family-business carve-out
Missouri extends the federal parent-owned-business carve-out beyond the federal "parent only" rule — the rules below apply for family-owned non-agricultural businesses in this state.
Federal hazardous orders always apply — the parent-owned-business carve-out never reaches mining, manufacturing, or HO-listed work.
Missouri's Child Labor Act at § 294.011 excludes from the definition of "employ" (and thus from the act's entire reach) "any child working for the child's parents in any occupation except those covered by federal child labor laws or those declared hazardous by the director." For a parent-owned non-agricultural business in Missouri, no Work Certificate is required, the state's § 294.030 hour caps do not apply, and no state time-of-day restrictions apply — provided the child works directly for the parent. Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 always apply, and Missouri's hazardous-occupations rules at § 294.040 (which the Director of Labor may declare hazardous) carry through regardless of parent ownership — mining, manufacturing, and HO-listed occupations remain prohibited for under-16/under-18 as applicable.
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: RSMo § 294.011 (definition of "employ" — parent-owned-business exclusion); § 294.040 (hazardous occupations)
Entertainment-industry work
Missouri 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 Missouri 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: Missouri Revised Statutes Chapter 294 (§§ 294.005-294.150)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://labor.mo.gov/DLS/YouthEmployment
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the Missouri Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in Missouri?
- Yes — under Missouri law a 14-year-old can work up to 3 hours per school day, up to 18 hours per week, between 07:00 and 19:00. A Missouri work permit is required.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in Missouri?
- When school is in session, Missouri allows a 15-year-old to work up to 3 hours per school day, up to 18 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 Missouri require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — Missouri requires a work permit for minors aged 14-15 (form: Missouri Work Certificate). Minors 14-15 must obtain a Work Certificate from their school superintendent before starting work. The minor presents a Statement of Intent to Employ from the employer along with proof of age. 16- and 17-year-olds do not need a state-issued certificate; the employer keeps age verification on file.
- Can a teen be paid less than minimum wage in Missouri?
- Generally no. Missouri sets its own minimum wage and minors earn the full rate — there is no general youth subminimum, and any below-minimum rate requires a special DOL certificate. Minimum-wage dollar amounts change almost every year, so confirm the current figure with the Missouri Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in Missouri?
- Missouri 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 Missouri Revised Statutes Chapter 294 (§§ 294.005-294.150) citation on this page for the statutory source.