NY · State teen labor law
New York teen labor law — work hours, permits, and restricted jobs
New York requires working papers for every minor under 18. School-week hour caps for 16-17-year-olds are tighter than the federal floor (28 hours vs. unlimited under FLSA), and an evening curfew applies on school nights.
Quick facts
School year vs summer hour caps
New York 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
- 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: Hours apply June 21 through Labor Day.
Ages 16–17
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
- 06:00 – 22:00
Note: Up to midnight on evenings preceding a non-school day with written parental + school consent.
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 during school vacations.
Work permit
New York requires a work permit for minors aged 14–17.
Apply at your local school district office or guidance counselor. The student fills out the application; a physician must sign the physical-fitness portion. A parent or guardian must sign for minors under 18.
Form: Employment Certificate (AT-19, AT-20, or AT-25 by age)
New York work-permit reference (official source) →
Jobs by age
Age-specific guides to common allowed jobs in New York, 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
Construction work for minors under 18
State: NY Labor Law §133
Operating power-driven bakery machines
Federal: HO-11
Door-to-door sales after dark for minors under 18
State: NY Labor Law §137
Roofing operations and work on or about a roof
Federal: HO-16
See the full federal hazardous orders (HO-1 to HO-17) for plain-English summaries, or the New York hazardous-orders deep-dive for the federal floor plus New York-specific additions.
Breaks & meal periods
New York applies one general meal-break rule to all employees, including minors. Federal law (the FLSA) mandates no break at any age, so this state rule is the binding one for teens too.
- Meal break
- 30 minutes
- Required after
- 6 consecutive hours
- Pay treatment
- Unpaid
Unpaid when the teen is completely relieved of duty.
New York's meal-period law (Labor Law § 162) is a general all-employee rule that also covers minors; the child-labor article (Article 4) governs minors' hours but sets no separate break length. A shift of more than 6 hours that spans the noon period (11 a.m.-2 p.m.) must include at least a 30-minute meal break (60 minutes in factory work); a shift starting before 11 a.m. and continuing past 7 p.m. gets an additional 20-minute meal between 5 and 7 p.m.; a shift over 6 hours that starts between 1 p.m. and 6 a.m. gets a 45-minute (mercantile) or 60-minute (factory) meal. Meal periods are unpaid and duty-free. New York does not mandate any short paid rest or coffee break.
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.
Statute: N.Y. Lab. Law § 162
Pay & minimum wage
New York 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 New York Department of Labor.
- How minors are paid
- Full state minimum
- State minimum wage
- Set by state law
- Below-minimum youth rate
- Not permitted
A teen earns the full minimum; any lower rate needs a special DOL certificate.
New York requires learners and apprentices to be paid the full state minimum — its Miscellaneous Industries Wage Order states flatly that no learner or apprentice may be paid less than the minimum. There is no youth or teen subminimum; the only carve-outs are certain electing nonprofit institutions and commissioner-approved rehabilitation programs, neither of which is a youth wage. The state minimum is tiered by region (NYC / downstate / the rest of the state).
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
New York 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.
New York applies materially looser rules to farm work than to other employment for minors 14 and up: NYDOL states 'there are no hour regulations for farm work that apply to minors 14 years of age or older.' For 12- and 13-year-olds, a separate Farm Work Permit allows hand-harvest picking of berries, fruit, and vegetables — limited to 4 hours per day and prohibited before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. during the school year (Labor Day to June 20), and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the summer (June 21 to Labor Day). 12–13-year-olds cannot work on a farm when school is in session. 'Dangerous farm jobs' are prohibited under 16, mirroring the federal Ag HO floor. The federal parent-owned-farm exemption from § 213(c)(1) applies; the state does not separately restrict it.
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: NY Labor Law §§ 130-145-a; NY DOL Hours of Work for Minors guidance
Family-business carve-out
New York 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.
New York's Article 4 requires an Employment Certificate ("working papers") issued by the minor's school district for every minor 14 through 17 in any "employment" as defined in § 130, with no parent-owned-business carve-out from the certificate requirement. The state's daily/weekly hour caps and time-of-day restrictions for 14–15-year-olds (3 hrs/school day, 18 hrs/school week, 7 AM–7 PM with summer extension) and 16–17-year-olds (4 hrs/school day, 28 hrs/school week, until 10 PM on school nights with parental + school written consent allowing midnight) apply equally to family-owned bodegas, restaurants, and retail businesses. The federal § 213(c)(1)(C) exemption does NOT preempt these state rules under § 218(a)'s "more protective" rule. The only state carve-outs from the Employment Certificate are agriculture (separate Farm Work Permit framework), newspaper delivery (§ 131 specific exemption), and the casual/occasional employment exclusion under § 130(2). Federal hazardous orders HO-1 through HO-17 also apply.
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: NY Labor Law §§ 130, 131-134 (Employment Certificate); §§ 142, 142-a (hour caps); 12 NYCRR § 142-2.7
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: New York State Department of Labor
Coogan-style blocked trust set up by parent or guardian.
Min. 3 hrs of schooling per school day.
Max time at the workplace, by age
Total hours at the workplace including work, schooling, meals, and rest — not just work time.
- Under 6 months
- 2 hr/day
- Under 6 months: max 2 hours at place of employment; cannot be exposed to artificial light more than 30 minutes.
- 6 mo – under 2 yr
- 4 hr/day
- 6 months to under 2 years: max 4 hours at place of employment.
- 2–5 years
- 6 hr/day
- 2 to under 6 years: max 6 hours.
- 6–8 years
- 8 hr/day
- 6 to under 9 years: 8 hrs on school day (incl. 3 hrs schooling), 9 hrs non-school day.
- 9–15 years
- 9 hr/day
- 9 to under 16 years: 9 hrs per day (school day includes 3 hrs schooling).
- 16–17 years
- 10 hr/day
- 16–17 years: 10 hrs per day at place of employment; cannot exceed 6 consecutive days.
New York requires both a Child Performer Permit (for the minor, renewed annually) and a Child Performer Employer Certificate of Eligibility (for the employer, renewed every 3 years). 15% of the child performer's gross earnings must be transferred to a trust account established under EPTL § 7-7.1 (NY's Coogan-equivalent). A NYSED-approved teacher must provide schooling on set whenever the minor would otherwise be in school.
Statute: NY Arts & Cultural Affairs Law Article 35 (§§ 35.01–35.05); 12 NYCRR Part 186; Estates, Powers & Trusts Law § 7-7.1
Where these rules come from
State code: NY Labor Law Article 4 (§§ 130-145-a)
US DOL Wage & Hour Division: https://dol.ny.gov/child-labor
Last verified:
Informational only — verify with the New York Department of Labor before hiring or starting work.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a 14-year-old work in New York?
- Yes — under New York 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 New York work permit is required.
- How many hours can a 15-year-old work during school in New York?
- When school is in session, New York 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 New York require a work permit for minors?
- Yes — New York requires a work permit for minors aged 14-17 (form: Employment Certificate (AT-19, AT-20, or AT-25 by age)). Apply at your local school district office or guidance counselor. The student fills out the application; a physician must sign the physical-fitness portion. A parent or guardian must sign for minors under 18.
- How many hours can a 16-year-old work during summer in New York?
- During summer or school breaks, New York 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 New York?
- Yes. New York requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break once a worker reaches 6 consecutive hours; the rule applies to all employees, including 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 New York?
- Generally no. New York 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 New York Department of Labor. See the Pay and minimum wage section on this page.
- What jobs can a minor not do in New York?
- New York prohibits minors from a number of hazardous occupations, including: all federal hazardous orders ho-1 through ho-17; construction work for minors under 18; operating power-driven bakery machines. The full list of federal hazardous orders (HO-1 through HO-17) also applies. See the NY Labor Law Article 4 (§§ 130-145-a) citation on this page for the statutory source.