US: First jobs · 5 min read
What jobs can a 14 or 15 year old do in the US?
What 14 and 15 year olds can legally do in the US under the FLSA: 3 hours on a school day, 18 a week, 7am to 7pm, the jobs allowed, work permits and pay.
The short answer
Federal law lets you start most non-farm jobs at 14. At 14 and 15 you can work in retail, food service (with limits on cooking), offices, grocery stores, movie theaters, amusement parks, lifeguarding at 15, and as a tutor or camp aide. Hours are tight: 3 hours on a school day, 18 in a school week, 8 on a non-school day, 40 in a non-school week, and only between 7am and 7pm (9pm from June 1 through Labor Day). Many states add a work permit and stricter limits, and the stricter rule wins.
Key takeaways
- Federal minimum age for most jobs is 14. Under 14, the options are babysitting, newspaper delivery, acting and working for your parents' non-hazardous business.
- School weeks: 3 hours a day, 18 a week, never during school hours. Summer: 8 a day, 40 a week, until 9pm.
- Allowed: cashier, bagging, stocking, bussing, food prep without power equipment, office work, lifeguarding at 15. Not allowed: cooking over an open flame, baking, warehouse work, ladders, driving.
- Pay floor is the federal $7.25, or your state's higher minimum. Employers may pay $4.25 for your first 90 days only.
On this pageThe federal hours rules
The federal hours rules
| School in session | School not in session | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours per day | 3 on a school day | 8 |
| Hours per week | 18 | 40 |
| Earliest start | 7am | 7am |
| Latest finish | 7pm | 9pm from June 1 through Labor Day; 7pm otherwise |
| During school hours | Never | Not applicable |
What you can and can't do
The federal list for 14 and 15 year olds is a list of what's allowed; anything not on it is off limits. Allowed work includes cashiering, selling, bagging, shelf stocking, price marking, office and clerical work, cleaning (including vacuuming, but not power-driven mowers or cutters), kitchen work and food prep without power slicers, grinders or fryers, dishwashing, bussing tables, pumping gas and washing cars by hand, and lifeguarding at pools and water parks from 15. Off limits: baking, cooking except on electric or gas grills without open flames, operating or cleaning power equipment, warehouse work, ladders and scaffolds, anything in manufacturing, mining or construction, and driving.
Where 14 and 15 year olds actually get hired
- Grocery stores and supermarkets: bagging, carts, stocking. Many large chains hire at 14 or 15 by policy.
- Fast food and ice cream shops, in front-of-house and prep roles the rules allow.
- Movie theaters, bowling alleys, mini golf and amusement parks, which hire heavily for summer.
- City parks and recreation departments: camp aides, scorekeepers, junior lifeguards.
- Lifeguarding from 15 with a Red Cross certification, one of the better-paid teen jobs.
- Neighborhood work: babysitting, pet sitting, lawn mowing and tutoring, which fall outside most of the rules.
States go further
Where state and federal law differ, you follow the stricter one. Many states require a work permit before you start, cap hours below the federal limits, or push the summer curfew earlier. A handful have loosened rules recently to extend hours for 14 and 15 year olds; a few have no permit requirement at all. The Department of Labor keeps a state-by-state table, and your school counselor's office usually knows the local process.
Getting the first one
- Check your state's permit rule and get the form started before you apply, so you can say "I already have my working papers."
- Write a one-page resume: school, grade, any teams, clubs, volunteering, babysitting or yard work, and two adults who'll vouch for you.
- Apply in person at quiet times. Managers at small businesses still hire the 15 year old who asked politely on a Tuesday afternoon.
- Apply online to three or four large chains that hire at your age. Their forms are long but they hire at volume.
Illustrative example: the summer that paid for the phone
A 15 year old gets her working papers from the school office in May, applies to a grocery chain that hires at 15, and works 25 hours a week bagging and running carts from June to August at $13 an hour. She earns about $4,000, pays no federal income tax because her total is far under the standard deduction, and in the fall drops to Saturdays only to stay inside the 18-hour school week limit.
Questions people ask
- Can a 14 year old work at McDonald's or Chick-fil-A?
- Yes, in most states, in roles the rules allow: register, drive-through window, cleaning, and food prep that doesn't involve fryers, grills or ovens. Federal rules let 14 and 15 year olds cook only on electric or gas grills without open flames and warm food in microwaves. Some chains set their own minimum at 16 for scheduling simplicity, so ask before applying.
- Do 14 and 15 year olds need a work permit?
- Federal law doesn't require one, but most states do, usually called a work permit, employment certificate or working papers, issued through your school or the state labor department. Your employer can't legally put you on the schedule until it's filed. The guide on work permits for minors explains how to get one in a day.
- How much does a 15 year old make an hour?
- At least the minimum wage where you work, which is $7.25 federally and higher in 30 states and DC, from $8.75 up to $17 or more in parts of Washington and California. Employers may pay a youth wage of $4.25 for your first 90 consecutive calendar days, but most don't, and many fast food and retail chains start teens at $12 to $16 in 2026.
- Can I work during school hours if I'm homeschooled?
- Federal rules bar 14 and 15 year olds from working during the hours the local public school is in session, whether or not you attend it, unless you're in an approved Work Experience and Career Exploration Program. Some states have narrower rules for homeschoolers; check your state labor department.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Fact Sheet 43: Child labor provisions for nonagricultural occupations · US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
- YouthRules! Young workers · US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
- State child labor laws · US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
- Fact Sheet 32: Youth minimum wage · US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.