Yes, a 14-year-old can work in Texas. Fourteen is the general minimum age for employment under state law, and teens that age may take approved non-hazardous jobs in places like retail stores, restaurants, and offices, as long as the schedule stays inside the federal limits on hours and time of day.1State of Texas. Texas Labor Code Section 51.011 – Minimum Age Both Texas law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act apply, and when they differ, the stricter rule controls.
Two narrow situations let a child work before 14: a business owned or operated by a parent or legal guardian can employ its own children at any age, and children under 14 can perform in film, television, radio, or theater after a parent obtains a Child Actor Authorization from the Texas Workforce Commission.2Cornell Law School. 40 Tex. Admin. Code 817.31 – Child Actor Authorization
Jobs a 14-Year-Old Can Take
Federal regulations list the jobs open to 14- and 15-year-olds in retail, food service, and gas-station work. The Texas Workforce Commission uses the same list.3Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Child Labor Law Common roles include:
- Office and clerical work: data entry, filing, and running office machines.
- Retail: cashiering, price marking, bagging groceries, stocking shelves, and carrying out orders.
- Food service: dishwashing, busing tables, preparing cold foods like salads and sandwiches, and operating simple equipment such as toasters, blenders, and coffee grinders.
- Gas stations: dispensing fuel, washing and polishing cars, and courtesy work on the premises, but not working with tire rims, lifts, or pits.
- Light cleanup and grounds work: vacuuming and floor waxing, but not power-driven mowers, trimmers, or edgers.4eCFR. Part 570 – Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
- Errands and deliveries on foot, by bicycle, or by public transportation, not by motor vehicle.5U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
Jobs and Tasks That Are Off-Limits
The rules for 14- and 15-year-olds are tighter than the hazardous-occupation list that covers everyone under 18. Whole industries are closed, and specific dangerous tasks are banned on top of that.6eCFR. 29 CFR 570.33 – Occupations That Are Prohibited to Minors 14 and 15 Years of Age
A 14-year-old cannot work in manufacturing, mining, or processing. Construction sites, boiler and engine rooms, and warehouses are off-limits. Any job that involves running hoisting equipment, including forklifts, non-automatic elevators, cranes, or scissor lifts, is prohibited. Driving a motor vehicle for work, riding as a helper on a delivery vehicle, and loading or unloading trucks or railroad cars are all barred. Door-to-door sales, sometimes called youth peddling, is also off the list.
Federal law adds a separate set of tasks that no one under 18 may perform in any industry:7U.S. Department of Labor. What Jobs Are Off-Limits for Kids
- Operating power-driven woodworking, bakery, or metal-forming machines
- Meat processing and slicing
- Roofing and any work on or about a roof
- Demolition and wrecking
- Trenching and excavation deeper than four feet
- Work with explosives or radioactive materials
- Operating compactors, balers, or paper-products machines
How Many Hours a 14-Year-Old Can Work
Federal and Texas hour rules both apply, and the federal caps are tighter in nearly every category, so they set the real schedule.8Texas Workforce Commission. Summary of the Texas Child Labor Law Texas law on its own allows up to 48 hours a week and work as late as 10:00 p.m. on school nights, but the federal ceiling overrides those more permissive numbers.9U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment
During the School Year
- Only outside school hours
- No more than 3 hours on a school day, including Fridays
- No more than 18 hours in a school week
- Hours must fall between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
During Summer and School Breaks
- No more than 8 hours a day
- No more than 40 hours a week
- Between June 1 and Labor Day, hours extend to 9:00 p.m.5U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
What a 14-Year-Old Gets Paid
Texas uses the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, and that rate applies to teen workers the same as adults.10Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Minimum Wage Law There is one carveout. The FLSA lets employers pay a youth minimum wage of $4.25 an hour to any employee under 20 during the first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment.11U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 32 – Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
The 90-day clock runs on calendar days, not days actually worked. After day 90, the full $7.25 rate kicks in. Employers cannot fire or cut the hours of an existing worker and swap in a youth-wage employee to save on payroll.
Texas has no state income tax, so the only withholding on a teen’s paycheck is federal. Social Security and Medicare come out of every check regardless of how little the teen earns. Federal income tax is withheld based on the W-4, but most 14-year-olds earn far below the filing threshold and will get any withheld tax back by filing a return.
Proof of Age at Hiring
Texas does not require a general work permit for 14-year-olds, but the employer has to be able to show it verified the teen’s age. Most families handle this by giving the employer a copy of the birth certificate when the teen is hired.
For stronger documentation, a parent or teen can apply to the Texas Workforce Commission for a Certificate of Age. Once issued, it stays valid until the teen turns 18, and the employer keeps a copy on file.12Legal Information Institute. 40 Tex. Admin. Code 817.5 – Certificate of Age Having it on record shows good-faith compliance during a labor inspection.
Farm Work Follows Different Rules
Agricultural work runs on a separate and generally more permissive federal track. A child of any age can work on a farm owned or operated by a parent or guardian, in any task and at any time.13U.S. Department of Labor. Exemptions from Child Labor Rules in Agriculture Off the family farm, 14- and 15-year-olds can work in agriculture but cannot do tasks the federal government has declared particularly hazardous for workers under 16. Those include operating a tractor over 20 PTO horsepower, running harvesting or baling machinery, working with forklifts or earthmoving equipment, handling Category I or II pesticides, working from a ladder or scaffold higher than 20 feet, working inside grain storage structures, silos, or manure pits, and working in livestock pens with breeding bulls, boars, or sows with piglets.
A 4-H Federal Extension training certificate can unlock some of the otherwise-prohibited tractor and machine tasks when the employer closely supervises the teen. Agricultural work for this age group is not subject to the federal daily and weekly hour caps, though it still cannot happen during school hours.
What Happens If an Employer Breaks the Rules
Most violations of the Texas child labor law are a Class B misdemeanor, carrying up to 180 days in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, or both. Certain violations involving hazardous activities tied to solicitation are elevated to a Class A misdemeanor.14Texas Workforce Commission. Chapter 51, Labor Code – Employment of Children The Texas Workforce Commission can also assess a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation.15State of Texas. Texas Labor Code Section 51.033 – Administrative Penalty The U.S. Department of Labor can add its own federal fines on top of the state consequences.
If a 14-year-old is in immediate danger on the job, for example being told to run a forklift or a chainsaw, call the Texas Workforce Commission at 800-832-9243. For situations without immediate danger, file a written complaint using the TWC’s Child Labor Complaint form and send it by mail, fax, or email to child.labor@twc.texas.gov.3Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Child Labor Law