Do You Need Working Papers at 16 in PA? Permit, Hours, and Pay

Yes, if you are 16 and want to work in Pennsylvania, you need working papers. The state calls the document an Employment Certificate, and it is required for every worker under 18 under Pennsylvania’s Child Labor Act. It is free, you get it through your local school district, and it stays valid until you turn 18, so you go through the process once and keep the same card as you change jobs.¹

How to Get Your Work Permit

The application goes through your local school district. That is true even if you attend a private school, a cyber charter, or are homeschooled. You go to the district where you live.

Bring these with you:

Proof of age. A birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, or learner’s permit all work.
Parental consent. A parent or legal guardian signs the application. If you are under 16, a separate written statement acknowledging the job’s duties and hours is also required.
A promise of employment. Some districts ask for a form your prospective employer fills out describing duties, hours, and wages. It is not always required, but having it ready speeds things up.

You must appear in person before the issuing officer, usually someone in a school guidance office, to sign the permit. A parent or guardian typically comes along. Once your documents check out, the permit is issued on the spot.¹ Many districts post the application form online so you can complete the paperwork ahead of time; the signing still happens in person.

What the Permit Is and How Long It Lasts

The Employment Certificate is a wallet-sized card. You keep the original and your employer keeps a copy on file, where enforcement officers can ask to see it.¹

The permit is transferable, so a new job does not mean a new permit. It is valid from the day it is issued until your 18th birthday. Pennsylvania’s certificate also serves as the federal age certificate accepted for Fair Labor Standards Act compliance, so a single card covers both state and federal requirements.²

Work Hour Limits for 16-Year-Olds

Once you have the permit, Pennsylvania limits when and how much you can work. The rules differ depending on whether school is in session.

During the school year:

No work before 6:00 a.m. or after midnight
No more than 8 hours a day
No more than 28 hours a week

During school vacations:

No work before 6:00 a.m. or after midnight
No more than 10 hours a day
No more than 48 hours a week¹

Any shift longer than five consecutive hours requires a 30-minute uninterrupted break. That break is not optional for either you or your employer.¹

Federal law does not cap hours for 16- and 17-year-olds, so the Pennsylvania numbers above are the ones that govern your schedule.³

Jobs You Cannot Do at 16

Federal law bars anyone under 18 from a set of hazardous occupations, including:

Manufacturing or storing explosives, though working at a retail store that sells ammunition is allowed
Operating power-driven hoisting equipment such as forklifts, cranes, and boom trucks
Operating power-driven meat-processing machines such as slicers and saws, even in a restaurant or deli
Most jobs in brick, tile, and related product manufacturing³

Pennsylvania adds more restrictions. Notably, 16- and 17-year-olds generally cannot work in places where alcohol is produced, sold, or served. A limited exception lets minors serve food or bus tables in a dining area where alcohol is not being served, depending on the layout of the establishment.⁴

If you are not sure whether a job you want is on the prohibited list, ask the issuing officer when you apply. Reviewing the nature of the work is part of what they do, and they can flag a problem before you start.

What You Should Get Paid

Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, the same as the federal floor. Federal law also allows a youth minimum wage of $4.25 per hour for workers under 20, but only during the first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment. After that, the regular minimum wage applies regardless of your age.⁵ Most employers pay the regular minimum wage from day one, but the lower rate is legal if you see it on that first paycheck.

Narrow Exceptions to the Permit and Hour Rules

A few situations sit outside the standard permit-and-hours framework:

Delivering newspapers and periodicals is carved out from the standard permit and hour rules.
Workers 14 and older may work until 10 p.m. on a farm doing poultry hatching, raising, or harvesting, as long as the job has not been declared hazardous by the U.S. Secretary of Labor.
Students 14 and older in a recognized school-work program supervised by their school can work hours that, combined with school time, do not exceed eight in a day.⁶

If you have already graduated from high school at 16 or 17, you still need a work permit, but the hour-of-day and hours-per-week limits no longer apply to you. The same is true for minors exempt from compulsory school attendance under the Pennsylvania Public School Code.¹

One last thing worth knowing: the legal consequences for breaking these rules fall on the employer, not on you or your parents. If an employer tells you they do not need your permit or asks you to work past the hour limits, that is a signal that something is wrong on their end, and it is worth raising.

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Child Labor Law
2
eCFR. 29 CFR 570.121 – Age Certificates
3
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations
4
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Prohibited Occupations Under the Child Labor Act
5
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #32: Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
6
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Child Labor Act, Act of Oct. 24, 2012, P.L. 1209, No. 151