How Many Hours Can a 14-Year-Old Work in Idaho?

A 14-year-old in Idaho can work up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, or up to 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week. Those federal caps are stricter than Idaho’s state limits, so they’re the ones employers have to follow.¹² A few other rules shape the picture: what time of day the work can happen, what kinds of jobs are allowed, and how pay works for a first job.

The Hour Caps at a Glance

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, a 14- or 15-year-old working a non-agricultural job is limited to:¹

3 hours on a school day, including Fridays
18 hours in a school week
8 hours on a non-school day
40 hours in a non-school week
No work during school hours

Idaho’s own statute would allow children under 16 to work up to 9 hours a day and 54 hours a week, but when state and federal child labor laws cover the same ground, the law that gives the minor more protection controls.³² The federal numbers are tighter across the board, so they’re the ones that apply in practice.

What Time of Day a 14-Year-Old Can Work

During most of the year, a 14-year-old can only work between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. From June 1 through Labor Day, the evening cutoff pushes back to 9 p.m.¹ An employer can’t schedule a shift that starts earlier or ends later, no matter how willing the teen is.

Jobs a 14-Year-Old Can Hold

Federal law allows 14- and 15-year-olds to do a specific set of non-hazardous jobs, mostly in retail, office, and food service settings:⁴

Cashiering, bagging, stocking shelves, and price marking
Filing, answering phones, and running typical office machines
Tutoring, computer programming, and creative work like acting or playing an instrument
Limited food service work: reheating, dishwashing, cleaning equipment, and some cooking (baking is off-limits)
Yard work with hand tools (no power mowers, trimmers, or edgers)
Errands and deliveries on foot, by bike, or by public transit
Dispensing gas and hand-washing or hand-polishing cars

Lifeguarding at a traditional pool or amusement park is open to 15-year-olds who meet the training requirements, but not to 14-year-olds.⁴

Jobs That Are Off-Limits

Whole categories of work are closed to 14-year-olds, regardless of parental permission:⁵

Manufacturing, mining, and processing
Power-driven machinery such as food slicers, bakery mixers, grinders, and woodworking equipment (ordinary office machines are the exception)
Construction and repair work
Transportation, warehousing, and loading-dock work
Communications and public utility jobs
Forklifts, elevators, boom trucks, and other hoisting equipment
Freezer and meat-cooler work, except briefly stepping in to grab something

On top of those, 17 federal Hazardous Occupations orders bar anyone under 18 from the most dangerous work, including roofing, excavation, logging, and operating power-driven saws.⁶

Situations Where the Hour Limits Don’t Apply

Several kinds of work follow different rules.

A Parent’s Business

A 14-year-old can work any hours, at any time of day, in a business solely owned by a parent. The one hard line is that even a parent’s business cannot put a child to work in manufacturing, mining, or any occupation the Secretary of Labor has declared hazardous.⁷ The exemption only covers a business the parent solely owns; a parent who works for someone else and brings a child along to help doesn’t trigger it.⁸

The Family Farm

Children of any age can work at any time, in any farm job, on a farm owned or operated by their parents. The hazardous-occupation restrictions that apply to other farm employers don’t apply on the family farm.⁹

Acting and Newspaper Delivery

Child actors and performers in movies, theater, radio, and television are exempt from the federal child labor provisions entirely.¹⁰ Delivering newspapers directly to consumers is also exempt, as are the minimum wage and overtime rules for that work.¹¹

Pay

Idaho’s minimum wage matches the federal rate of $7.25 per hour. Both federal and Idaho law let employers pay a training wage of $4.25 per hour to workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment.¹²¹³ That clock runs on calendar days, not days actually worked, so it moves even if the teen only picks up a few shifts a week. After the 90 days, the full $7.25 minimum kicks in.

Breaks

Idaho does not require employers to provide breaks or meal periods to any employee, including minors.¹³ Federal law also doesn’t mandate rest breaks for 14- and 15-year-olds. If an employer does give a short break of 20 minutes or less, federal rules generally require that time to be paid.

Work Permits and Proof of Age

Idaho does not require a work permit or employment certificate before a minor can start a job, which makes it simpler than many other states. Federal recordkeeping rules still require an employer to have a birth date on file for any employee under 19, so a new hire should expect to show a birth certificate, state ID, or similar document.¹⁴ Having that paperwork ready before the first shift avoids delays.

What Happens When Employers Break the Rules

Idaho’s own child labor statute is enforced by local school boards and truant officers rather than the state labor department.¹⁵ An employer who violates it faces a fine of up to $50 for the first offense, with daily fines of $5 to $20 if the violation continues after notice. A parent or guardian who lies about a child’s age to work around the rules can be charged with perjury.¹⁶

Federal penalties are much larger. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division can assess civil penalties of up to $16,035 per violation of federal child labor standards, rising to $72,876 if a violation causes serious injury or death to a minor, and $145,752 if the violation was willful or repeated.¹⁷ If an employer ever pressures a 14-year-old to work past 7 p.m. during the school year, pick up a ninth hour on a Saturday, or run a slicer in the back, those numbers are worth knowing. The limits exist for a reason, and the enforcement does too.

1
eCFR. 29 CFR 570.35 – Hours Limitations
2
U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment
3
Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 44-1304 – Working Hours for Children Under Sixteen
4
U.S. Department of Labor. Non-Agricultural Jobs – 14-15
5
U.S. Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor – Prohibited Occupations for Non-Agricultural Employees
6
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
7
U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA – Child Labor Rules Advisor – Complete Child Labor Exemptions
8
eCFR. 29 CFR 570.126 – Parental Exemption
9
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 40 – Overview of Youth Employment Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Agricultural Occupations
10
eCFR. 29 CFR 570.125 – Actors and Performers
11
eCFR. 29 CFR 570.124 – Delivery of Newspapers
12
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 32 – Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
13
Idaho Department of Labor. Frequently Asked Questions on Labor Laws
14
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 21 – Recordkeeping Requirements Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
15
Business.Idaho.gov. Teenage Employees
16
Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code 44-1305 – Penalty for Violations
17
U.S. Department of Labor. Civil Money Penalty Inflation Adjustments