How Many Hours Can a Minor Work in NJ: Age Caps, Breaks, Papers

In New Jersey, how many hours a minor can work depends on their age and whether school is in session. A 14 or 15 year old is capped at 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, rising to 8 hours a day and 40 a week once school lets out. A 16 or 17 year old can work up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week during the school year, and up to 10 hours a day and 50 a week during school breaks. No minor under 18 can work more than six consecutive days in a single week.¹

Hours for 14 and 15 Year Olds

This is the most tightly regulated age bracket. During any week that school is in session, a 14 or 15 year old can work:

No more than 3 hours on a school day
No more than 8 hours on a non-school day in that week (a Saturday, for example)
No more than 18 hours total across the week
Only between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM

Shifts have to fall outside scheduled school hours. An employer who puts a 14 or 15 year old on the schedule during class time is violating state law, and skipping school for a shift is never permitted.¹

During non-school weeks, which New Jersey defines as the period from the last day of school through Labor Day, the caps loosen:

Up to 8 hours a day
Up to 40 hours a week
Evening cutoff moves from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The summer schedule applies in restaurants, supermarkets, retail, and other work the state hasn’t otherwise prohibited for this age group. The six-consecutive-day rule still applies year round.¹

Hours for 16 and 17 Year Olds

Older teens have more scheduling room, but the school calendar still shapes the week. During weeks that school is in session, a 16 or 17 year old can work:

Up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week
No more than 6 consecutive days
Not before 6:00 AM and not after 11:00 PM

There’s a weekend carve-out worth knowing. On a night that doesn’t precede a scheduled school day, a 16 or 17 year old can work past 11:00 PM. In practice, Friday and Saturday nights are the flexible ones during the school year.¹

From the last day of school through Labor Day, the caps rise:

Up to 10 hours a day and 50 hours a week
No more than 6 consecutive days
Night cutoff relaxed through the vacation season

Restaurants and seasonal amusements get the widest window: a shift that started before 11:00 PM can continue until 3:00 AM, as long as the next day isn’t a scheduled school day. Factory jobs run the other way and cap shifts at 10:00 PM even during the summer.¹²

One firm limit holds in every season: no minor under 18 can start before 6:00 AM on a day that precedes a scheduled school day.

The 30-Minute Meal Break

Any minor under 18 who works six continuous hours must get a 30-minute meal break. A break shorter than 30 minutes doesn’t count as an interruption of that six-hour stretch, so an employer can’t substitute two 15-minute pauses.³

Federal law has no meal break requirement at all, so this is purely a state protection. Employers can’t point to the federal standard to get out of it.⁴

Farm Work Is Different

Agricultural work runs on its own set of hour rules, and they are considerably more generous. A minor as young as 12 can work on a farm, with limits of:

Up to 10 hours a day
Up to 60 hours a week
No more than 6 consecutive days
No time-of-day restrictions

The one hard rule: workers under 16 cannot work during the hours they are required to be in school.⁵

Working Papers Have to Be in Place First

Hours only matter once a minor is legally cleared to start. Nearly every worker under 18 in New Jersey needs an employment certificate, usually called working papers, and the employer has to have it on file before the first shift. A new certificate is required for each separate job, so changing employers means starting over.⁶

A handful of situations don’t require a certificate: agricultural workers 16 and older; domestic or farm work done at the minor’s own home for a parent or guardian outside school hours; agricultural fairs and farm shows of 10 days or fewer for minors 14 and older during school breaks; and the first 14 days of a seasonal amusement, food service, restaurant, or retail job for minors 15 and older while school is out, provided no power-driven machinery is involved for anyone under 16.⁶

Applications go through the state’s MyWorkingPapers portal. The minor fills out the application using an 8-digit code the employer provides after making the job offer, the employer confirms the job details online, and a parent or legal guardian gives consent. The Department of Labor reviews the file and sends an email confirmation to all three parties when the certificate is active. The minor can’t legally start work until that confirmation lands.⁷⁸

Jobs Minors Can’t Do at All

Hour limits are one layer; occupation bans are another. New Jersey prohibits workers under 18 from a long list of jobs regardless of how many hours they would work, including construction, manufacturing or handling explosives, operating most power-driven machinery, work involving toxic chemicals, and any establishment where alcohol is sold for on-premises drinking. That last one catches a lot of restaurant jobs where a teen might assume hosting or bussing is fine.⁶ Federal hazardous occupation orders add tasks like driving motor vehicles, roofing, demolition, and operating forklifts. Where state and federal rules both apply, the stricter one controls.⁹

What to Do If an Employer Pushes Past the Limits

If an employer schedules you beyond the hour caps, past curfew, or without a valid certificate, you can file a complaint with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The Commissioner of Labor can assess administrative fines of up to $500 for a first violation, up to $1,000 for a second, and up to $2,500 for each one after that, in addition to any other penalties available under law.¹⁰ The legal risk sits with the employer, not the teen.

1
New Jersey Revised Statutes. New Jersey Code 34:2-21.3 – Limitations on Minors’ Working Hours
2
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Young Workers in NJ: Rights and Protections for Workers under 18
3
New Jersey Revised Statutes. New Jersey Code 34:2-21.4 – Lunch Period for Minors Under 18
4
U.S. Department of Labor. Breaks and Meal Periods
5
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development – Young People May Work on Farms
6
Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Child Labor Laws and Regulations
7
New Jersey Department of Labor. Frequently Asked Questions: Working Papers for Minors
8
State of New Jersey. Working Papers Process, Step-by-Step
9
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations
10
New Jersey Revised Statutes. New Jersey Code 34:2-21.19 – Penalty, Child Labor Law Enforcement Trust Fund