In Texas, how many hours a minor can work depends almost entirely on age. Children under 14 generally cannot be employed at all outside narrow exceptions. Fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds are 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 when school is out. Once a minor turns 16, both Texas and federal law drop the hour limits entirely.1Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Child Labor Law
Two sets of rules produce those numbers. Texas Labor Code Chapter 51 covers every employer in the state, and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act covers most employers beyond small purely local operations. Where both apply, the stricter rule wins.2Texas Workforce Commission. Summary of the Texas Child Labor Law For hours worked by 14- and 15-year-olds, the FLSA is almost always the stricter of the two, so its caps are what most Texas employers actually follow.
Hours for 14- and 15-Year-Olds
During the school year, FLSA-covered employers must hold 14- and 15-year-olds to:
- No more than 3 hours on a school day
- No more than 18 hours in a school week
- No work during school hours
When school is out, the caps loosen considerably:
- Up to 8 hours per day
- Up to 40 hours per week
Texas state law by itself allows up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week for 14- and 15-year-olds enrolled in school.3U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment Those looser state numbers only govern the rare employer not covered by the FLSA. In practice, a Texas teenager working at a chain restaurant, retail store, or any business tied to interstate commerce is under the 3-hour and 18-hour school-year caps.
Hours for 16- and 17-Year-Olds
There is no daily or weekly hour cap for 16- and 17-year-olds under either Texas law or the FLSA. A minor in this age range can work any number of hours, on any day.1Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Child Labor Law
One caveat sits behind that unlimited number. Texas law requires that employment not interfere with a child’s education, so scheduling a 16- or 17-year-old for hours that keep them out of school can still create a compliance problem even though no specific hour limit was crossed.2Texas Workforce Commission. Summary of the Texas Child Labor Law Separately, hazardous-occupation restrictions apply to everyone under 18 and limit what kinds of work a 16- or 17-year-old can do, even when the hours themselves are unrestricted.
When Those Hours Can Fall
The hour caps for 14- and 15-year-olds come with time-of-day limits. Under the FLSA, work can only happen between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the school year. Between June 1 and Labor Day, the evening cutoff extends to 9 p.m.2Texas Workforce Commission. Summary of the Texas Child Labor Law
Texas state law uses different night boundaries: no work between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. on a night before a school day, and no work between midnight and 5 a.m. on other nights. Those state curfews also apply through summer if the minor is enrolled in summer school. Because the FLSA’s 7 p.m. cutoff is stricter than the state’s 10 p.m. rule, the federal number is what governs school-year evenings for most employers.
For 16- and 17-year-olds, no time-of-day restriction applies. Overnight shifts are legally permitted, subject to the school-interference standard above.
Situations Where the Hour Rules Don’t Apply the Same Way
A few categories of work sit outside the standard hour framework, and it’s worth knowing which before assuming the caps above control.
Agricultural work. Texas exempts agricultural employment from its state child labor laws entirely.4U.S. Department of Labor. State Child Labor Laws Applicable to Agricultural Employment Federal FLSA rules still cover farm work, and they generally allow longer hours during planting and harvest seasons. Minors working on farms owned by their parents are largely exempt even from those federal restrictions.
A parent’s own business. A parent or legal guardian can employ their own child under 16 in a business they own without following the standard hour restrictions. The exemption does not cover manufacturing, mining, or hazardous work, and it applies only when the child works directly for the parent.5eCFR. 29 CFR 570.126 – Parental Exemption
Child actors and performers. The FLSA exempts minors employed as actors or performers in movies, theater, radio, or television from its child labor provisions.6eCFR. 29 CFR 570.125 – Actors and Performers Texas state restrictions may still reach child performers, so both layers need to be checked. The exemption covers on-screen and on-stage roles, not behind-the-scenes staff.
Approved work-study programs. Students in approved work-study programs may work under modified schedules tied to their coursework. Texas’s program is coordinated through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.7Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. 2023-2024 Program Guidelines Texas Work-Study
What Employers Face for Scheduling Over the Limits
Texas Labor Code Section 51.033 authorizes an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 per violation. The actual amount depends on the seriousness of the violation, the employer’s history, corrective action taken, and what’s needed to deter repeats.8State of Texas. Texas Labor Code Section 51.033 – Administrative Penalty Some child labor violations are also treated as criminal offenses under Texas law, which can bring prosecution on top of the administrative fine. The Texas Workforce Commission’s Wage and Hour Department handles state complaints, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division handles FLSA enforcement.1Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Child Labor Law
For a parent, teenager, or employer trying to answer the practical question: on a school day, a 14- or 15-year-old works 3 hours, ending by 7 p.m.; in a school week, 18 hours total. When school is out, 8 hours a day, 40 a week, ending by 9 p.m. in summer. At 16, the hour clock comes off, but the hazardous-work list and school-interference standard stay on until 18.