To get a work permit in Missouri for a minor aged 14 or 15, you complete a state-issued work certificate (form LS-67 during the school year or LS-68 during summer), gather signatures from the minor, a parent or guardian, and the employer, and then take the form with proof of age to an authorized school official who reviews and signs it. The minor cannot start work until that official has signed and the employer has the original certificate on file.1Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Certificate to Employ a Child 14 or 15 Years of Age – LS-67
Who Needs One
Missouri requires a work certificate for any 14- or 15-year-old before they start a job.2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 294.024 The certificate ties one minor to one employer and one set of duties, so a new one is required whenever the minor changes jobs.
Two boundaries are worth naming up front. Children under 14 generally cannot work in Missouri at all; the narrow exceptions are agricultural work, entertainment industry jobs (which use a different permit), and casual tasks such as babysitting, newspaper delivery, occasional yard work with parental consent, or coaching and refereeing.3Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Youth Employment And workers who are 16 or 17 do not need a certificate for most jobs, though federal hazardous-occupation rules still apply until age 18.4U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
Pick the Right Form
Missouri uses two versions of the certificate depending on the time of year:
- LS-67, the Certificate to Employ a Child 14 or 15 Years of Age, is used during the regular school term.1Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Certificate to Employ a Child 14 or 15 Years of Age – LS-67
- LS-68, the same certificate for the non-school term, is used in summer.5Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Certificate to Employ a Child 14 or 15 Years of Age During Non-School Term – LS-68
Both are available from the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and from local school district offices. Grab the version that matches the season before anyone starts signing.
How to Fill Out the Certificate
The form is divided into three sections, each completed by someone different. Plan for all three to happen before you approach a school official.
Section A — Minor and Parent
The minor writes in their personal information, and a parent or legal guardian signs directly on the form to give consent. There is no separate consent document, so the parent needs to be present or available when the minor fills out this part.1Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Certificate to Employ a Child 14 or 15 Years of Age – LS-67
Section B — Employer
The employer enters the business name, address, type of business, and a description of the specific duties the minor will perform. The employer signs to confirm the proposed hours and duties fit Missouri’s child labor rules, and checks the boxes acknowledging the hour limits: no more than three hours on a school day, no more than eight on a non-school day, no more than 40 hours a week, and no more than six days a week.5Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Certificate to Employ a Child 14 or 15 Years of Age During Non-School Term – LS-68
Section C — Issuing Officer
A school official completes this section after reviewing the rest of the form. Nothing in Sections A and B authorizes work on its own; the minor cannot start until Section C is signed.
Who Signs It and What to Bring
Missouri law lets any of the following issue a work certificate:1Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Certificate to Employ a Child 14 or 15 Years of Age – LS-67
- The public school superintendent of the district where the child lives
- The chief executive officer of the charter school the child attends
- The principal of the public or private school the child attends
- A designee of any of the officials above
- A parent, if the child is home-schooled
Bring proof of the minor’s age, such as a birth certificate, when you take the form in. The issuing officer may also ask for the parent or guardian to appear in person with the child, a school certificate showing the child’s grades, or a physician’s certificate confirming the child is physically able to do the work.1Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Certificate to Employ a Child 14 or 15 Years of Age – LS-67 Call ahead so you know what your issuing officer expects.
Home-schooled and private school students need the same certificate. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education directs families in those situations to the superintendent or authorized designee of the public school district where the child lives.6Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Missouri Child Work Certificates The LS-67 instructions also allow a home-schooling parent to serve as the issuing officer, so contacting your local district is the practical way to confirm which route they use.
After the Certificate Is Signed
Once the issuing officer signs Section C, the completed form is distributed three ways:1Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Certificate to Employ a Child 14 or 15 Years of Age – LS-67
- The original goes to the employer, who keeps it on file.
- One copy stays with the issuing officer.
- A second copy is mailed to the Missouri Division of Labor Standards in Jefferson City.
The minor cannot legally start until the employer has that original in hand. School officials can also revoke a certificate, or refuse to issue one, if they believe the employment would harm the minor’s education.7Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Work Certificates and Work Permits
Entertainment Work Uses a Different Permit
If the job is in film, television, theater, commercials, or similar productions, the LS-67 and LS-68 do not apply. Any child under 16 working in the entertainment industry needs a work permit issued directly by the Missouri Division of Labor Standards rather than by a school official.8Missouri Film Office. Child Labor Laws Contact the Division separately for that process.
Hours and Jobs the Certificate Cannot Override
A signed certificate does not override Missouri’s limits on when a 14- or 15-year-old can work. During the school year (Labor Day through June 1), work is limited to the hours between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., with no more than three hours on a school day, eight on a non-school day, and six days a week. During summer (June 1 through Labor Day), the evening cutoff moves to 9 p.m. and the weekly cap is 40 hours across no more than six days.9Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Acceptable Work and Hours for Youth Federal rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act add a cap of 18 hours in any week school is in session; where state and federal rules differ, the stricter one governs.4U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations
Missouri also flatly bans workers under 16 from a long list of hazardous occupations, including power-driven machinery (other than lawn and garden equipment at a private home), driving motor vehicles, ladder or scaffold work, mining and quarry work, metalwork involving foundries or forging shops, sawmills and woodworking machinery, freight elevators and hoisting equipment, explosives and ammunition, work with toxic chemicals or radioactive substances, and most work at hotels, motels, or resorts with sleeping accommodations. The statute closes with a catch-all covering any occupation “dangerous to the life, limb, health, or morals” of a child under 16.10Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code RSMo 294.040 An employer who lists a duty in Section B that falls into any of these categories should expect the issuing officer to reject the form. If a specific job is a gray area, ask the Missouri Division of Labor Standards before filling anything out.