Texas does not issue work permits to minors. A 14-year-old who wants to start a job in Texas can instead request a Certificate of Age from the Texas Workforce Commission, a document that verifies the minor’s age for an employer. It isn’t legally required to begin working, but many employers ask for one before putting a 14-year-old on the schedule.1U.S. Department of Labor. Employment/Age Certificate Getting one takes a short application, a photo, and proof of age mailed to the TWC.
What the Certificate of Age Is and Whether You Need One
A Certificate of Age isn’t permission to work. It’s proof that a minor is between 14 and 17. If an employer hires someone who turns out to be underage, having relied in good faith on a valid Certificate of Age can serve as a legal defense against prosecution.2Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Child Labor Law That’s why employers ask for it.
Once issued, the certificate stays valid until the minor turns 18, with no renewal required.3Cornell Law Institute. Texas Code 40 Tex. Admin. Code 817.5 – Certificate of Age It is not tied to a specific employer, so the same certificate works if the minor changes jobs. If the original is lost, a new application gets a replacement.
Before you apply, ask the employer whether they actually want one. Some do, some don’t. If they don’t, a 14-year-old can start working in Texas without ever requesting the certificate.
What You Need to Apply
The Texas Administrative Code lists three things you need to send in:3Cornell Law Institute. Texas Code 40 Tex. Admin. Code 817.5 – Certificate of Age
- The completed application form from the TWC. It asks for the minor’s name, address, and date of birth. The Social Security number field is optional. A parent or legal guardian has to sign it.4Texas Workforce Commission. Certificate of Age
- A recent photograph, color or black-and-white, about 1½ inches by 1½ inches.
- Proof of age. A birth certificate is simplest. Other accepted documents include a baptismal certificate showing the date of birth, a passport issued within the past year, a life insurance policy reflecting the child’s date of birth, or a school record paired with a sworn parental statement and a physician’s certificate of age.
If you don’t already have a certified birth certificate, you can order one from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Fees typically run around $20 to $25.
Where to Send the Application
Mail the completed application, photograph, and proof-of-age document to the TWC Wage and Hour Department at 101 E. 15th Street, Room 514, Austin, TX 78778-0001.4Texas Workforce Commission. Certificate of Age Make sure any copies you include are legible.
The TWC does not publish a guaranteed turnaround time. Allow several weeks, especially in the spring when summer-job applications pile up. The certificate is mailed to the applicant once approved.
Hours a 14-Year-Old Can Work in Texas
Two sets of rules apply at the same time, and most 14-year-olds end up governed by the federal ones because they’re tighter. Any employer covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act — which includes most businesses with at least $500,000 in annual revenue — has to follow whichever rule is more restrictive.
Federal Limits
Under the FLSA, a 14- or 15-year-old can work:
- Up to 3 hours on a school day and up to 18 hours in a school week.
- Up to 8 hours on a non-school day and up to 40 hours in a non-school week.
- Only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. From June 1 through Labor Day, the evening cutoff moves to 9:00 p.m.5U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment
Texas Limits
State law allows up to 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week. Shifts can’t start before 5:00 a.m. On nights before a school day (including summer school), work has to end by 10:00 p.m. On nights not followed by a school day, the cutoff is midnight.2Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Child Labor Law
In practice the federal daily and weekly caps control for most jobs. The state’s 10:00 p.m. school-night cutoff is the one place Texas is tighter, and it kicks in on nights before summer school when the federal rule would otherwise allow work until 9:00 p.m.
Jobs a 14-Year-Old Can and Can’t Take
Federal law limits 14- and 15-year-olds to a short list of nonhazardous occupations. The common ones are office and clerical work, cashiering, shelf stocking, bagging groceries, and some food service tasks.
Kitchen work is allowed with conditions. A 14-year-old can cook on an electric or gas grill as long as there’s no open flame, and can use a deep fryer only if it has an automatic basket-lowering device. Food slicers, grinders, and commercial mixers are off limits. Baking of any kind is also prohibited.6U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 2A – Child Labor Rules for Employing Youth in Restaurants
Outside food service, yard work, errands, light cleanup, car washing, folding clothes at a retail store, and assembling orders are generally fine, as long as no power-driven machinery is involved.
The federal hazardous-occupation orders ban anything in a plant, mill, or workshop where goods are manufactured, mined, or processed; work with woodworking machines, forklifts, cranes, or food-processing equipment; any job involving explosives or ionizing radiation; driving or riding as a helper on a motor vehicle; and demolition, wrecking, or roofing. These bans apply regardless of parental consent.7U.S. Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor – Prohibited Occupations for Non-Agricultural Employees
When the Rules Don’t Apply
A few situations sit outside the standard child labor framework, which means the certificate and hour limits above may not apply:8Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Labor Code Chapter 51 – Employment of Children
- A parent or legal custodian who owns a business can employ their own child at any age and any hours, as long as the work is nonhazardous and directly supervised by the parent.
- Casual, nonrecurring work like occasional yard work for a neighbor is exempt when a parent consents and the work is safe.
- Children 11 and older can deliver newspapers on a route. Selling newspapers directly to the public requires age 16.
- Farm work is exempt during periods when the child isn’t legally required to attend school.
- School-administered work-study programs approved by the TWC are exempt.
Pay
Texas follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Federal law lets employers pay a youth rate of $4.25 per hour to workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days on the job, after which the regular minimum wage applies.9U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 32 – Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act Those 90 days run on the calendar, not on days actually worked, so the clock moves faster than many teens expect. Plenty of retail and food service employers start everyone at or above $7.25 regardless of age, so it’s worth asking about the starting rate before accepting a position.