What Age Can You Work in Massachusetts: Permits, Hours, and Pay

In Massachusetts, you can generally start working at age 14. A few narrow jobs are open to younger children, and once you turn 14 the state controls how many hours you can work, when you can work them, and which jobs are off-limits until you turn 16 or 18. Every worker under 18 also needs a work permit before the first day on the job.

The Minimum Age Is 14

Massachusetts child labor law, in Chapter 149 of the General Laws, sets 14 as the floor for most employment.¹ Below that age, only a few kinds of work are allowed: delivering newspapers, farm work, and appearing in entertainment productions under a state waiver. Outside those categories, an employer cannot legally hire anyone younger than 14.²

Hour Limits for 14- and 15-Year-Olds

If you’re 14 or 15, the rules are strict, and they change with the school calendar.

While school is in session:

Up to 3 hours on a school day, and up to 8 hours on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays
No more than 18 hours per week, spread across no more than 6 days
Work only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

When school is out, the daily cap rises to 8 hours and the weekly cap to 40, still across no more than 6 days. From July 1 through Labor Day, the evening cutoff moves to 9:00 p.m.¹³

Hour Limits for 16- and 17-Year-Olds

At 16, the caps loosen. You can work up to 9 hours per day and 48 hours per week, across no more than 6 days.¹

The times of day depend on whether you have school the next morning. On nights before a school day, you can work between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., with a 10:15 p.m. finish allowed if the business stops serving customers at 10:00 p.m. On nights before a non-school day, the cutoff is 11:30 p.m., extending to midnight if you work at a restaurant or racetrack.⁴

Any minor working past 8:00 p.m., at any age, needs direct supervision from an adult who is physically at the workplace and reasonably accessible. The one exception is a kiosk or stand in the common area of an enclosed mall with its own security staff on duty from 8:00 p.m. until closing.⁴

One more rule that applies to every worker, minors included: if a shift runs longer than six hours, you’re entitled to at least a 30-minute meal break, free of duties and free to leave the workplace. The break can be unpaid.⁵

You Need a Work Permit First

Every worker under 18 must have a Youth Employment Permit before the first day of a new job. Permits do not transfer between jobs, and they don’t transfer between locations of the same employer either.⁶

The steps:

Line up a specific job offer first. The application needs the employer’s name, work address, and job description.
Have the employer complete and sign the Promise of Employment section.
Get a parent, guardian, or custodian to sign.
If you’re 14 or 15, get a Physician’s Certificate of Health signed by your doctor after an exam completed within the last 12 months.
Submit the completed application to the superintendent of schools (or their authorized agent) for the district where you live or attend school. Bring proof of age, such as a birth certificate, passport, or immigration record.

⁷

The superintendent’s office issues the permit, and your employer keeps the original on file at the workplace until you leave the job or turn 18. Homeschooled teens use the superintendent’s office in their town of residence.⁶

Pay: Same Minimum Wage as Adults

Massachusetts has no separate youth minimum wage. A 14-year-old at a first job earns the same $15.00 per hour as any other non-exempt worker in the state.⁸ Tipped positions pay a $6.75 base, but the employer must top up your pay if tips don’t get you to $15.00 per hour by the end of each shift.⁹

Jobs You Can’t Take Until You’re Older

Massachusetts bars minors from a long list of jobs considered too dangerous. Some restrictions lift at 16; others stay in place until 18.

Off-Limits Until 18

Driving a motor vehicle or forklift on the job (limited golf cart use is allowed)
Operating, cleaning, or repairing power-driven meat slicers, grinders, or bakery machines
Working 30 feet or more above ground or water
Handling, serving, or selling alcohol
Using circular saws, band saws, or guillotine shears
Operating power-driven woodworking machines, including chain saws
Excavation, wrecking, demolition, or logging work
Roofing or any work on or about a roof
Manufacturing or storing explosives
Work involving exposure to radioactive substances
Slaughtering, packing, or processing meat
Operating hoisting machines like forklifts and cranes

¹⁰

Also Off-Limits Under 16

At 14 and 15, the following are added on top of the list above:

Operating power-driven machinery, except basic office equipment and certain retail or food-service machines not otherwise banned
Cooking on anything other than electric or gas grills with no open flame
Operating fryers, rotisseries, or pressure cookers
Working in freezers or meat coolers
Working in manufacturing, construction, or warehousing (clerical work away from heavy machinery is allowed)
Loading or unloading trucks, railroad cars, or conveyors
Working in amusement venues such as bowling alleys or pool halls

¹⁰

The full state list is longer. If a job involves heavy equipment or looks physically risky, check the state’s complete prohibited occupations list before accepting.

If an Employer Breaks the Rules

Employers who hire minors under 16 without following the permit rules face criminal fines and possible jail time under state law, with daily penalties escalating if violations continue after an inspector’s notice.¹¹

If you’re being scheduled past permitted hours, put to work without a permit, or assigned to a prohibited task, you can file a complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division. Complaints can be filed online, and you can file anonymously. Pay stubs and schedules help, but you don’t need documents to get started.¹²

1
Mass.gov. Massachusetts Laws Regulating Minors’ Work Hours
2
Mass.gov. Working Under 18
3
U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment
4
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 149 – Section 66
5
Mass.gov. Breaks and Time Off
6
Mass.gov. Youth Employment Permit Information
7
Mass.gov. Employment Permit Application for 14- Through 17-Year-Olds
8
Mass.gov. Massachusetts Law About Minimum Wage
9
Mass.gov. Minimum Wage Program
10
Mass.gov. Prohibited Jobs for Minors
11
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 149 – Section 90
12
Mass.gov. File a Workplace Complaint