What Is the Legal Working Age in Michigan?

The legal working age in Michigan is 14 for most jobs, with a few narrow exceptions that let children as young as 11 work as golf caddies or youth-sports officials. Anyone under 18 is covered by the Youth Employment Standards Act (YESA), which requires a work permit for every job and sets limits on hours, schedules, pay, and the kinds of work a minor can do.

When Kids Under 14 Can Work

The under-14 exceptions are short and specific. At 11, a child can work as a golf caddie or as a referee or umpire for a youth athletic program, as long as the players are younger than the minor officiating.¹ At 13, a child can do certain farm work such as detasseling, roguing, or hoeing, but only during school vacations or when the minor is not enrolled in school.²

A minor of any age can perform with a performing arts organization, but the organization has to get a letter of approval from the Michigan Department of Labor first. Approval depends on the work being safe, the minor being properly supervised, and schooling not being neglected.³

Unpaid volunteer work for a tax-exempt nonprofit or an agricultural fair is treated differently. A minor volunteering without pay does not need a work permit and is not subject to the usual YESA restrictions.² Emancipated minors are also outside the act entirely; an employer only needs proof of the court-ordered emancipation on file.⁴

Work Permits Are Required for Everyone Under 18

Reaching the legal working age does not mean a teen can just walk into a job. Every minor under 18 needs a work permit before starting work, and a new permit is required each time the minor changes employers.⁵ The requirement applies to homeschooled students, virtual-school students, dropouts, and minors from other states. A permit can also be revoked if the minor’s academic performance slips.

School administrators have traditionally issued the permits, using the CA-6 form for minors under 16 and the CA-7 for 16- and 17-year-olds. That is changing. Under Public Act 196 of 2024, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) is taking over the process directly. A free statewide online registration system launches October 2, 2026, and both minors and employers will register through LEO’s website.⁵ Employers will submit their business information, the minor’s contact details, and the worksite address.

How Many Hours a Minor Can Work

Michigan limits both the total hours a minor can work and the times of day the work can happen. The limits are tighter for younger teens. When federal rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) are stricter on a given point, the stricter rule controls.⁵

Ages 14 and 15

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds can only work outside of school hours, with these caps:⁶

School weeks: no more than 3 hours per day and 18 hours per week.
Non-school weeks: up to 40 hours per week. Federal law further caps non-school days at 8 hours per day.⁷
From June 1 through Labor Day: between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.
The rest of the year: between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

That 7 p.m. cutoff catches a lot of families off guard. A 15-year-old who closes at 9 p.m. all summer cannot keep those hours once school starts in the fall.

Ages 16 and 17

Older teens get more room but still face real caps.⁸

School weeks: up to 24 hours per week, no more than 10 hours in any day.
Non-school weeks: up to 48 hours per week, still 10 hours per day maximum.
No more than 6 days in any week.
School nights: between 6 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Non-school nights and vacations: between 6 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.

Meal Breaks

Every minor, regardless of age, must get at least a 30-minute meal and rest break after 5 continuous hours of work. A break shorter than 30 minutes doesn’t count; the law treats anything less as continuous work.⁹

Jobs Minors Cannot Do

State and federal rules together bar minors from a long list of dangerous work. Federal law identifies 17 hazardous occupations off-limits to anyone under 18, including work with explosives, coal mining, roofing, excavation, logging, operating power-driven metal-forming, woodworking, bakery, or meat-processing equipment, driving motor vehicles, demolition, and exposure to radioactive substances.¹⁰

Michigan adds more. A minor cannot work alone at a fixed location handling cash transactions after sunset or 8 p.m., whichever comes first, unless an adult employee aged 18 or older is present.¹¹

Alcohol rules are more nuanced than most people assume. A work permit cannot be issued for a 16- or 17-year-old to work in the part of a business where alcohol is made, bottled, or served for on-premises consumption, unless food and other goods account for at least 50% of total gross receipts. Fourteen- and 15-year-olds can be permitted to work at a retailer that sells alcohol, like a grocery store, as long as food and other goods make up at least half of sales, but they still cannot work in any area where alcohol is served or consumed on site.¹¹

What Minors Earn

Michigan’s minimum wage as of January 1, 2026 is $13.73 per hour. Workers aged 16 and 17 can legally be paid 85% of that, which comes to $11.67 per hour.¹² The state rate climbs to $15.00 on January 1, 2027, which will put the minor rate at $12.75.¹³

Federal law lets employers pay workers under 20 a training wage of $4.25 per hour during their first 90 calendar days.¹⁴ Because Michigan’s state minimum is higher, the state figure is what Michigan employers actually have to pay. Fourteen- and 15-year-olds are not covered by the 85% subminimum and must be paid the full state rate of $13.73.

What Happens If an Employer Breaks the Rules

Public Act 196 of 2024 overhauled the penalty structure, and the consequences now have real teeth. The LEO director can impose administrative fines of up to $5,000 per violation. Criminal penalties escalate with repeat offenses:¹⁵

First offense: misdemeanor, up to one year in jail, a fine up to $5,000, or both.
Second offense: felony, up to two years in prison, a fine up to $25,000, or both.
Third or subsequent offense: felony, up to five years in prison, a fine up to $50,000, or both.

If a minor is killed or suffers serious bodily harm while working for an employer in violation of the act, a first offense alone becomes a felony punishable by up to five years in prison with a mandatory fine between $50,000 and $500,000. A third offense in that category can bring up to 20 years.¹⁵ Federal civil penalties under the FLSA apply on top of state consequences.

Michigan also doubles workers’ compensation benefits owed to a minor injured while working illegally, whether in a prohibited job, past curfew, or without a valid permit. The only time regular single compensation applies is when the minor used a fraudulent age certificate or permit to get hired.¹⁶

1
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.103
2
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.104
3
Michigan Legislature. Youth Employment Standards Act – MCL 409.114
4
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.117
5
Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Youth Employment Standards Act (YESA)
6
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.110
7
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the FLSA for Nonagricultural Occupations
8
Michigan Legislature. Youth Employment Standards Act
9
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.112
10
eCFR. 29 CFR Part 570 – Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
11
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 409.115
12
Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Michigan’s Minimum Wage Set to Increase on Jan. 1, 2026
13
Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. LEO – Minimum Wage and Overtime
14
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #32: Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
15
Michigan Legislature. Senate Fiscal Agency Bill Analysis – SB 963/965
16
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 418.161