It depends on your age and whether school is in session. In most jobs, 14–15-year-olds generally cannot work past 7 PM during the school year; from June 21 through Labor Day, they may generally work until 9 PM. For 16–17-year-olds, work is generally limited to 6 AM–10 PM when school is in session. Working between 10 PM and midnight on a night before school requires written parent/guardian permission and a certificate of satisfactory academic standing from the school. When school is not in session, 16–17-year-olds generally cannot work between midnight and 6 AM.
During school weeks, most 14–15-year-olds can work up to 3 hours on a school day, 8 hours on a non-school day, 18 hours per week, and 6 days per week. Most 16–17-year-olds can work up to 4 hours before a school day, 8 hours on Fridays, weekends, and holidays, 28 hours per week, and 6 days per week. During full vacation weeks, the limits generally increase to 40 hours per week for ages 14–15 and 48 hours for ages 16–17. Certain jobs have different rules.
In New York, workers ages 14–17 generally need an employment certificate, commonly called working papers. The type depends on your age and whether you’re attending school. New York is also moving toward a digital working-papers system in 2027, so always check the current process before applying.
4. What is the minimum wage for a teen worker in New York?
Being a teenager does not generally create a lower youth minimum wage in New York. As of 2026, the general minimum wage is $17.00/hour in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County and $16.00/hour in the rest of New York State. Different rules can apply to certain tipped workers and other specific jobs.
5. Do I have to be paid for training or mandatory meetings?
Often, yes. Required job-related training, meetings, and similar activities generally count as working time. Under federal law, training can usually be unpaid only when several conditions are all met—including that it is outside normal hours, voluntary, not directly related to the job, and no productive work is performed. New York also specifically allows workers to file wage claims for unpaid on-the-job training.
Yes. In New York, workers are generally entitled to a meal period after working a certain number of hours. For many non-factory workers, a shift of more than six hours triggers at least a 30-minute meal period, although the exact timing and length can depend on when the shift occurs and the type of workplace.
7. Can my manager call me in when I wasn’t scheduled?
If you’re a minor in New York, your employer must create and post a work schedule showing when minors start, finish, and take meal periods. The employer can change that schedule, but the change must be posted; minors are supposed to work only on the days and at the times shown on the posted schedule. If a minor is working at a different time or there is no required posted schedule, that can violate New York child-labor law.
8. Are there jobs or equipment I’m not allowed to use if I’m under 18?
Yes. Federal and New York law restrict minors from certain hazardous work. Depending on age, prohibited work can include construction, roofing, excavation, certain driving, meat-processing equipment, power-driven saws, hoisting equipment, bakery machinery, and other dangerous machinery or occupations. Workers under 16 face additional restrictions.
9. What should I do if my paycheck is missing hours or looks wrong?
Start by saving your records: your schedule, your own record of hours worked, pay stubs, messages, and any clock-in/clock-out information you can access. Compare the hours and rate on your pay stub with what you actually worked, then raise the discrepancy with your employer or payroll contact. If wages are still unpaid, the New York State Department of Labor accepts claims involving unpaid hours, on-the-job training, minimum-wage violations, illegal deductions, and other wage issues.