A 15-year-old in Rochester lands a job scooping ice cream after school. Before the first shift, she needs a blue piece of paper. New York calls it an employment certificate, or 'working papers', and every worker aged 14 through 17 needs one, even a high school graduate or a teen working for a parent. This article covers how to get them, how many hours you can work, and what you must be paid.
Your school gives out working papers
In New York, school officials issue working papers, not the labor department. Go to your guidance office and ask for the application. A parent or guardian signs it, and you bring it back. You also need a doctor's exam from the last 12 months saying you are physically fit (a school sports physical counts) and proof of age, such as a birth certificate, passport, or state photo ID.
The color tells you the type. Ages 14 and 15 get the blue AT-18, which rules out factory workrooms and construction. Students aged 16 and 17 get the green AT-19. Teens 16 or 17 who have left school for full-time work get the AT-20. In New York City, every young person applies at a local public high school office; the city Department of Education line is 718-935-2000. In Buffalo, charter and private school students apply at City Hall, 65 Niagara Square. Your employer keeps the certificate on file for as long as you have the job. The state labor department says a digital version is coming in 2027.
Hours: tighter than federal law, and they keep going at 16
The federal floor, the Fair Labor Standards Act, limits 14- and 15-year-olds to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week. New York uses the same numbers and adds more: no more than 8 hours on a Saturday, no more than 6 days a week, and no work between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. from the day after Labor Day to June 20 (9 p.m. from June 21 to Labor Day). In a vacation week, the cap is 8 hours a day and 40 a week.
Federal hour limits stop at 16. New York's do not. A 16- or 17-year-old may not work between midnight and 6 a.m., and working between 10 p.m. and midnight before a school day takes written permission from a parent plus a certificate of satisfactory academic standing from the school. In vacation weeks the cap is 8 hours a day, 6 days, and 48 hours. The labor department's Permitted Working Hours Chart lists the school-week totals for this age group.
One more rule protects you: the employer must post a schedule of every minor's hours, and working outside that posted schedule is a violation.
Pay depends on your region
New York sets its minimum wage by region, not by age. Starting January 1, 2026, it is $17.00 an hour in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, and $16.00 in the rest of the state. Tipped food service workers can be paid a lower cash wage, but tips must bring them up to the minimum. Both numbers are well above the federal $7.25.
Federal child labor rules reach every state because of United States v. Darby (1941). The Supreme Court held that Congress may set wages, hours, and child labor limits for goods made for interstate trade, and it overruled Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), which had struck down an earlier federal child labor law.
Where to check and who to contact
The New York State Department of Labor enforces child labor and minimum wage rules through its Labor Standards division, and its website, dol.ny.gov, has the working papers page, the hours page, and the complaint forms. A teen, a parent, or a teacher can file.
Before your first shift, ask to see the posted schedule of minors' hours. Then keep your own note of when you start and stop each day.
Remember this
- Every New York worker aged 14 to 17 needs working papers, issued by a school office with a parent's signature, a recent physical, and proof of age.
- Ages 14 and 15: 3 hours on a school day, 18 in a school week, 6 days at most, and no work after 7 p.m. (9 p.m. in summer).
- Ages 16 and 17: no work from midnight to 6 a.m., and 10 p.m. to midnight before a school day needs parent and school sign-off.
- The minimum wage is $17.00 in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester and $16.00 elsewhere; the state Department of Labor takes complaints.
Sources
- New York State Department of Labor: Working Papers (opens in a new tab)
- New York State Department of Labor: Hours of Work for Minors (opens in a new tab)
- New York State Department of Labor: Minimum Wage (opens in a new tab)
- Cornell Legal Information Institute: United States v. Darby (1941) (opens in a new tab)
This article provides general educational information, not individualized legal advice. KidsKnowRights is not a law firm, and reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws vary by state, age, and circumstances, and they change over time. For advice about a real situation, talk with a licensed attorney or a legal aid organization.