Working as a teen in Connecticut: working papers, hours, and pay

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A 16-year-old in Waterbury gets hired at a supermarket. Before the first shift, the store asks for something many teens have never heard of: working papers. In Connecticut that is not optional. State law requires a document called a Statement of Age, usually just called working papers, for every employee under 18, and you must have it before you start work. This article explains how to get it, how many hours you can legally work, and what the state minimum wage is.

Working papers: what they are and where to get them

Working papers in Connecticut come from your school district, not from the employer and not from the state labor office. The Connecticut Department of Labor's checklist says to bring two things to the public high school in your town, or to the Superintendent of Schools: a written promise of employment from the employer, and proof of age such as a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, or passport. The checklist also asks for your Social Security card.

The school issues the Statement of Age. The employer keeps it on file. If you change jobs, you need new papers for the new job, because the promise of employment is tied to one employer.

Some jobs do not require working papers at all. The state's list for 14 and 15 year olds includes babysitting, newspaper delivery, yard work, farm work, and work at a licensed summer camp. If the job is not on that list and you are under 18, assume you need papers and ask the school office.

Ages 14 and 15: very few paid jobs, and mostly in vacation weeks

Connecticut is stricter than federal law for the youngest workers. Federal law, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), lets a 14-year-old work in a store or restaurant during the school year, up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week. Connecticut does not go that far. The state's list of permitted jobs for a 14-year-old with working papers is short: caddie or pro shop worker at a golf course. A 15-year-old can add bagger, cashier, or stock clerk in a retail store.

Even those jobs are generally limited to school vacation periods, which the state defines as at least five consecutive days with no school. During a vacation, the caps are 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. From July 1 through the first Monday in September, a 15-year-old may work until 9 p.m. One exception: a 15-year-old in a retail food store may work Saturdays all year with working papers.

A 14-year-old in New Britain who wants a weekend job at a pizza place during the school year is, under state law, out of luck. The unpaid-papers list (babysitting, yard work, farm work) is where most real income for that age comes from.

Ages 16 and 17: hours depend on the industry and the school calendar

Here Connecticut flips the federal picture. The FLSA sets no hours limit at all for 16 and 17 year olds. Connecticut does, and the limits change with the school calendar. In a school week, a 16-year-old enrolled in high school may work 6 hours a day and 32 hours a week, with 8 hours allowed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In a non-school week the cap rises to 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week, no more than 6 days.

The clock-out time depends on where you work. In a restaurant, theater, or amusement business the window in a school week is 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. In retail or manufacturing it is 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., stretching to 11 p.m. when there is no school the next day. A large supermarket (the state says 3,500 square feet or more) may keep a 16-year-old until midnight if there is no school the next day. The Department of Labor publishes the full table by industry; the source below has it.

A teen who has graduated from high school may work adult hours. A teen who has withdrawn from school has separate caps: 8 hours a day in retail, 9 hours a day in a restaurant or factory, 48 hours a week either way.

Pay, the training wage, and where to complain

Enpòtan

Connecticut's minimum wage is $16.94 an hour, and the governor's office has announced it rises to $17.48 on January 1, 2027. It adjusts every January under a 2019 state law tied to the federal employment cost index. The federal minimum is $7.25; the state number is the one that counts here. There is one youth exception: an employer may pay a 16 or 17 year old 85 percent of the minimum wage for the first 90 days of a first job. After 90 days you must get the full rate. The Department of Labor's FAQ page still shows the dollar figure from an older wage year, so do the math yourself: 85 percent of the current minimum.

Child-labor complaints go to the Wage and Workplace Standards Division of the Connecticut Department of Labor, 200 Folly Brook Boulevard, Wethersfield, phone (860) 263-6000. The division's web page has a 'File a wage or workplace complaint' link. You can complain about unpaid wages, hours past the legal cap, or a job that is not permitted for your age. A parent, teacher, or school counselor can help fill in the form, and the division enforces the law with civil and criminal remedies.

Why is a state allowed to set these rules at all? In Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the first federal child-labor law and left the subject to the states. In United States v. Darby (1941), the Court reversed itself and upheld the Fair Labor Standards Act, so today Congress sets a floor and Connecticut builds above it. When the state rule and the federal rule differ, the stricter one protects you.

Sonje sa

Every worker under 18 in Connecticut needs working papers (a Statement of Age) from the local public high school or superintendent before the first day, except for listed jobs like babysitting and yard work.
At 14 and 15 the state allows only a few paid jobs (golf course, and at 15 bagger, cashier, or stock clerk), mostly during school vacations, 8 hours a day and 40 a week.
At 16 and 17 a school week is capped at 6 hours a day and 32 a week (8 on Friday through Sunday); non-school weeks allow 8 a day and 48 a week. Federal law has no cap at this age.
The state minimum wage is $16.94 (rising to $17.48 on January 1, 2027); a 16 or 17 year old may get 85 percent for the first 90 days. Complaints go to the Wage and Workplace Standards Division, (860) 263-6000.

Sous

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