Getting a job at 14 to 17 in Ohio: the permit, the hours, and the pay

In Ohio, most workers ages 14 through 17 need a work permit. Only two people can issue one: the superintendent of the school district where you live, or the head of the private or community school you attend. The district needs proof that you are at least 14, plus papers about your age, your physical fitness, your school record, and the job itself.

There are exceptions. A 16- or 17-year-old can work during summer vacation without a permit. Jobs like newspaper delivery, snow shoveling, and work on the family farm do not need one. If you already have a high school diploma or its equivalent, you do not need a permit at all.

Your employer must also agree with you, in writing, on what you will be paid.

If you are 14 or 15, Ohio says you cannot work during school hours or before 7 a.m. On a school day you can work up to 3 hours, and up to 18 hours in a school week. On a day with no school the limit is 8 hours, and 40 hours in a week with no school. The evening cutoff is 7 p.m., except from June 1 to September 1, or during a school break of five school days or longer, when it moves to 9 p.m.

A new version of this law takes effect on October 9, 2026. From then on, a 14- or 15-year-old can work until 9 p.m. on a night before a day with no school, if a parent or legal guardian approves.

At any age under 18, after 5 hours in a row your employer must give you a break of at least 30 minutes.

If you are 16 or 17 and still required to attend school, Ohio says you cannot start before 7 a.m. on a school day (6 a.m. is allowed if you did not work past 8 p.m. the night before), and you cannot work after 11 p.m. on a night before a school day.

Ohio's minimum wage for non-tipped workers is $11.00 an hour in 2026. Tipped workers get at least $5.50 an hour plus tips. Two groups get the federal minimum of $7.25 instead: workers under 16, and anyone working for a business that takes in less than $405,000 a year. Federal law also lets an employer pay a worker under 20 as little as $4.25 an hour for the first 90 days on the job.

The U.S. Supreme Court settled that Congress can make child labor rules in United States v. Darby (1941). The Court upheld the federal wage and hour law and overruled Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), the earlier case that said Congress could not ban goods made by child workers from crossing state lines.