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A 15-year-old in Greenville gets hired to bag groceries on weekends. On the first day, the manager asks for a copy of her birth certificate. That is all. Nobody asks for a work permit, because South Carolina does not issue one. Most of the rules that protect her on the job come from federal law, and the state has chosen to match them exactly.
No permit, just proof of your age
The South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) says it plainly in its FAQ: the state does not issue worker's permits for minors. Instead, you give your employer a copy of a document that shows your birth date, such as a birth certificate or a driver's license.
In most jobs you can start at 14. LLR says its child labor rules are identical to the ones written by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. So in South Carolina, the federal floor (the minimum protection set by national law) is also the state rule.
Hours for 14 and 15 year olds, and what changes at 16
If you are 14 or 15, LLR sets these limits. On a school day, 3 hours at most. In a school week, 18 hours at most. On a day with no school, 8 hours. In a week with no school, such as spring, winter, or summer break, 40 hours. Work must fall between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and in summer you can work until 9:00 p.m.
One detail surprises homeschooling families. LLR says 14 and 15 year olds may only work outside the school hours of the district where they live, even if they are homeschooled.
At 16, the hour limits end. You may work as many hours as the job requires. But until 18, you still cannot do jobs on the federal list of hazardous occupations.
Pay: the federal $7.25 is the only floor
South Carolina has no state minimum wage law. The U.S. Department of Labor lists it with Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Employers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act must pay at least $7.25 an hour.
That federal power has a history. In Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), the Supreme Court said Congress could not ban goods made with child labor from interstate trade. In United States v. Darby (1941), the Court overruled that decision and upheld the Fair Labor Standards Act, the law that still sets your hours and your minimum pay.
Two state rules from LLR are worth knowing. If you quit or are let go, your final pay is due within 48 hours or by the next regular payday, and no later than 30 days. South Carolina law does not require breaks or a meal period.
If the rules are broken: the Office of Wages and Child Labor
Keep a simple record of your shifts: the date, the start time, and the end time. If a 14 or 15 year old is scheduled past 7:00 p.m. on a school night, or for more than 18 hours in a school week, that record is what a complaint needs.
Complaints go to LLR's Office of Wages and Child Labor in Columbia. You can file online or send the Child Labor Complaint Form by fax to 803-896-7680 or by mail to P.O. Box 11329, Columbia, SC 29211-1329. The office phone is 803-896-7756. A parent, teacher, or other trusted adult can help you fill it out.
Da ricordare
- South Carolina does not issue work permits; you show your employer proof of your birth date.
- At 14 and 15: 3 hours on a school day, 18 in a school week, and work between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. in summer).
- There is no state minimum wage, so covered employers must pay the federal $7.25 an hour.
- Child labor complaints go to LLR's Office of Wages and Child Labor, at 803-896-7756 or online.
Fonti
- SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation: Child Labor (si apre in una nuova scheda)
- SC Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation: Wages and Child Labor FAQ (si apre in una nuova scheda)
- U.S. Department of Labor: State Minimum Wage Laws (si apre in una nuova scheda)
- Legal Information Institute: United States v. Darby (1941) (si apre in una nuova scheda)
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