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A 15-year-old in Duluth gets hired to bag groceries after school. His manager wants him until 8:30 p.m. on a Wednesday in October. Minnesota law would allow that. Federal law would not. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) says an employer covered by both the state child labor law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA, the national wage and hours law) must follow whichever rule protects the young worker more. For most grocery stores, that means the federal limit.
Hours for 14- and 15-year-olds
Fourteen is the minimum age for most jobs in Minnesota. DLI lists a few exceptions: newspaper carriers and youth sports referees can start at 11, and farm workers at 12 with a parent's consent.
Under Minnesota law, a worker under 16 cannot work before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m., and cannot work more than 8 hours in a 24-hour period or 40 hours a week. The federal FLSA is tighter during the school year: no later than 7 p.m., no more than 3 hours on a school day, and no more than 18 hours in a school week.
Minnesota also says a worker under 16 cannot work during school hours on a school day unless the school district superintendent has issued an employment certificate (a written approval from the district) and federal law also allows it.
Hours for 16- and 17-year-olds
Federal law sets no hours limit at 16. Minnesota does set one, and it is about school nights. A 16- or 17-year-old high school student cannot work after 11 p.m. on a night before a school day, or before 5 a.m. on a school day. With written permission from a parent or guardian, those times stretch to 11:30 p.m. and 4:30 a.m.
That is the only hours limit for this age group. A 17-year-old who has already graduated from high school has no hours limit at all. Some jobs stay off-limits until 18; DLI keeps a separate list of prohibited work for minors.
Pay: $11.41, a training wage, and no tip credit
DLI lists Minnesota's minimum wage as $11.41 an hour for all employers starting Jan. 1, 2026, rising to $11.87 on Jan. 1, 2027. The federal minimum is $7.25, so the state rate controls. There is one lower rate: a 90-day training wage for workers under 20, $9.31 an hour in 2026. After 90 days, the full rate applies.
Tips are extra. DLI says no employer in Minnesota may count tips toward the minimum wage. A teen bussing tables in Rochester gets at least $11.41 an hour plus tips. Minneapolis and St. Paul have their own minimum wage ordinances that can require more.
The federal floor exists because of United States v. Darby (1941). In that case the U.S. Supreme Court held that Congress can set wage, hours, and child labor rules for businesses that ship goods across state lines, and it overruled Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), which had said Congress could not.
Paperwork, and who to call in Minnesota
The DLI pages we read do not describe a general work permit for teens. The one certificate they name is the superintendent's employment certificate for working during school hours. Ask your employer what proof of age they need before your first shift.
If your hours break these limits, your pay is short, or a task feels unsafe, call DLI's Labor Standards unit at 651-284-5075 or 800-342-5354, or email dli.laborstandards@state.mn.us. For safety problems, Minnesota OSHA Compliance is at 651-284-5050 or 877-470-6742. DLI tells teens they have the right to file a complaint and to refuse unsafe work. Write down your start and end times every day. A photo of the schedule helps.
기억하세요
- Minnesota lets under-16 workers work until 9 p.m., but during the school year federal law usually stops them at 7 p.m. and 18 hours a week.
- A 16- or 17-year-old student cannot work past 11 p.m. before a school day, or 11:30 p.m. with a parent's written permission.
- The state minimum wage is $11.41 in 2026, with a $9.31 training wage for the first 90 days if you are under 20, and tips never count toward it.
- DLI Labor Standards (651-284-5075) takes child labor and wage complaints from teens and parents.
출처
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry: Age, hours restrictions (새 탭에서 열림)
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry: Minimum wage in Minnesota (새 탭에서 열림)
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry: Teen workers (새 탭에서 열림)
- Legal Information Institute: United States v. Darby, 312 U.S. 100 (1941) (새 탭에서 열림)
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