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A 15-year-old in Grand Island is offered a job scooping ice cream for the summer. Before the first shift, Nebraska law says the shop needs a piece of paper on file: an employment certificate, which is the state's name for a work permit. The rules for getting it, the hours she can work, and even her pay all depend on her age. They come from Chapter 48 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes, with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act setting a floor underneath.
Under 16, you need an employment certificate, and your school approves it
Section 48-302 says no one under 16 may work in a covered job unless the employer gets an employment certificate and keeps it on file where the Nebraska Department of Labor and school attendance officers can see it. The employer must keep it for at least 12 months after you leave or turn 16.
The certificate goes through your school. Under section 48-303, the principal of the school you attend, or someone the principal names in writing, approves it. No fee is allowed. Section 48-304 lists what you bring: a school record showing you finished sixth grade, and proof of your age, such as a birth certificate or passport. You also appear in person. A teen who lives outside Nebraska but wants to work here can get the certificate approved by the Department of Labor.
Hours: Nebraska's limits and the stricter federal ones
Section 48-310 says a worker under 16 may not work more than 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, or before 6 a.m. Workers ages 14 and 15 must stop by 10 p.m. Working later needs three things: no school the next day, the teen's signature on the certificate, and a special permit the employer gets from the Department of Labor.
Federal rules in 29 CFR 570.35 are tighter for ages 14 and 15. When school is in session, the limit is 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours a week. Work must fall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., or 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. Most employers must follow both, and the stricter rule wins. So in September, the Grand Island shop must send her home by 7 p.m., not 10.
Federal child labor law exists because of a fight in court. In Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), the Supreme Court struck down Congress's first child labor law, saying Congress could not use its power over trade between states to block goods made by children. The Court reversed course in United States v. Darby (1941) and upheld the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Pay: $15 for most workers, $13.50 allowed for ages 14 and 15
Section 48-1203 sets the Nebraska minimum wage at $15 an hour for 2026. Starting January 1, 2027, it rises by 1.75 percent each year, and the Department of Labor must publish the new rate by October 15.
A 2026 law, LB258, added a youth minimum wage. An employer may pay $13.50 an hour to a worker who is 14 or 15 and not emancipated (legally treated as an adult before 18). At 16, you get the full rate. Tipped workers can be paid $2.13 an hour plus tips, but tips and wages together must reach the minimum. Student-learners in a real vocational training program can be paid 75 percent of the minimum.
Where to check and who to call
Read the statutes yourself on the Nebraska Legislature website by searching 48-302, 48-310, and 48-1203. Each is short. For the certificate, start at your school's main office and ask who signs employment certificates.
The Nebraska Department of Labor enforces the certificate and hours rules. For federal hours limits, pay, or an unsafe task, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division takes complaints from workers of any age, and a parent can call for you. If a schedule puts a 15-year-old past 7 p.m. on a school night, say so to the manager. The rule is written down.
記住這些
- Nebraska workers under 16 need an employment certificate, approved free of charge by their school principal and kept on file by the employer.
- State law caps under-16 workers at 8 hours a day, 48 a week, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. for ages 14 and 15.
- Federal law is stricter for ages 14 and 15 during the school year: 3 hours on a school day, 18 a week, and done by 7 p.m.
- The Nebraska minimum wage is $15 in 2026; employers may pay 14- and 15-year-olds a $13.50 youth wage.
資料來源
- Nebraska Legislature: Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-302, Children under sixteen; employment certificate required (在新分頁開啟)
- Nebraska Legislature: Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-310, Children under sixteen; working hours (在新分頁開啟)
- Nebraska Legislature: Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1203, Minimum wage; youth minimum wage (在新分頁開啟)
- Legal Information Institute (Cornell): Hammer v. Dagenhart, 247 U.S. 251 (1918) (在新分頁開啟)
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