Child Labor Laws-What Employers Should Know

We receive many questions from clients regarding various payroll and labor law issues. One frequent question we receive is what are the child labor rules? Below is a summary of the child labor laws effective for New Hampshire that all employers need to consider.

Under the labor laws a youth is defined as any individual under age 18. As a general rule minors under age 14 may not work. Minors age 14 and 15 must have a youth employment certificate on file within three days of the first day of employment. Minors ages 16 and 17 are not allowed to work without written consent from a parent/guardian. Forms requesting a youth employment certificate and parental permission can be found on our web site (www.checkmate-payroll.com) as well as the NH Department of Labor web site (www.labor.state.nh.us/youth_employment).

Employers must verify and keep a copy on file as proof of age: a birth certificate, passport, baptismal certificate, immigration record, or any other religious or official record showing the minor’s age.

Minors age 14 and 15 cannot work: during school hours, before 7 AM or after 9 PM, more than three hours per day on school days, more than 8 hours per day on non-school days, more than 23 hours per week during school weeks, or more than 48 hours per week during non-school weeks.

Minors age 16 and 17 cannot work for more than six consecutive days and more than 30 hours per week during school weeks. During school vacation weeks and summer vacation (June 1 through Labor Day) they may not work for more than six consecutive days and more than 48 hours per week. There are different restrictions for sixteen and seventeen year olds who are not enrolled in school.

The labor laws restrict the types of work any youth may perform. As a general rule a youth may not perform hazardous work or work in dangerous occupations such as logging, roofing, or mining. Youth are also restricted from using power driven machines such as woodworking equipment and power driven bakery machines. Industry specific youth employment information may be found on the USDOL web site (www.youthrules.dol.gov/).

Employers must post in a conspicuous place, at the beginning of the work week, the daily schedule for all minors including their starting and stopping times, and the meal time for each day of the work week.

The materials contained in this article have been prepared by Checkmate Payroll Services, Inc for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice and the information is not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up-to-date. Before taking action on any of the information in this article it is advisable to speak with a licensed attorney.

For more information about the services offered by Checkmate contact Josh Robinson at (603) 225-2004 or by e-mail at josh@checkmate-payroll.com.