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How Late Can a 16-Year-Old Work?

By Javaria Sagheer · Updated October 2026
TL;DR It depends on your state: federal law sets no limit on how late a 16-year-old can work, so any cutoff comes from state law. On a school night that means 10 p.m. in New York, California and Washington, 11 p.m. in Florida and Ohio, and no set hour in Texas or Illinois. The federal Fair Labor Standards ActFair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): the federal law that sets national child labor, minimum wage, and overtime rules. Its child labor regulations are in 29 CFR Part 570. does limit 14- and 15-year-olds — 7 p.m. in the school year, 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day — and it keeps everyone under 18 out of hazardous occupationsHazardous occupations: 17 kinds of work the Secretary of Labor has declared too dangerous for anyone under 18, such as roofing, excavation, and most driving. The ban applies at every hour. at any hour. Where federal and state rules differ, the stricter one applies. If you are scheduled past your state’s hour, save the schedule, ask in writing for a change, and report it to your state labor agency or the U.S. Labor Department at 1-866-487-9243.

A Closing Shift on a School Night: What the Law Says About the Clock

The schedule goes up Thursday afternoon. You are 16, you have a chemistry quiz first period Friday, and your name is on tonight’s closing shift: 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. You ask the shift lead whether that is allowed. “Everybody closes,” she says. “You’re sixteen, not fourteen.” She may be right. She may also be describing a violation of state law. The answer turns on your age, your state, whether you have school tomorrow, and the kind of work you do. Here is the federal rule, the state rules side by side, and the steps to take when a schedule runs past the legal hour.

How Late Can a 16-Year-Old Work? The Short Answer

Federal child labor rules come from the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Labor Department’s regulations at 29 CFR Part 570. For 16- and 17-year-olds they set no daily, weekly, or time-of-day limit: the Department’s Fact Sheet #43 says workers of those ages may be employed for unlimited hours in any occupation not declared hazardous. Fourteen- and 15-year-olds are treated differently. Under 29 CFR § 570.35 they may work only outside school hours, up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week when school is out, and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. — 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. State law fills the gap at 16 and 17, and the federal statute says which rule wins. Under 29 U.S.C. § 218(a), no federal child labor provision “shall justify noncompliance with any Federal or State law or municipal ordinance establishing a higher standard.” In the Labor Department’s words, “the law with the stricter standard must be obeyed.” (More on that layering: does federal law supersede state law?) State limits for 16- and 17-year-olds, as of October 2026:
  • New York (Labor Law § 143) — in the school year, not after 10 p.m. A night before a school day can run to midnight only if the employer holds a parent’s written consent and a school certificate of satisfactory academic standing; other nights, with a parent’s written consent. Never before 6 a.m. When school is out, not after midnight.
  • California (Labor Code § 1391) — 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., or 12:30 a.m. on an evening before a non-school day. No more than 4 hours on a school day and 48 hours in a week.
  • Florida (Fla. Stat. § 450.081) — not before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m. when school is scheduled the following day, and no more than 30 hours in a school week.
  • Washington (WAC 296-125-101) — in school weeks, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., or midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and nights before a holiday, with a 20-hour week. In non-school weeks, 5 a.m. to midnight and 48 hours.
  • Ohio (Rev. Code § 4109.07) — if you are required to attend school, not after 11 p.m. on a night before a school day, and not before 7 a.m. on a school day (6 a.m. if you did not work past 8 p.m. the night before).
  • Texas and Illinois — no state hour or time-of-day limit at 16 or 17. Texas Labor Code § 51.013 limits only 14- and 15-year-olds, and the Illinois Child Labor Law regulates workers under 16.
To find your own state’s rule, search for “[your state] child labor law hours” and open the result from your state labor department or legislature. The U.S. Labor Department’s state-by-state table is linked in Sources.

Teen Work Hours, Situation by Situation

Situation 1 · School night A closing shift when you have school the next dayThis is where state limits are tightest: 10 p.m. in New York, California and Washington, 11 p.m. in Florida and Ohio. Florida’s limit applies “when school is scheduled the following day,” so a Sunday night counts and a Friday night usually does not.

The cutoff is the time you stop working, not the time the store closes. If your limit is 10 p.m. and cleanup runs until 10:40, the last 40 minutes are over the line. They must also be paid — see whether your boss can make you work off the clock.

Situation 2 · Weekends and summer Friday nights, Saturdays, and school breaksEach of the limits above loosens when there is no school the next day. California moves from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Washington allows midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and every night in non-school weeks. New York allows midnight when school is out. Florida’s and Ohio’s 11 p.m. rules are written only for nights before a school day.
Situation 3 · Total hours How long the shift and the week can beA lawful quitting time does not fix a shift that is too long. In a school week, Washington allows a 16-year-old 4 hours on a school day that is followed by another school day and 20 hours in the week. New York allows 4 hours on a day before a school day and 28 in the week. California allows 4 hours on a school day. Florida allows 30 hours in the week, a limit the statute lets a parent, custodian or school superintendent waive on a state form.

Federal law adds no hour cap at 16. Breaks are a separate question, covered in our guide to breaks on an 8-hour shift.

Situation 4 · Ages 14 and 15 If you are under 16, the federal clock appliesIn a job covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, a 14- or 15-year-old’s workday ends at 7 p.m. — 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day — whatever a looser state law would allow. Texas’s statute, for example, permits a 14- or 15-year-old to work until 10 p.m. before a school day; where the federal rule covers the job, 7 p.m. controls.

The rule runs both ways. Washington allows workers under 16 only 16 hours in a school week, against the federal 18, so in Washington the number is 16.

Situation 5 · The job itself Work no one under 18 may do at any hourTime limits are only half of the law. Seventeen federal hazardous occupation ordersHazardous occupation orders: federal rules in 29 CFR Part 570, Subpart E that bar workers under 18 from specific dangerous jobs and equipment, no matter the shift. keep everyone under 18 out of certain work day and night, including roofing, excavation, most driving, and operating power-driven meat-processing machines, balers and compactors.

One of those orders has a clock in it. A 17-year-old may drive on the job only under a narrow exception in 29 CFR § 570.52, and one condition is that the driving be limited to daylight hours. The exception does not reach 16-year-olds.

What to Say When You Are Scheduled Past the Legal Hour

Check the rule, then ask in writing
1. Before you say anything, confirm the rule:

Your age, your state, and whether you have school tomorrow. Find the hour on your state labor department’s site and save the page.

2. Ask your manager — by text or email, so there is a record:

“Hi — I’m scheduled until 11:30 p.m. on Thursday. I’m 16 and I have school Friday, and state law says I can’t work past [hour] on a school night. Can my shift end by then?”

3. If the answer is “everybody closes” or “your parents are fine with it”:

“I understand. The limit is in state law, so I need to be clocked out by [hour]. Can we swap the shift or change the end time?”

4. If the hour arrives while you are still working:

“It’s almost [hour], and I’m not allowed to work past it. Who should I hand this off to before I clock out?”

5. If you are told to stay, or it keeps happening:

Don’t argue in front of customers and don’t leave without telling the manager on duty. Write down the time and who gave the instruction, tell a parent or guardian, and report it afterward.

These laws are written as duties on the employer: Florida’s statute says minors of 16 and 17 “may not be employed, permitted, or suffered to work” past the listed hours.
What to Do If You Are Scheduled Past the Legal Hour
  1. Confirm the rule for your age and state, and note the section number.
  2. Save the evidence. Screenshot the schedule and any messages about it. After each shift, write down the date and your clock-in and clock-out times.
  3. Ask in writing for a change. Use the script above and keep the reply.
  4. Tell a parent or guardian. In some states they are part of the paperwork: Washington employers need a signed parent/school authorization form before a minor starts work.
  5. Report it to the right agency. A state cutoff for 16- and 17-year-olds is state law, so your state labor agency takes that complaint; the State Labor Offices directory in Sources lists each one. For a 14- or 15-year-old working past the federal hours, or anyone under 18 doing hazardous work, call the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243. Its complaint page says the name of the person who complains may not be disclosed.
  6. Do not wait. That page lists no deadline for reporting a child labor violation, but schedules and time records get harder to find with time. It also says an employer cannot retaliate against a worker for filing a complaint.

Teen Work Hours: What Employers Can vs. Can’t Do

✓ EMPLOYERS CAN

  • Schedule a 16- or 17-year-old at any hour where state law sets no limit — federal law sets none
  • Schedule later shifts on nights not followed by a school day, where the state’s statute allows it
  • Rely on a parent’s written consent where the statute itself provides for one
  • Ask for working papers or proof of age where state law calls for them

✗ EMPLOYERS CAN’T

  • Keep a 14- or 15-year-old past 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day) in a job covered by federal law
  • Schedule a 16- or 17-year-old past the hour state law sets
  • Choose the looser of the federal and state rules
  • Put anyone under 18 in a federally hazardous occupation, on any shift
  • Have a 17-year-old drive on the job after dark

Teen Work Hour Myths, Corrected

Myth: “Federal law says minors can’t work past 10 p.m.”
False. Federal law has no time-of-day limit for 16- and 17-year-olds; its evening limits cover 14- and 15-year-olds. A 10 p.m. rule, where one exists, comes from the state.
Myth: “If my parents say it’s fine, I can work as late as I want.”
Only where the statute provides for consent. New York allows midnight with a parent’s written consent held by the employer (plus a school certificate on a night before a school day), and Florida lets a parent waive the 30-hour week. A text from a parent does not move a cutoff that has no consent exception written into it.
Myth: “It’s summer, so there are no limits.”
The limits loosen; they do not vanish everywhere. New York and Washington end a 16-year-old’s summer workday at midnight, and both cap the week at 48 hours.
Myth: “My state has no hour limit at 16, so no rules apply to my shift.”
False. The federal hazardous occupation orders apply at every hour until you turn 18. A late shift is lawful only if the work itself is work a minor may do.
Myth: “If I stay past the cutoff, I’m the one breaking the law.”
The statutes quoted in this article are aimed at employers. Texas’s hours law, for instance, makes it an offense for a person to permit a 14- or 15-year-old employee to work beyond the listed hours.

Teen Work Hours Questions People Actually Ask

Tap a question to open it.
How late can a 14-year-old work?
Until 7 p.m. during the school year, and until 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day, under federal law. A 14-year-old may also work no more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week (29 CFR § 570.35). If your state sets an earlier hour, the state rule applies.
How late can a 15-year-old work?
The same federal hours as a 14-year-old: 7 p.m., or 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. When school is out, a 15-year-old may work up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. If your state’s rule is tighter, the state rule applies.
How late can a 17-year-old work?
In the states compared in this article, the same hour as a 16-year-old, because those statutes treat 16 and 17 together. One federal difference: a 17-year-old, unlike a 16-year-old, may drive on the job in limited cases, and only in daylight hours.
How many hours can a 16-year-old work in a week?
Federal law sets no weekly limit at 16, so the number comes from your state. In a school week it is 20 hours in Washington, 28 in New York and 30 in Florida. When school is out it is 48 in New York, California and Washington. Ohio, Texas and Illinois set no weekly cap at 16.
Can a 16-year-old work overnight or past midnight?
Under federal law, yes; under state law, it depends on the state. New York bars work after midnight or before 6 a.m. at 16 and 17 even when school is out, Washington ends the day at midnight, and California’s latest hour is 12:30 a.m. In Texas and Illinois no state hour rule bars an overnight shift at 16, though hazardous-work rules still apply.
Does a 16-year-old need a work permit?
It depends on the state. The Labor Department’s state table, dated January 1, 2024, lists a mandatory employment certificate for workers under 18 in New York and California, and for 16- and 17-year-olds during the school term in Ohio. Washington employers need a minor work permit endorsement and a signed parent/school authorization form. Illinois requires a certificate only under 16, and Florida and Texas require none.
Can a 16-year-old work during school hours?
Federal law does not bar it at 16; its ban on work during school hours covers 14- and 15-year-olds. State law may. Florida says 16- and 17-year-olds who are not in a career education program may not work during school hours on a school day, and Washington’s school-week rules also exclude school hours.
Who do I report to if my job schedules me past the legal hour?
Your state labor agency, if the limit you are relying on is a state cutoff for 16- and 17-year-olds. For federal violations — a 14- or 15-year-old working past 7 p.m. or 9 p.m., or anyone under 18 doing hazardous work — call the U.S. Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243. Have the schedule and your own record of clock-out times ready.

Teen Work Hours: Key Terms, Explained

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) — the federal law behind national child labor, minimum wage, and overtime rules.
Hazardous occupation order — a federal rule barring workers under 18 from a specific dangerous job or machine. There are 17.
School night — a night followed by a school day; the earlier cutoff attaches to it.
Employment certificate — a state work permit, often called working papers, that some states require before a minor starts a job.
Stricter-standard rule — when federal and state child labor rules differ, the more protective one applies (29 U.S.C. § 218(a)).

The Law Behind Teen Work Hours

Each of these is linked in Sources.
29 CFR § 570.35 — hours for 14- and 15-year-oldsThe federal regulation with the 3-hour school day, the 18-hour school week, and the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. window.
29 CFR Part 570, Subpart E — hazardous occupation ordersThe 17 federal orders that keep workers under 18 out of dangerous jobs at every hour. Section 570.52 holds the daylight-only driving exception for 17-year-olds.
29 U.S.C. § 218(a) — the stricter rule winsThe provision saying federal child labor rules never excuse an employer from a state or local law that sets a higher standard.
State hour laws for 16- and 17-year-oldsN.Y. Labor Law § 143, Cal. Labor Code § 1391, Fla. Stat. § 450.081, Wash. Admin. Code 296-125-101 and Ohio Rev. Code § 4109.07 set the evening cutoffs compared above. Tex. Labor Code § 51.013 stops at age 15.

Teen Work Hour Law That’s Still Moving

The edges to watch as of October 2026:
  1. Washington’s new rule section — Washington replaced its minor work hours rule on July 1, 2026. The limits are now in WAC 296-125-101; older summaries cite the repealed WAC 296-125-027.
  2. Florida’s 2024 amendment — Florida amended its teen hours statute in 2024 (chapter 2024-25). The 2026 Florida Statutes still carry the 11 p.m. school-night limit and the 30-hour school week for 16- and 17-year-olds.
  3. Ohio’s October 2026 amendment — an amended Ohio Rev. Code § 4109.07 (House Bill 455) takes effect October 9, 2026. It lets a worker under 16 work until 9 p.m. on a night before a non-school day with a parent’s or guardian’s approval; in a job covered by federal law, the federal 7 p.m. limit still applies. The 11 p.m. school-night limit for 16- and 17-year-olds reads the same in both versions.
  4. Dated comparison tables — the U.S. Labor Department’s state hours table is dated July 15, 2025, and its work permit table is dated January 1, 2024. A rule adopted later, like Washington’s, may not appear in them yet.
When these move, this article gets updated.
One important note: the state limits here are written for teens who are still in school, and the statutes carry exceptions — for high school graduates, work-study and career programs, jobs such as farm work or performing, and hardship cases. Your state may not be one of the seven named here. Check your own state labor department’s page before relying on any hour in this article.

The Bottom Line on How Late a 16-Year-Old Can Work

Federal law stops the clock for 14- and 15-year-olds and leaves it running at 16. From there the hour belongs to your state: 10 p.m. on a school night in some, 11 p.m. in others, no set hour in still others — with the stricter rule controlling whenever two apply, and hazardous work off limits at any hour until you are 18. Look up your state’s rule and compare it with the schedule on the wall. If the two don’t match, save the schedule, ask in writing, and take it to the agency that enforces the rule. Now you know.
The pay questionWhat is the minimum wage for teens? → The other half of a shiftHow many breaks on an 8-hour shift? → The whole subjectExplore Teen & Young Adult →

Sources

Primary sources:

LawJustic is for educational purposes only and does not provide legal advice. Teen work hour rules vary by state, by age, and by job, and they change. If you think your schedule breaks the law, talk to a parent or guardian and contact your state labor agency, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, or a licensed employment attorney. Last reviewed: October 2026.

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