New Hampshire child labor laws set forth the rules and limitations regarding the days and time children under the age of 18 years old may work in New Hampshire. They also clarify and limit the types of work children under the age of 14 and youth who are 14, 15, 16, and 17 year olds may work. It is also important to remember that businesses and youth workers must comply with the federal child labor laws set forth in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Below is information about New Hampshire child labor law rules and limitations.
- How old do you have to be to work in New Hampshire?
- What days can a minor work in New Hampshire?
- What times during the day can a minor work in New Hampshire?
- How many hours can a minor work each day in New Hampshire?
- How many hours can a minor work each week in New Hampshire?
- What kinds of jobs can a minor work in New Hampshire?
- Does a teen need to have a work permit or certificate to work in New Hampshire?
- Are youth workers entitled to rest breaks or meal breaks?
How old do you have to be to work in New Hampshire?
Under New Hampshire child labor laws, youth must be 12-years-old or older to get a job and work in New Hampshire with a few exceptions. The exceptions include working for parents, grandparents, or guardians, work that is casual, and door-to-door newspaper delivery. Casual work means work of no more than 3 calendar days for any one employer. NH Statutes 276-A: 1 to 276-A:26, NH Department of Labor – Youth Employment FAQ
What days can a minor work in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire child labor laws do not limit the days of the week youth may work in New Hampshire. However, New Hampshire rules limit the times during a day a minor may work. NH Statutes 276-A: 1 to 276-A:26, NH Department of Labor – Youth Employment FAQ
What times during the day can a minor work in New Hampshire?
The times during a day a minor may work in New Hampshire varies based on 1) whether they are under 16 year old or not, and 2) whether the work will be during school weeks or non-school weeks.
For youth that are 16-years-old and 17-years-old, New Hampshire child labor laws do not restrict the times during a workday in which they may work, except an employer may not require a minor to work when the minor is supposed to be in school.
For youth who are 12, 13, 14, and 15-years old, New Hampshire child labor laws restrict the times during the day in which they work to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
| Age | School Weeks (Labor Day to June 1) | Non-School Weeks (June 1 to Labor Day) |
|---|---|---|
| What times can a 12-year-old work? | 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. | 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. |
| What times can a 13-year-old work? | 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. | 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. |
| What times can a 14-year-old work? | 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. | 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. |
| What times can a 15-year-old work? | 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. | 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. |
| What times can a 16-year-old work? | No restriction | No restriction |
| What times can a 17-year-old work? | No restriction | No restriction |
NH Statutes 276-A: 1 to 276-A:26, NH Department of Labor – Youth Employment FAQ
The FLSA also restricts the times youth may work each workday. When the federal child labor laws are more restrictive than New Hampshire laws, the federal rules apply.
| Age | School Weeks (Labor Day to June 1) | Non-School Weeks (June 1 to Labor Day) |
|---|---|---|
| What times can a 12-year-old work? | Usually not permitted | Usually not permitted |
| What times can a 13-year-old work? | Usually not permitted | Usually not permitted |
| What times can a 14-year-old work? | 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. | 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. |
| What times can a 15-year-old work? | 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. | 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. |
| What times can a 16-year-old work? | No restriction | No restriction |
| What times can a 17-year-old work? | No restriction | No restriction |
How many hours can a minor work each day in New Hampshire?
For youth that are 16-years-old and 17-years-old, New Hampshire child labor laws restricts the number of hours they may work at manual or mechanical labor in manufacturing establishments to no more than 10 hours each workday. New Hampshire restricts to 10 1/2 hours 16 and 17-year-olds may work each work day if they work at:
- household labor and nursing, domestic, hotel and cabin including dining and restaurant service operated in connection with such service
- boarding house labor
- operating in telegraph and telephone offices
- farm labor
- canning of perishable vegetables and fruit
- laboratory technician
| Max Hours Work Each Day | Manual or mechanical labor in manufacturing establishments | Other labor listed above |
|---|---|---|
| How many hours can a 16-year-old work each day? | 10 | 10 1/2 |
| How many hours can a 17-year-old work each day? | 10 | 10 1/2 |
Moreover, under New Hampshire child labor laws, children that are 12, 13, 14, and 15-years-old may work no more than 3 hours on a school day and 8 hours on a non-school day.
| Max Hours Work Each Day | School days | Non-school days |
|---|---|---|
| How many hours can a 12-year-old work each day? | 3 | 8 |
| How many hours can a 13-year-old work each day? | 3 | 8 |
| How many hours can a 14-year-old work each day? | 3 | 8 |
| How many hours can a 15-year-old work each day? | 3 | 8 |
NH Statutes 276-A: 1 to 276-A:26, NH Department of Labor – Youth Employment FAQ
The FLSA also restricts the how many hours a youth may work each workday. When the federal child labor laws are more restrictive than Idaho laws, the federal rules apply.
| Max Hours Work Each Day | School days | Non-school days |
|---|---|---|
| How many hours can a 12-year-old work each day? | Usually not permitted | Usually not permitted |
| How many hours can a 13-year-old work each day? | Usually not permitted | Usually not permitted |
| How many hours can a 14-year-old work each day? | 3 | 8 |
| How many hours can a 15-year-old work each day? | 3 | 8 |
| How many hours can a 16-year-old work each day? | No restriction | No restriction |
| How many hours can a 17-year-old work each day? | No restriction | No restriction |
How many hours can a minor work each week in New Hampshire?
Moreover, under New Hampshire child labor laws, children that are 16-years-old and 17-years-old may work no more than 35 hours during a school week with 5 scheduled days and 48 hours during non-school weeks and school weeks with fewer than 5 scheduled days. Also, 16 and 17-year-olds may work no more than 6 days each workweek.
Also, New Hampshire child labor laws allow 16 and 17-year-olds to work 54 hours each week at manual or mechanical labor in employment that is not exempt by statute.
| Max Hours Worked Each Workweek | School weeks with 5 scheduled days | Non-school weeks and school weeks with fewer than 5 scheduled days | Manual or mechanical labor in employment that is not exempt by statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| How many hours can a 16-year-old work each day? | 35 | 48 | 54 |
| How many hours can a 17-year-old work each day? | 35 | 48 | 54 |
Moreover, under New Hampshire child labor laws, children that are 12, 13, 14, and 15-years-old may work no more than 23 hours during a school week and 48 hours on a non-school day. Also, 16 and 17-year-olds may work no more than 6 days each workweek.
| Max Hours Worked Each Workweek | School Weeks (Labor Day to June 1) | Non-School Weeks (June 1 to Labor Day) |
|---|---|---|
| How many hours can a 12-year-old work each day? | 23 | 48 |
| How many hours can a 13-year-old work each day? | 23 | 48 |
| How many hours can a 14-year-old work each day? | 23 | 48 |
| How many hours can a 15-year-old work each day? | 23 | 48 |
NH Statutes 276-A: 1 to 276-A:26, NH Department of Labor – Youth Employment FAQ
The FLSA also restricts the how many hours a youth may work each workweek. When New Hampshire child labor laws are more restrictive than the federal laws, the New Hampshire rules apply.
| Max Hours Worked Each Workweek | Federal Law School Weeks (Labor Day to June 1) | Federal Law Non-School Weeks (June 1 to Labor Day) |
|---|---|---|
| How many hours can a 12-year-old work each week? | Usually not permitted | Usually not permitted |
| How many hours can a 13-year-old work each week? | Usually not permitted | Usually not permitted |
| How many hours can a 14-year-old work each week? | 18 | 40 |
| How many hours can a 15-year-old work each week? | 18 | 40 |
| How many hours can a 16-year-old work each week? | No restriction | No restriction |
| How many hours can a 17-year-old work each week? | No restriction | No restriction |
What kinds of jobs can a minor work in New Hampshire?
In New Hampshire, youth 14 years old and older may work in the following retail, food service, and gasoline service establishments.
| Office and clerical work, including operation of office machines | Cashiering, selling, modeling, art work, work in advertising departments, window trimming, and comparative shopping | Price marking and tagging by hand or by machine |
| Assembling orders | Packing and shelving | Bagging and carrying out customers’ orders |
| Errand and delivery work by foot, bicycle, and public transport | Cleanup work, including the use of vacuum cleaners and non-commercial floor waxers, and maintenance of grounds, but not including the use of power-driven mowers or cutters | Kitchen work and other work involved in preparing and serving food and beverages, including the operation of machines and devices used in the performances of such work, such as dishwashers, toasters, dumb waiters, popcorn poppers, and milk shake blenders |
| Dispensing gas and oil | Courtesy servicing on the premises of the gasoline service station | Hand car cleaning, washing, and polishing |
| use of pits, racks, or lifting apparatus, or involving the inflation of any tire mounted on a rim equipped with a removable retaining ring | Cleaning vegetables and fruits | Wrapping, sealing, labeling, weighing, pricing, and stocking goods when performed in areas physically separate from areas where meat is prepared for sale, and outside freezers or meat coolers |
In New Hampshire, youth under 16 years old may not work in the following jobs, except as part of a regular work-training program.
| Any manufacturing occupation | Any mining occupation | Processing occupations, such as filleting of fish, dressing poultry, cracking nuts or laundering as performed by commercial laundries and dry cleaning |
| Occupations requiring the performance of any duties in workrooms or workplaces where goods are manufactured, mined, or otherwise processed | Public messenger service | Operation or tending of hosting apparatus or of any power-driven machinery other than office machines and machines in retail, food service, and gasoline service establishments which are specified in the foregoing list as machines which such minors may operate in such establishments |
| Transportation of persons or property by rail, highway, air, on water, pipeline, or other means | Warehousing and storage | Communications and public utilities |
| Construction including repair | Work performed in or about boiler or engine rooms | Work in connection with maintenance or repair or the establishment, machines, or equipment |
| Outside window washing that involves working from window sills | All work requiring the use of ladders, scaffolds, or their substitutes | Baking and cooking except at soda fountains, lunch counters, snack bars, or cafeteria serving counters |
| Occupations which involve operating, setting up, adjusting, cleaning, oiling, or repairing power-driven food slicers and grinders, food choppers, and cutters, and bakery-type mixers | Work in freezers and meat coolers and all work in preparation of meats for sale except wrapping, sealing, labeling, weighing, pricing and stocking, when performed in other areas | Loading and unloading goods to and from trucks, railroad cars, or conveyors |
| All occupations in warehouses | Occupations involving industrial homework |
In New Hampshire, youth under 18 years old may not work in the following jobs except when serving a voluntary apprenticeship.
| Manufacturing and storing explosives | Motor vehicle driving and outside helper | Coal mining |
| Logging and sawmilling | Power-driven woodworking machines | Exposure to radioactive substances |
| Power-driven hoisting apparatus | Power-driven metal-formation, punching, and shearing machines | Mining, other than coal mining |
| Slaughtering, or meat packing, processing, or rendering | Power-driven bakery machines | Power-driven paper-products machines |
| Manufacturing brick, tile, and kindred products | Power-driven circular saws, band saws, and guillotine shears. | Wrecking, demolition, and shipbreaking operations |
| Roofing operations | Excavation operations |
NH Statutes 276-A: 1 to 276-A:26, NH Department of Labor – Youth Employment FAQ, see also FLSA
Does a teen need to have a work permit or certificate to work in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire child labor laws require 14-15 year old workers to obtain an employment certificate (work permit) to work in New Hampshire. To obtain the employment certificate, the teen must fill out the employment certificate form which includes the teen’s and prospective employer’s information. It must then be signed by either a parent/guardian or an authorized school official. Once the form is signed, the teen must provide a copy to the employer and NH Department of Labor.
Are youth workers entitled to rest breaks or meal breaks?
Under New Hampshire labor laws, employers cannot require that an employee work more than five (5) consecutive hours without granting a thirty (30) minute lunch or eating period. If the employer cannot allow thirty (30) minutes, the employee must be paid if they are eating and working at the same time. In accordance with federal law, if an employer chooses to provide additional breaks, they must be paid if they are of the type usually lasting less than twenty (20) minutes. NH Statute 275:30-A.
