Child Labor Laws in New Jersey
New Jersey (NJ) · Child labor laws · Last reviewed September 2026
Min working age
14 (most jobs)
Work permit
Often required
Hour limits
Strict under 16
Federal Rules (FLSA)
Federal law sets the floor: 14 is the minimum age for most non-farm jobs. 14- and 15-year-olds face strict limits, no work during school hours, capped daily and weekly totals, and no late evenings. 16- and 17-year-olds have no federal hour limits but can't perform jobs deemed hazardous. At 18, restrictions end.
Minors in New Jersey
New Jersey has its own child-labor rules, and where the state and federal rules differ, the stricter one applies. Many states require a work permit (employment certificate) for minors and set their own school-week hour caps. Confirm New Jersey's permit requirement and hour limits with the state labor office.
Staying Compliant
Keep proof of age and any required work permits on file, and schedule minors within their hour limits, especially the school-week caps. A time clock that flags a minor's hours helps prevent accidental violations.
New Jersey Labor-Law Snapshot
New Jersey employers pay a minimum wage of $15.92/hour (about $8.67 above the federal $7.25), which applies to working minors too. On hours, New Jersey follows the federal weekly overtime rule with no daily-overtime premium of its own.
For New Jersey employers these rules interact with timekeeping: accurate, audit-logged hours drive overtime, sick-leave accrual, final pay, and break records. New Jersey sets no statewide meal-break requirement and does not mandate paid rest breaks; a final paycheck is due by the next regular payday when an employee resigns. Confirm current New Jersey figures with the state labor office before relying on any single number.
What New Jersey Employers Should Keep on File
Federal law requires employers to keep payroll records for at least three years, and the records used to calculate pay, such as time cards and work schedules, for at least two. Several states require longer. The practical standard is simple: if a former employee filed a claim tomorrow, could you evidence every hour you paid and every hour you did not?
The records that matter are the daily start and end times, the total hours for each workweek, the regular rate and any premium, all additions and deductions, and the pay period the payment covers. Keeping the underlying punches matters more than keeping the summary, because a total nobody can trace back is not evidence.
Where the record is missing or unreliable, the employee's reasonable recollection is generally accepted, and the employer carries the burden of disproving it. That is the single strongest argument for an automatic time clock over a paper sheet reconstructed at the end of the week.
How New Jersey Compares with the States Next Door
Minimum wage across the line: Delaware $15.00, New York $16.00, Pennsylvania $7.25. New Jersey is at $15.92.
If you employ people on both sides of the New Jersey border, the stricter of the two states usually governs each worker, based on where the work is actually performed rather than where your business is registered.
Free calculators for this
Work Hours Calculator
Hours worked between any two times, including shifts that run past midnight.
Time Card Calculator
Add up a week of clock-in and clock-out times, minus unpaid breaks, in decimal hours.
Clock-Out Time Calculator
Clock-in time plus the hours you owe, plus the break, equals exactly when the shift ends.
All of them run in your browser, with no signup. See all nine calculators.
Official Sources
More New Jersey Guides
Child Labor Laws in Other States
New Jersey Child Labor Laws: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum working age in New Jersey?
Federal law sets 14 for most non-farm jobs, and New Jersey follows at least that floor. Some roles (family business, agriculture) allow younger workers under specific conditions.
Do minors need a work permit in New Jersey?
Many states require an employment certificate (work permit) for workers under 18, confirm New Jersey's requirement and keep it on file.
How many hours can a minor work in New Jersey?
14, 15-year-olds face strict federal caps (limited hours, not during school, no late nights). 16, 17-year-olds have no federal hour limit, but New Jersey may add its own, the stricter rule applies.
Track New Jersey Hours the Easy Way
Kloqk is a free time clock that handles overtime, breaks, and payroll-ready reports.
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