How many hours can minors work in Texas?
Two rule sets apply at once, and the stricter one governs. Employers of minors should build schedules to the tighter standard.
Last updated: August 02, 2026
Direct Answer
In Texas, 14 and 15 year olds face the tightest limits: under federal rules that apply to most employers, they may work no more than 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a non-school day, and 40 hours in a non-school week, and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the school year (9 p.m. in summer). Workers aged 16 and 17 have no federal hour limits but are barred from hazardous occupations until 18.
Controlling authority: DOL child labor rules and the Texas child labour provisions administered by the TWC Wage and Hour department. Where the two differ, the stricter standard applies.
Federal and Texas child labour rules both apply
Two systems apply at once. Federal law under the FLSA sets the hour and time-of-day limits for 14 and 15 year olds and the hazardous occupation bans for everyone under 18. Texas law adds its own child labor provisions enforced by the Texas Workforce Commission, with state hour restrictions for 14 and 15 year olds and its own penalty structure. The employer must satisfy both.
Age 16 changes the hours but never the hazards. Sixteen and seventeen year olds may work long and late, but they may not operate most power-driven machinery, drive as a routine job duty except under narrow rules, work in roofing or excavation, or perform other listed hazardous occupations. Restaurants and retail trip on the details: dough mixers, meat slicers, and trash compactors are on the prohibited list.
| Requirement | The rule | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Pay frequency — FLSA-exempt employees | At least once a month | Tex. Labor Code ch. 61. |
| Pay frequency — everyone else | At least twice a month | Semi-monthly periods must contain as nearly as possible an equal number of days. |
| No designated paydays | Defaults to the 1st and the 15th | The employer loses the choice by failing to make one. |
| Posting | Payday notices must be posted where easily seen | A cheap, commonly missed requirement. |
| Final pay — discharged, laid off, or fired | Within six calendar days | Calendar days, not business days. |
| Final pay — quit, resigned, or retired | Next regularly scheduled payday | The separation type changes the deadline. |
| Unused PTO, vacation, or severance | Owed only if a written policy or agreement provides it | Texas creates no standalone entitlement. |
| Wage claim deadline | 180 days from the date wages were due | TWC uses the date the claim is received. |
The stricter of the two standards governs
Proof of age is the cheap insurance. Employers should verify and retain age documentation for every worker under 18, because a good-faith age record is a meaningful protection when a minor turns out to be younger than claimed.
Scheduling software does not know the law. If your scheduling tool cannot flag school-day limits and curfews for 14 and 15 year olds, a supervisor must, and that responsibility should be written down rather than assumed.
| Situation | Compensable? | The controlling test |
|---|---|---|
| Work not requested but suffered or permitted | Yes | “The reason is immaterial.” Authorisation is a discipline question, not a pay question. |
| Rest breaks of about 20 minutes or less | Yes | Short breaks are always counted as hours worked. |
| Bona fide meal period of 30 minutes or more | No, if fully relieved | Not relieved if the employee performs any duty, active or inactive, while eating. |
| Waiting time | Depends | Engaged to wait is work; waiting to be engaged is not. |
| On call at the employer’s premises | Yes | Presence is the trigger. |
| On call at home or reachable by phone | Usually no | Additional constraints on the employee’s freedom can make it compensable. |
| Training, lectures and meetings | Yes, unless all four apply | Outside normal hours, voluntary, not job related, and no other work performed concurrently. |
| On duty 24 hours or more | Sleep may be excluded | Up to 8 hours, by agreement, with adequate facilities; no exclusion unless at least 5 hours’ sleep is taken. |
Where minor scheduling breaks down
Child labor penalties are assessed per violation and are rising in enforcement priority. Watch for these.
- 14 or 15 year olds scheduled past curfew or beyond school-day limits
- Minors operating slicers, mixers, compactors, or other prohibited equipment
- 16 or 17 year olds driving for the business outside the narrow permitted rules
- No age verification records on file
- Volunteer or intern labels used to sidestep the rules for minors
Verify age and schedule before the first shift
List every employee under 18, verify ages with documents on file, and check each schedule against the applicable limits. Then walk the job duties against the hazardous occupation list, which catches more employers than the hour rules do.
Assign one owner for minor scheduling compliance in each location. Distributed responsibility is how curfew violations happen.
Texas Wage Claim Exposure Checker
Tests your practices against the Texas Payday Law before a claim tests them for you.
When minor scheduling is routine
Get help before hiring minors for the first time, or before a summer hiring wave, because building the schedule template correctly once prevents violations all season.
If you have already received a child labor inquiry from the TWC or Department of Labor, respond with guidance rather than improvisation.
Get a Straight Answer for Your Situation
General rules only go so far. If this question is live in your organization right now, talk it through with a senior HR consultant before you act. One conversation now costs less than one claim later.
Contact UsThis page provides general HR information for employers and is not legal advice. For legal interpretation or representation, consult qualified employment counsel.