Permits, hours & minimum wage: what Massachusetts law actually requires before your first shift, and the federal rule that can legally cut your pay to $4.25 an hour.
Three things decide what your first job in Massachusetts can look like: Massachusetts wants a work permit in your hand before your first shift, not after, the state keeps setting hour limits after you turn 16, where most of the country stops, and the minimum wage is $15.00. They come from three different rulebooks, and two of them change on your 16th birthday.
Where the jobs are: Boston and its suburbs hire year-round across retail, food service and tutoring, and the Cape and Islands add an intense summer season that draws teens from across the state.
Yes, if you are under 18. Massachusetts requires a work permit (an employment or age certificate) before you start work, issued by your school district. Since january 1, 2025 every minor under 18 must hold a youth employment permit before starting work.
The exact form differs by state, but the sequence is almost always the same, and skipping a step is the usual reason a permit gets delayed:
Two rulebooks apply depending on your age. Under 16 the federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets limits that hold in every state. At 16 and 17 federal law sets none at all, so what Massachusetts adds is the entire limit you are working under.
These are the federal limits, and they apply in Massachusetts:
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| Hours per school day | 3 maximum |
| Hours per school week | 18 maximum |
| Hours per non-school day | 8 maximum |
| Hours per non-school week | 40 maximum |
| Earliest start | 7:00 a.m. |
| Latest finish | 7:00 p.m. |
| Latest finish, June 1 to Labor Day | 9:00 p.m. |
Massachusetts is one of the states that does set rules here:
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| Hours | 9 hours per day, 48 hours per week, across no more than 6 days |
| School days | 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. |
| Nights with no school the next day | Until 11:30 p.m. |
| After 8:00 p.m. | You must be directly supervised by an adult who is in the workplace and reachable |
The after-8 p.m. supervision rule is easy to miss and it is on the employer, not on you.
Federal law requires no breaks at any age, so anything you get in Massachusetts comes from state law rather than federal. Most states do require a break for workers under 18, commonly 30 minutes once you have worked four or five hours straight, and many of those same states require nothing at all for adults. Because the trigger point and the length both vary, confirm Massachusetts's current rule with the state labor department before you assume a long shift comes with one.
As of January 1, 2026 the Massachusetts minimum wage is $15.00 an hour.
| Situation | 2026 rate |
|---|---|
| Most employees | $15.00/hr |
| Under 20, first 90 consecutive days | $4.25/hr (federal youth wage) |
| Tipped employees | A lower cash wage plus tips, which must reach the full rate |
Work rules stop at the state line, and if you live near one it is worth knowing which side is easier to get hired on:
| State | Work permit | Min wage 2026 | Hours at 16 to 17 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | Under 18 | $15.00 | State limits |
| Connecticut | Under 16 | $16.94 | State limits |
| New Hampshire | Ages 12 to 15 | $7.25 | No state cap |
| Rhode Island | Ages 14 and 15 | $16.00 | No state cap |
| New York | Under 18 | $16.00 | State limits |
Federal law bars anyone under 18 from occupations classed as hazardous, and states add their own lists on top. In practice that is why teen jobs cluster in food service, retail, recreation and childcare. The restrictions cover things like operating most power-driven machinery, roofing, demolition, and work at significant heights, and they are stricter at 14 and 15 than at 16 and 17. In a state where a lot of teen work is seasonal and outdoors, the ones to watch are lifeguarding certifications, boat and watercraft operation, and anything involving commercial kitchen equipment during a busy season. Before accepting anything involving machinery, ladders, or a commercial kitchen's slicers and mixers, check the current list with the Massachusetts labor department.
Yes, if you are under 18. The certificate is issued by your school district, and it has to be in place before your first shift rather than after you are hired.
Massachusetts sets specific limits at 16 and 17: hours — 9 hours per day, 48 hours per week, across no more than 6 days; school days — 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; nights with no school the next day — Until 11:30 p.m.; after 8:00 p.m. — You must be directly supervised by an adult who is in the workplace and reachable.
Up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, or 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week when school is out, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and extending to 9:00 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. Those are the federal limits and they apply in Massachusetts as they do everywhere. On top of the hours, a 15-year-old in Massachusetts needs a work permit from your school district.
$15.00 an hour as of January 1, 2026. Federal law separately allows a youth wage of $4.25 an hour for workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days with an employer, after which you move to the full rate.
Federal law requires no breaks at any age, so anything you get in Massachusetts comes from state law rather than federal. Most states do require a break for workers under 18, commonly 30 minutes once you have worked four or five hours straight, and many of those same states require nothing at all for adults. Because the trigger point and the length both vary, confirm Massachusetts's current rule with the state labor department before you assume a long shift comes with one.
Fourteen for most non-farm jobs, which is the federal floor and applies in Massachusetts as everywhere else. Below 14 the exceptions are narrow: babysitting, newspaper delivery, working for your parents in a non-hazardous business, and performing. If you are not 14 yet, babysitting is the realistic route, and the age and licensing rules for that in Massachusetts are different from the employment rules on this page.