Permits, hours & minimum wage: what Michigan 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 Michigan can look like: Michigan 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 $13.73. They come from three different rulebooks, and two of them change on your 16th birthday.
Where the jobs are: Metro Detroit anchors year-round hiring, while the lakeshore towns and the Upper Peninsula run short, intense summer tourism seasons.
Yes, if you are under 18. Michigan requires a work permit (an employment or age certificate) before you start work, issued by your school district. It is not required once you have completed graduation requirements or hold a high school equivalency certificate.
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 Michigan adds is the entire limit you are working under.
These are the federal limits, and they apply in Michigan:
| 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. |
Michigan is one of the states that does set rules here:
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| School in session | 24 hours per week maximum |
| School not in session | 48 hours per week maximum |
| Time window | 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday |
| Friday, Saturday and school breaks | Until 11:30 p.m. |
An employer can ask the state for a deviation from those hours, but no deviation can ever put you at work between midnight and 5:00 a.m.
Federal law requires no breaks at any age, so anything you get in Michigan 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 Michigan's current rule with the state labor department before you assume a long shift comes with one.
As of January 1, 2026 the Michigan minimum wage is $13.73 an hour.
| Situation | 2026 rate |
|---|---|
| Most employees | $13.73/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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | Under 18 | $13.73 | State limits |
| Ohio | Ages 14 to 17 | $11.00 | State limits |
| Indiana | None required | $7.25 | No state cap |
| Wisconsin | Under 16 | $7.25 | State limits |
| Illinois | Under 16 | $15.00 | No state cap |
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 Michigan 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.
Michigan sets specific limits at 16 and 17: school in session — 24 hours per week maximum; school not in session — 48 hours per week maximum; time window — 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; friday, saturday and school breaks — Until 11:30 p.m..
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 Michigan as they do everywhere. On top of the hours, a 15-year-old in Michigan needs a work permit from your school district.
$13.73 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 Michigan 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 Michigan'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 Michigan 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 Michigan are different from the employment rules on this page.