Permits, hours & minimum wage: what New Jersey 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 New Jersey can look like: New Jersey 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 $15.92. They come from three different rulebooks, and two of them change on your 16th birthday.
Where the jobs are: The Shore towns from Cape May to Point Pleasant run one of the largest summer teen job markets in the country, while the northern suburbs hire year-round.
Yes, if you are under 18. New Jersey requires a work permit (an employment or age certificate) before you start work, issued by your school district.
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 New Jersey adds is the entire limit you are working under.
These are the federal limits, and they apply in New Jersey:
| 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. |
New Jersey is one of the states that does set rules here:
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| Hours | 8 hours per day on school days, 40 hours per week |
| Consecutive days | No more than 6 in a week |
| School nights | Until 11:00 p.m. |
| Friday and Saturday nights and nights before holidays | Later than 11:00 p.m. with written parental permission, but not before 6:00 a.m. or after midnight |
Federal law requires no breaks at any age, so anything you get in New Jersey comes from state law rather than federal. New Jersey requires a 30-minute meal break for anyone under 18 who works more than 5 consecutive hours. That is one of the few rules where being under 18 gets you more than the adults working beside you.
As of January 1, 2026 the New Jersey minimum wage is $15.92 an hour.
| Situation | 2026 rate |
|---|---|
| Most employees | $15.92/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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | Under 18 | $15.92 | State limits |
| New York | Under 18 | $16.00 | State limits |
| Pennsylvania | Under 18 | $7.25 | State limits |
| Delaware | Under 18 | $15.00 | State limits |
| Connecticut | Under 16 | $16.94 | 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 New Jersey 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.
New Jersey sets specific limits at 16 and 17: hours — 8 hours per day on school days, 40 hours per week; consecutive days — No more than 6 in a week; school nights — Until 11:00 p.m.; friday and saturday nights and nights before holidays — Later than 11:00 p.m. with written parental permission, but not before 6:00 a.m. or after midnight.
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 New Jersey as they do everywhere. On top of the hours, a 15-year-old in New Jersey needs a work permit from your school district.
$15.92 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 New Jersey comes from state law rather than federal. New Jersey requires a 30-minute meal break for anyone under 18 who works more than 5 consecutive hours. That is one of the few rules where being under 18 gets you more than the adults working beside you.
Fourteen for most non-farm jobs, which is the federal floor and applies in New Jersey 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 New Jersey are different from the employment rules on this page.