Permits, hours & minimum wage: what Virginia 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 Virginia can look like: Virginia wants a work permit in your hand before your first shift, not after, the state adds no hour limits once you turn 16, and the minimum wage is $12.77. They come from three different rulebooks, and two of them change on your 16th birthday.
Where the jobs are: Northern Virginia offers the highest teen wages and the densest year-round market, Virginia Beach runs a large summer season, and the Shenandoah corridor adds tourism work.
Yes, if you are 14 and 15. Virginia requires a work permit (an employment or age certificate) before you start work, issued by the Virginia Electronic Employment Certificate System (VAeECS), after you have a job offer.
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 Virginia having no rules of its own is the reason there is no cap on you at that age.
These are the federal limits, and they apply in Virginia:
| 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. |
Virginia adds no hour or night-work limits at 16 and 17. Federal law sets none either, which means there is no legal cap on how many hours you work or how late you finish. Your limits are your school schedule, your parents, and what you can actually sustain.
Federal law requires no breaks at any age, so anything you get in Virginia 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 Virginia's current rule with the state labor department before you assume a long shift comes with one.
As of January 1, 2026 the Virginia minimum wage is $12.77 an hour.
| Situation | 2026 rate |
|---|---|
| Most employees | $12.77/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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | Ages 14 and 15 | $12.77 | No state cap |
| Maryland | Under 18 | $15.00 | State limits |
| West Virginia | Ages 14 and 15 | $8.75 | No state cap |
| North Carolina | Under 18 | $7.25 | No state cap |
| Kentucky | None required | $7.25 | 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 Virginia labor department.
Yes, if you are 14 and 15. The certificate is issued by the Virginia Electronic Employment Certificate System (VAeECS), after you have a job offer, and it has to be in place before your first shift rather than after you are hired.
There is no legal maximum. Virginia sets no hour or night-work limits for 16- and 17-year-olds, and federal law sets none either, so the only real limits are your school schedule and what you can sustain.
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 Virginia as they do everywhere. On top of the hours, a 15-year-old in Virginia needs a work permit from the Virginia Electronic Employment Certificate System (VAeECS), after you have a job offer.
$12.77 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 Virginia 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 Virginia'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 Virginia 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 Virginia are different from the employment rules on this page.