Pub. 3 2021 Issue 3

Who qualifies as a “Youth”: Any individual under the age of 18. When Does the Law Prohibit the Employment of a Youth: In general, any youth under the age of 14 may not work in New Hampshire (there are exceptions for casual work and newspaper delivery). Additionally, most youths may not perform “hazardous” work, such as, but not limited to, commercial driving, excavation, manufacturing explosives, and operating many types of power-driven equipment. Furthermore, New Hampshire has specific laws governing the employment of youth in the alcoholic beverage industry. Permissible Work/Hours Per Federal and State Youth Employment Laws: 1. 14 and 15 Year-Olds: • Type of Work: Youths who are 14 and 15 years of age may work in various non-manufacturing, non- mining and non-hazardous jobs, such as retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters, amusement parks and gasoline service stations. Youths under 16 cannot work in warehouses, communications or public utilities jobs, construction or repair jobs or jobs in which they drive a motor vehicle or operate power- driven machinery or hoisting apparatus (other than typical office machines). They cannot bake, cook (except with gas or electric grills that do not involve cooking over an open flame), work with freezers or meat coolers, or work in meat processing areas, or operate, set-up, adjust, clean, oil or repair power- driven food slicers, grinders, choppers, cutters, or bakery mixers or any other activity classified as a “hazardous occupation. ” For more information about jobs suitable for minors, see dol.gov/agencies/whd/ fact-sheets/43-child-labor-non-agriculture. • Total Hours Per Day and Per Week; Permissible Working Hours: Youths who are 14 or 15 years of age are permitted to work three hours on a school day during non-school hours and a total of 18 hours during the school week. NDD21501_Superhero_SmallBiz_NHADA_3.625x4.625-NewPhoneNumber FINAL.indd 2 5/25/21 3:54 PM On non-school days, they may work eight hours per day. During the summer vacation, they may work six days per week, but not to exceed 40 hours per week. Lastly, they may only work between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., except from June 1st through Labor Day , when they are permitted to work until 9:00 p.m. 2. 16 and 17 Year-Olds: • Type of Work: Youths who are 16 or 17 years of age may engage in any work not classified as a “hazardous activity” (or separately regulated, such as serving alcohol). • Total Hours Per Day and Per Week: In any employer’s workweek during which school is in session for five (5) of the days, youths who are 16 and 17 years of age are not permitted to work more than six consecutive days and may not work more than 30 hours during that workweek. See RSA 276-A:4. In any employer’s workweek during which school is in session for four (4) of the days, youths who are 16 and 17 years of age are not permitted to work more than six consecutive days and may not work more than 40 ¼ hours during that workweek. In any employer’s workweek during which school is in session for more than one (1) but less than four (4) days, youths who are 16 and 17 years of age are not Continued on Page 18 IN GENERAL, ANY YOUTH UNDER THE AGE OF 14 MAY NOT WORK IN NEW HAMPSHIRE (THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS FOR CASUAL WORK AND NEWSPAPER DELIVERY). N E W H A M P S H I R E 17