Yes, a 17-year-old can work full time under federal law, as long as the job isn’t on the list of hazardous occupations closed to workers under 18. The Fair Labor Standards Act sets no weekly hour cap for 16- and 17-year-olds, so a 40-hour schedule (or more) is legal at the federal level.1U.S. Department of Labor. Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act for Nonagricultural Occupations The real obstacle for most teenagers isn’t labor law at all. It’s compulsory school attendance, which in about half the states runs until age 18 and rules out daytime shifts during the school year.
What Federal Law Allows at 17
The FLSA draws its sharpest line at age 16. Workers who are 14 or 15 face strict limits on daily and weekly hours and on how late they can work. Those caps disappear at 16. A 17-year-old can work 40, 50, or more hours a week under federal law, on any shift, provided the role isn’t in a prohibited hazardous occupation.2U.S. Department of Labor. Child Labor
Federal law also doesn’t define “full time.” The FLSA never labels 30 or 40 hours as a cutoff between part-time and full-time work. What matters for a 17-year-old is the type of job, whether school attendance is still required, and whether the state adds rules on top of the federal floor.
School Attendance Is the Real Limit
Roughly 24 states and the District of Columbia require school attendance until 18. About 10 states set the cutoff at 17, and around 16 allow students to leave at 16.3National Center for Education Statistics. Table 5.1 – Compulsory School Attendance Laws In an “until 18” state, an employer can’t schedule a 17-year-old during school hours, which makes a standard 9-to-5 impossible while classes are in session.
A few paths clear that hurdle before a birthday does the job. Graduating early or earning a GED satisfies the education requirement in most states. Some states let a student withdraw at 16 or 17 with parental consent. Legal emancipation is another route, though courts don’t grant it casually and typically require proof of financial independence.
Even without any of that, a 17-year-old in an “until 18” state can often stack serious hours around school. Evenings, weekends, and summer break are open, and some states permit 30 to 48 hours a week during the school year so long as none overlap with class time.4U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-Farm Employment Several states also cap late-night work on school nights, with curfews from 10 p.m. to midnight depending on the state and whether class meets the next morning.
Where state rules are stricter than federal law, the stricter rules win. Where the state is more permissive, federal law controls.
Jobs That Stay Off-Limits Until 18
Full-time hours don’t mean any job. The Department of Labor lists 18 Hazardous Occupations Orders that bar workers under 18 from specific tasks regardless of graduation, emancipation, or parental consent.5U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA – Child Labor Rules The prohibited work includes:
- All roofing work, at any height.
- Excavation, trenching, and tunneling.
- Operating power-driven woodworking equipment, including circular saws, band saws, and chain saws.
- Operating commercial bakery equipment such as dough mixers, dividers, and rollers, with narrow exceptions for lightweight countertop mixers and certain pizza dough rollers.
- Mining, logging, and slaughterhouse work.
- Jobs involving radioactive materials or explosives.
- Power-driven metalworking, wrecking, and demolition.
A handful of these orders include narrow carve-outs for student-learners in approved vocational programs and for registered apprentices working under specified safety conditions.6U.S. Department of Labor. Frequently Asked Questions About Youth Employment (Non-Agricultural)
Driving on the Job
Motor vehicle operation is a hazardous occupation for minors, but 17-year-olds get a limited exception when every one of these conditions is met:7eCFR. 29 CFR 570.52 – Occupations Involving the Operation of Motor Vehicles
- The vehicle weighs no more than 6,000 pounds gross.
- Driving is during daylight hours only.
- The teenager holds a valid state license for the type of driving and has no moving violations at hire.
- The teenager has completed a state-approved driver education course.
- The route isn’t a pizza delivery, bank run before closing, or other time-sensitive trip.
- No more than three passengers, coworkers included.
- Driving stays within a 30-mile radius of the workplace.
- Driving takes no more than one-third of a workday and 20 percent of a workweek, with a two-trip daily maximum.
Miss any one condition and the driving is illegal. A 17-year-old can’t be hired primarily as a driver, even for a small vehicle.
Pay: Minimum Wage, Youth Wage, and Overtime
A 17-year-old is entitled to at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. State minimums run higher in most places, currently up to $17.95, and the higher of the two applies.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 206 – Minimum Wage
Federal law also permits a youth minimum wage of $4.25 an hour during the first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment for any worker under 20. The clock runs on calendar days, not days actually worked, so time off doesn’t pause it. After 90 days the pay must rise to the applicable minimum wage. If a state’s minimum wage law has no youth exception, the higher state rate applies from day one.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 206 – Minimum Wage
Overtime rules apply to teenagers exactly as they do to adults. Any hour over 40 in a single workweek must be paid at one and a half times the regular rate.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 207 – Maximum Hours
Work Permits
Many states still require an employment certificate (also called working papers or a work permit) for workers under 18. The Department of Labor lists more than a dozen states and territories that mandate one, and the process usually involves the teenager, a parent or guardian, and a school official confirming academic standing.11U.S. Department of Labor. Employment/Age Certificate The employer keeps the certificate on file at the worksite.
Taxes on a Full-Time Paycheck
A full-time paycheck at 17 gets taxed. Social Security tax comes out at 6.2 percent and Medicare tax at 1.45 percent — a combined 7.65 percent withheld automatically, with no age-based exemption at a private employer.12Social Security Administration. Contribution and Benefit Base13Internal Revenue Service. Student Exception to FICA Tax
Federal income tax works a little differently for a dependent. A 17-year-old who can be claimed on a parent’s return gets a limited standard deduction: for 2025, the greater of $1,350 or earned income plus $450, up to a $15,750 maximum. Earnings above that threshold trigger a filing requirement.14Internal Revenue Service. Check if You Need to File a Tax Return At $10 an hour for 40 hours a week, a teenager crosses that line inside the calendar year, so a full-time worker should plan to file.