How Many Hours Can a Student Work Per Week by Law?

Federal law sets the number of hours a student can work per week based on age. Students who are 14 or 15 can work up to 18 hours during a school week and up to 40 hours when school is out. Students who are 16 or 17 have no federal weekly cap, though many states set their own. Once you turn 18, federal child labor rules stop applying. International students on F-1 visas follow a separate immigration rule that caps on-campus work at 20 hours per week while classes are in session.

Ages 14 and 15: The Strictest Federal Caps

The Fair Labor Standards Act draws its tightest lines around the youngest workers. If you are 14 or 15, your hours are limited in four ways at once:¹

During a school week, no more than 18 hours total, and no more than 3 hours on any school day (Fridays included).
During a non-school week, up to 40 hours total, with a daily cap of 8 hours.
Work must happen between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. From June 1 through Labor Day, the evening cutoff moves to 9 p.m.
All hours must fall outside of school hours.

There is one narrow carveout. A Department of Labor–approved Work-Study Program lets certain 14- and 15-year-olds in college-preparatory programs work during school hours on a rotating schedule. The 18-hour weekly cap still applies.²

These federal numbers are the floor. If your state sets stricter limits, the state rule wins.³

Ages 16 and 17: No Federal Weekly Cap

Federal law does not limit how many hours a 16- or 17-year-old can work in a day or a week. The FLSA lets this age group work unlimited hours in any job that has not been declared hazardous.¹ The federal restriction that does apply is occupational: Seventeen Hazardous Occupations Orders block anyone under 18 from jobs like operating power-driven machinery, roofing, and most motor vehicle driving.⁴

“No federal cap” is not the same as “no cap.” State law does most of the work for this age group. Many states set school-week caps for 16- and 17-year-olds somewhere between 18 and 30 hours, and some restrict late-night shifts on school nights. Others add no restrictions. Before assuming a 16-year-old can put in a 50-hour school week, check with your state labor department.

How State Rules Layer on Top

Every state has its own child labor statute. The governing principle: whichever law better protects the young worker applies.³ States commonly require employment certificates (sometimes called working papers) before a minor can start a job, set earlier evening cutoffs on school nights, cap consecutive workdays, and require breaks. These rules vary so widely that federal law alone will not tell you the answer for a specific student.

College Students and Federal Work-Study

Once you turn 18, federal child labor rules no longer apply, and you can work any number of hours in any occupation.¹

For most college students, the binding constraint is the Federal Work-Study program. Federal regulations do not set a weekly hour ceiling for Work-Study jobs. They cap total earnings: you cannot earn more than your financial need plus $300 through Work-Study in a given award year.⁵ Schools usually translate that into a weekly hour limit, often 10 to 20 hours, but the specific number depends on your aid package and your hourly pay rate. Ask your financial aid office for the number attached to your award.

International Students on F-1 Visas

F-1 students follow work-hour rules written into immigration law, not labor law. The limits depend on where the work happens and whether classes are in session.

On-Campus Work

F-1 students may work on campus up to 20 hours per week while school is in session and full-time during official breaks, as long as they intend to enroll for the next term.⁶ On-campus jobs include businesses that operate on school grounds and serve students, like a campus bookstore or cafeteria, along with educationally affiliated off-campus sites tied to the school’s curriculum or funded research.

Off-Campus Work Through CPT and OPT

Off-campus work requires separate authorization. Curricular Practical Training is authorized by the school’s Designated School Official and does not require an Employment Authorization Document. CPT must be an integral part of the student’s curriculum.⁷ During the term, part-time CPT allows up to 20 hours per week. Full-time CPT is available, but the student must still carry a full course load.⁸

Optional Practical Training requires USCIS approval. Pre-completion OPT allows up to 20 hours per week while school is in session and full-time during breaks. Post-completion OPT, which begins after graduation, allows full-time work.⁹

What Happens If You Go Over

The consequence is not a fine. If an F-1 student works more than the authorized hours, the school’s Designated School Official is required to terminate the student’s SEVIS record for unauthorized employment. That termination can cost the student their legal status and force them to leave the country.¹⁰

Jobs That Sit Outside the Standard Hour Rules

Some work does not fall under the standard FLSA hour limits at all.

Working for a Parent

A parent (or someone in a parent’s role) can employ their own child under 16 in any occupation and for any number of hours, with no time-of-day restrictions. The exception disappears for manufacturing, mining, and any job covered by a Hazardous Occupations Order.¹¹ The child has to be exclusively employed by the parent. If a child helps a parent perform work for the parent’s employer, both count as the child’s employer and the exemption drops away.

Farm Work

Agriculture runs on different rules. Children as young as 12 can work on farms outside school hours with parental consent, and children of any age can work on a farm owned or operated by their parents without hour or age restrictions.¹² For 14- and 15-year-olds, farm work must fall outside school hours but is not subject to the daily and weekly caps that apply to non-farm jobs.¹³

Performers and Newspaper Delivery

Federal child labor rules do not cover children working as actors or performers in film, television, radio, or theater, or those delivering newspapers to consumers.¹³ State law may still regulate hours and working conditions, particularly for young performers.

Unpaid Internships

An internship can only be unpaid if the intern is the primary beneficiary of the arrangement. The Department of Labor uses a seven-factor primary beneficiary test that looks at things like whether the internship offers training similar to an educational setting, whether it is tied to coursework or academic credit, and whether the intern’s work complements rather than displaces paid employees.¹⁴ If the employer is the primary beneficiary, the intern is legally an employee, must be paid at least minimum wage, and picks up every hour restriction that applies to their age.

Reporting an Employer That Schedules Too Many Hours

If you believe an employer is scheduling a minor outside legal work hours, you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division online or by calling 1-866-487-9243. The nearest field office will follow up within two business days.¹⁵

1
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the FLSA for Nonagricultural Occupations
2
U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA Child Labor Rules Advisor – Work Study Program
3
U.S. Department of Labor. Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment
4
eCFR. Part 570 – Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
5
eCFR. 34 CFR Part 675 – Federal Work-Study Programs
6
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status
7
USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 2 Part F Chapter 5 – Practical Training
8
Study in the States. F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
9
USCIS. Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students
10
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Employment
11
eCFR. Part 570 – Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation – Section 570.126
12
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 40 – Overview of Youth Employment Provisions of the FLSA for Agricultural Occupations
13
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 U.S. Code 213 – Exemptions
14
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 71 – Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
15
Worker.gov. Filing a Complaint With the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division