The first summer paycheck is a small milestone in any family. It is also the first time a young person runs into the rules that govern work in this country, and a few of them are worth knowing before the season starts. Most employers follow the law without a second thought, but a teenager who understands the basics is better protected, and a parent who knows what to look for can spot a problem early.

Federal child-labor rules set the floor, and states can add stricter limits on top. The federal side comes from the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Department of Labor keeps a plain-language guide to the youth rules on its YouthRules page. Here is what those rules cover.

Hours depend on age

The tightest limits apply to 14- and 15-year-olds, the youngest teens who can hold most non-farm jobs. During the school year their hours are capped, and even in summer they generally cannot work before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m., with limits on the number of hours per day and per week. The Labor Department lays out these hour rules in detail on its youth employment pages.

At 16 and 17, the federal hour limits fall away, and teens can work any hours. What still applies at that age is a list of jobs considered too hazardous, such as operating certain power equipment or driving on the job. Once a worker turns 18, federal child-labor rules no longer apply at all.

The paycheck still owes minimum wage

A teenager is entitled to at least the minimum wage, the same as any other worker, with one narrow exception. Federal law allows a lower “youth minimum wage” for workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days with an employer, after which the full minimum wage kicks in. Many states set their own higher minimum wage, and where the state figure is higher, that is what the worker gets. It is worth checking your state’s rate rather than assuming the federal floor.

Tipped jobs have their own math. An employer can pay a lower cash wage to a tipped worker only if tips bring the total up to at least the full minimum wage. If they do not, the employer must make up the difference. A teen bussing tables or delivering food should understand that their tips are not a bonus on top of a full wage; they are counted toward it.

Why the first check looks small

The number on the offer letter is not the number that lands in the bank. Taxes come out first. Social Security and Medicare taxes, together about 7.65 percent, are withheld from nearly every paycheck, and federal income tax may be withheld too depending on how the teen fills out the Form W-4.

Here is a useful point for families: many teens earn too little over the year to owe any federal income tax, and in that case the income tax withheld comes back as a refund when they file. The IRS explains who has to file and how withholding works in its guidance for students. Even a teen who owes nothing may want to file a simple return to reclaim any income tax that was withheld.

A few things to check together

Sit down with the first pay stub and read it as a team. Confirm the hourly rate matches what was promised, that the hours are counted correctly, and that any overtime past 40 hours in a week is paid at time and a half where it applies. Make sure the teen is classified as an employee, not treated as an “independent contractor,” which shifts tax responsibility onto the worker and is often a red flag in a normal hourly job.

It is also a fine first lesson in saving. A portion of every check, even a small one, can go into a savings account, and a teen with earned income is actually eligible to open a Roth IRA, which is one of the most powerful head starts a young worker can get. That is a conversation for another day, but the first paycheck is a natural place to begin it.

A summer job should be a good experience, and for almost every teen it is. Knowing the rules does not turn a parent into an adversary of the employer. It just means that if something is off, the family notices, asks a calm question, and gets it fixed, which is exactly how a first job should teach a young person that their work has value and their rights are real.

This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor. Figures are linked to their primary sources; where a claim could not be verified from the public record, we say so.