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Summary of differences between federal and state regulations
The Illinois Department of Labor administers the child labor laws. Street Trades Law regulates the employment of minors in sales or other distributive service occupations.
Work age
Youths must be:
- None specified for newspaper carriers and housework in private homes
- 10 to work on farms outside of school hours
- 12 to work on farms
- 13 to caddy
- 14 to work in most non-hazardous jobs
- 16 to work on hazardous jobs
- 18 to operate a motor vehicle used to transport property
Effective January 1, 2025, minors under 16 may work in the following specific occupations:
- Certain agricultural pursuits;
- The sale and distribution of magazines and newspapers;
- Household chores and babysitting;
- Caddying at golf courses;
- Participation in work-based learning programs; and
- Serving as an officiant or assistant instructor of youth sports activities, so long as a certification is obtained, and certain hour restrictions are followed.
Work hours
Youths under 16 may work:
- 7 am to 7 pm (9 pm from June 1 through Labor Day, 11 pm for theatrical work, 6 am to 11 pm in television or movies)
- 8 hours/day, 6 days/week, 48 hours/week
- 3 hours but not more than 8 hours combined work and school time per day, 24 hours/week when school is in session
Effective January 1, 2025, youths under 16 may not work:
- More than 18 hours a week when school is in session.
- More than 40 hours a week when school is not in session.
- More than 8 hours in any single 24-hour period.
- Work more than 3 hours per day or more than 8 hours total of work and school hours on days when school is in session.
- Between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.Between 7 am from Labor Day until June 1
- Between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. from June 1 until Labor Day,
All minors must be supervised in person by an adult 21 years of age or older at all times a minor is working.
Employers must report work-related fatalities and injuries to the IL Department of Labor and the school official who issued the minor’s employment certificate, in addition to other reporting requirements.
Illinois does not have specific provisions for youths aged 16 to 18.
Breaks
Youths must be given a 30-minute break every five hours.
Permits
Youths under 16 years must have an employment certificate, issued by local school officials, and a document listing the age, address, starting and quitting times, mealtimes, daily and weekly hours for each individual. The employer must retain these documents for 3 years and return the certificate to the issuing officer at termination.
Postings
Post work schedules, mealtimes, Labor Department’s toll-free telephone number, and an abstract of child labor laws. Employers with employees who do not regularly report to a physical workplace, such as remote workers and those who travel for work, must provide the required poster to employees by email or by posting such notice on the employer's website or intranet site, if such site is regularly used by the employer to communicate work-related information to employees and is able to be regularly accessed by all employees, freely and without interference.
State
Contact
Regulations
Chapter 820, Article 205/ of the Illinois Compiled Statutes.
Administrative Code Title 56, Chapter I, Subchapter B, Part 250 Illinois Child Labor Law
Federal
Contact
The Department of Labor is the sole federal agency that monitors child labor and enforces child labor laws. Enforcement of the Fair Labor Standard Act's child labor provisions is handled by the Wage and Hour Division of the Department’s Employment Standards Administration.
Regulations
U.S. child labor regulations can be found in CFR 29:
Part 570 Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
Part 575 Waiver of Child Labor Provisions for Agricultural Employment of 10 and 11 Year Old Minors In Hand Harvesting of Short Season Crops
Part 579 Child Labor Violations – Civil Money Penalties