How to Get a Work Permit in New Jersey

In New Jersey, 90% of the state’s residents live in an urban area, making New Jersey the state with the highest urban population in the United States.  Those living in these urban areas, including the teenagers, are seeking opportunity with the businesses in the area.  Fortunately, the minimum age for minors to be employed in New Jersey is 14 and all minors under the age of 18 must have an employment certificate or “working papers” in order to begin working.  Luckily, the process to obtain an employment certificate is straightforward. Click here for more information on teen labor laws in New Jersey.

All minors that are seeking employment must obtain an employment certificate or “working papers” prior to beginning a job. To obtain the employment certificate, the minor should follow the process below:

1. The minor should first seek a job. Once they find an employer who is willing to hire them, they should get the form titled “A300 employment certification form” which can be found here. The minor can also access a copy of this form the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, or the Issuing Officer of the local school district.
2. The minor will complete Section A, which asks for their personal information, to include: social security number, date of birth and gender. The minor’s parent or guardian will sign authorizing the employment of their child.
3. The minor will take the form to the employer who has offered to hire them. The employer will complete Section B, which includes employment information like type of business and hours the minor will work. The employer will have to sign where it states “Promise of Employment”.
4. The minor must have a physical exam or obtain a note from a doctor. Should they have the physical exam, the school district is responsible for providing this at no cost to the minor. A physical exam conducted during their freshman year will be sufficient in most cases through all four years of high school. The physician will complete and sign Section C. Should a parent or guardian object in writing to their child having a physical exam based on religious beliefs and practices, the minor will not be required to obtain the physical exam.
5. The minor must have someone from their school complete Section E, which is regarding their school record. Should the Issuing Officer be at their school, that individual can complete that section. Otherwise, the minor should bring it to the appropriate official at their school and have it completed before bringing the form to the School Issuing Officer.
6. The minor will bring the form along with proof of age (to include a birth certificate, passport, baptismal certificate, or school record of age along with the above date of birth) to the School Issuing Officer. The school official will review the form and issue the certificate once they are satisfied that the work and hours will not get in the way of the minor’s education or harm their health.
7. Once the minor is issued the employment certificate, the Issuing Officer will mail a copy to the employer for their records.

Should an employer in New Jersey decide to hire a minor under the age of 18, they must obtain an employment certificate prior to the minor beginning work. The role of the employer in regards to employment certificates is very straightforward. Employers have the following responsibilities in regards to the employment certificate:

1. The employer must complete Section B of the “A300 employment certification form” and sign where the form states “Promise of Employment”.
2. Once the employer receives the employment certificate that is mailed by the Issuing Officer, the employee can begin work. The employer must keep the employment certificate on file.
3. Where any minor under 18 is employed, the employer must post in an obvious location in the place of employment a list of occupations prohibited to minors as well as a schedule of hours of labor with the name of each minor, to include the maximum amount of hours the minor will be allowed to work during each day of the week, the total number of hours per week, the time that the employee would stop and start work each day and their meal period. The employer may allow the minor to begin work later than noted and finish earlier than noted, but cannot allow the minor to work hours outside the posted schedule.
4. The schedule described above is required to be on a form that is provided by the Department of Labor.
5. The employer must keep a record that states the name, birth date and address of each individual under the age of 19 who they employ. The record must also include the number of hours each person worked on each day of the week, the hours of work, the meal period and the wages paid. The record must be kept for at least one year after the day recorded and is to be made available for inspection upon request.
6. Should the employment of the minor end, the employer must return the certificate to the Issuing Officer within two days of the termination of employment.
7. The employer must follow child labor laws.

Employers in New Jersey who hire minors under the age of 18 must receive an employment certificate prior to the minor being able to begin work. The process of obtaining the certificate is not difficult and the employer does not have a large role in helping the minor receive it.