A 15-year-old can work, but federal law caps the day at 3 hours when school is in session and the week at 18. The tighter limit is usually the employer, because the minimum age at most restaurants and stores is set by whoever runs that one location.
Why can the same teen be turned down by a chain on one corner and hired by it two towns over? Three things decide it: what the law allows, which employers publish an age you can verify, and whether a job outside the chains fits a school schedule better.
Turning 16 soon? The 16-and-up version, jobs that hire at 16, goes chain by chain through employers that set 16 as their floor. Fifteen’s a different problem, and it needs its own plan.
What Can a 15-Year-Old Legally Do at Work?
Under federal law, a 15-year-old can work in most office, retail and food service jobs outside school hours, but not in hazardous jobs, most machine work or any baking. The U.S. Department of Labor sets those limits in Fact Sheet #43, revised December 2016.
The hour limits
Fact Sheet #43 limits 14- and 15-year-olds to work outside school hours, no more than 3 hours on a school day (Fridays included), 8 hours on a non-school day, 18 hours in a week when school is in session and 40 hours in a week when it isn’t. Shifts have to fall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., except from June 1 through Labor Day, when the evening limit moves to 9 p.m.
During the school year every job for a 15-year-old is part time, since the most federal rules allow is 18 hours a week. The 3-hour school-day cap shapes a schedule more than anything else, and it’s the number most applicants forget. If a manager schedules you past these limits, the manager’s the one breaking the rule, so asking for fewer hours isn’t a weakness. Offering “any hours, any day” in your availability is the weaker move. Why? Because no manager can legally schedule it.
Allowed jobs and banned jobs
The fact sheet says 14- and 15-year-olds may work in most office jobs and in retail and food service, and it names bagging groceries, stocking shelves and cashiering. Kitchen work is allowed in limited form: cooking is restricted to electric or gas grills without an open flame and to deep fryers that lower and raise the baskets automatically.
The banned list is longer than most teens expect. It rules out baking, work in freezers or meat coolers, any power-driven machinery except office machines, work from ladders or scaffolds, door-to-door sales and sign waving. All 17 Hazardous Occupations Orders apply too, which is where meat slicers, forklifts and roofing come from. That’s why a 15-year-old can run a register in a restaurant and still be kept away from the slicer.
One exception is worth knowing. The fact sheet says children of any age are generally permitted to work for a business entirely owned by their parents, except under 16 in mining or manufacturing and under 18 in hazardous occupations.
State rules and working papers
The same fact sheet says federal law doesn’t require working papers or work permits, though many states do, and that when federal and state rules both apply, the stricter one wins. The Department of Labor keeps a state-by-state child labor table, labeled as of July 15, 2025, so look up your state before you accept a schedule. Which rule applies to you? Whichever is stricter.
Ask your school office or your state labor department which form your state wants and who has to sign it. This is general information, not legal advice, and a question about your own situation belongs with them.
Which Chains Hire 15-Year-Olds?
Some do, but almost none set one age for every location. McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Culver’s leave the decision to the franchise owner or the individual restaurant, and Publix is the major name whose own postings list 14 as a required minimum for some jobs.
McDonald’s
Does McDonald’s hire at 15? Its US employment FAQ, dated March 3, 2021, gives no age. It tells applicants to contact the restaurant they’re interested in and says company-owned and franchised restaurants may handle age differently. So the only source you can trust for a McDonald’s near you is that restaurant’s own posting or a phone call, and it’s quick to get.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A’s careers FAQ says hiring decisions are made by individual franchised Operators and tells applicants to ask the restaurant about its minimum age. Our Chick-fil-A hiring process page collects what applicants report at 14, 15 and 16, along with the permit catch. Here’s what a rejection looks like from the teen’s side:
“Hey guys, I just turned 15 last month and I wanted to get a job, so I started applying with some jobs like Publix and Chick-Fil-A, and they don’t hire me, is there any jobs that y’all recommend? (I like when Jobs that pay well)”
– r/Georgia, November 2025 (8 upvotes)
Nothing in that post says either store broke a rule, and neither had to hire anyone.
A store can pass on a legal hire, and a 15-year-old with no experience competes against older applicants for the same shifts.
Culver’s and Publix
Culver’s careers page says each restaurant is independently owned and operated, that the minimum age varies by location and state, and that in many cases team members between 14 and 16 are eligible, subject to state and federal youth rules. Publix is more specific: its Cashier and Front Service Clerk postings both list “at least 14 years of age” under required qualifications (checked October 3, 2026). Other Publix postings carry higher ages, so read the one you apply to.
Retail store jobs for 15 year olds
Federal law allows retail work at 15. Does that mean every store will take you? No, because nothing forces a store to use that allowance. Several big-box chains start store jobs at 16, and the 16-and-up guide lists which ones, so you don’t spend applications on stores that will screen you out.
For Burger King, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, movie theaters and grocery chains not named above, the age varies by location. Most job boards don’t filter by age, so a search for “jobs hiring for 15 year olds near me” mixes in listings that say 16 or 18. Read the posting text for a line like “at least 14” or “must be 16,” and call the store when the posting doesn’t say.
Jobs for 15-Year-Olds Outside the Chains
Lifeguarding is the one job the Department of Labor singles out at 15: a properly certified 15-year-old may work at a traditional swimming pool or water amusement park. Lakes, rivers and ocean beaches require lifeguards to be 16, and swim instruction needs additional certification.
The American Red Cross lifeguarding page lists the prerequisites as being at least 15 years old by the last day of class plus a swim-tread-swim skills test. Commenters in r/Georgia (November 2025) and r/Albany (July 2026) pointed 15-year-olds to recreation departments, pools, the YMCA and summer camps, which is where a certified teen finds the openings.
Camps and youth sports leagues are worth a phone call. Ask the league office whether it pays teen referees or scorekeepers and whether it needs a minimum age, since that varies by league. Back-of-house restaurant work is the other door, and not everyone loves it:
“only over the table work my kids could get before 16 were as dishwashers, and I wouldn’t wish that on a kid”
– r/Albany, July 2026 (20 upvotes)
Is dish work open to a 15-year-old? That depends on the equipment and your state, so ask which tasks the job includes before you apply.
There’s no application for self-employed work: babysitting, mowing and yard cleanup, pet sitting and dog walking for neighbors. Fact Sheet #43 lists casual baby-sitting and minor chores around private homes as examples of work the FLSA doesn’t cover. Whether your state’s rules reach that work is a question for your state labor department, and your parents get a say either way.
Seasonal retail and warehouse hiring is a long shot at 15. The seasonal jobs hiring guide shows what the big holiday employers ask for, so you can judge whether any of them is worth an application.
Applying at 15 With No Experience
Apply to several specific locations at once, put your availability inside the federal hour limits, and settle the paperwork question before an offer arrives. A one-page resume helps even with nothing to list; the first resume guide walks through it.
Start with a line you can paste into any application: “Available Mon-Fri 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday all day, and full days in summer.” It fits the 3-hour school-day cap and the 8-hour weekend cap, and a manager scheduling around school hours will read it as someone who knows the rules. Then list what you’ve done: babysitting, mowing, a team, a club, a volunteer shift.
Build the list first: search “jobs near me for 15 year olds” on a map, then add every grocery, ice cream shop, pool and cafe within biking or bus distance. Apply online first, since most chains route every hire through their system. Then go in person at a slow hour, between the lunch and dinner rushes, and ask for the manager on duty. Say your name, that you applied online, and when you can start.
Then ask one plain question: “Do you hire at 15?”
You’ll get a yes or no in ten seconds, and a no saves you a week of waiting.
If your state uses working papers, ask at home who has to sign them before you apply. A teen who says “my school office has the form” moves ahead of one who has to go find out. Dress one step above the uniform: a clean plain shirt, closed shoes, nothing with a big logo.
What Interviewers Ask a 15-Year-Old
Interviewers hiring a 15-year-old mostly want to know three things: will you show up, can you work the hours you’re allowed, and can you talk to a stranger. How hard is it? Expect short questions, often ten minutes’ worth, and prepare out loud. The common interview questions and answers page has the longer list.
“When can you work?” The manager is listening for a schedule they can use. Say the exact days and times, not “whenever.” Not this: “I’m free anytime.” Say this: “I’m free weekdays from 4 to 7 and all day on weekends, and I can work more in summer.”
“Why do you want to work here?” They’re checking whether you picked this place or just any place. Name one real thing, such as living close by or being a regular customer. Not this: “I need money.” Say this: “I come here with my family and I like how fast the drive-thru runs.”
“How will you handle school and work?” This one is about reliability, and it’s why a parent’s support matters. Say how you already manage practice, homework and chores, and that your family knows the schedule.
“Tell me about a time you were responsible for something.” You don’t need a job to answer it. Babysitting a younger cousin, running a school club table or feeding a neighbor’s dog for a week all count. Keep it to three sentences: what you did, what went wrong or could have, and how it ended.
Mistakes Teens Make at 15
The first mistake is applying to the biggest names only. Chains get the most applicants, and many leave the age to the local owner, so a single “no” tells you little. Why would the next restaurant down the road answer the same way?
The second is promising unlimited hours. Federal law caps a school week at 18, and an applicant who offers 25 sounds like someone who hasn’t read the rules.
Third, skipping the paperwork question until the offer. If your state wants working papers, the first shift won’t happen until the form is done.
The fourth is going silent after applying. A short in-person visit two weeks later, at a slow hour, keeps your name in front of a manager who has dozens of applications in the pile.
Frequently Asked Questions
What jobs can a 15 year old legally do?
A 15-year-old can legally work in most office jobs, retail stores and restaurants, doing tasks like bagging groceries, stocking shelves, cashiering and limited kitchen prep, according to U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #43. Hazardous jobs, baking, freezers and most machinery are banned, and a certified 15-year-old can lifeguard at a pool or water park. Your state may add limits.
How many hours can a 15 year old work?
Under Fact Sheet #43 (revised December 2016), a 15-year-old can work 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a week with no school, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. From June 1 through Labor Day the evening limit is 9 p.m. States can set stricter limits.
Do you need working papers at 15?
Federal law doesn’t require working papers at 15, but many states do, according to Department of Labor Fact Sheet #43. Look up your state on the Department of Labor’s child labor table, and ask your school office or state labor department for the form before an employer asks for it.
What is the easiest job for a 15 year old to get?
No job is easy everywhere, but the lowest published age floors are the best bets: Publix lists “at least 14 years of age” for Cashier and Front Service Clerk postings (checked October 3, 2026), and lifeguarding opens at 15 with Red Cross certification. Babysitting and yard work for neighbors don’t need an application at all.