- This page, How to get a work permit, is offered by
- Office of the Attorney General
How to get a work permit
Contacts
Attorney General's Fair Labor Division
Phone
Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Online
Department of Labor Standards (DLS)
Phone
The Details of How to get a work permit
How to apply How to get a work permit
- Download a work permit application below, or call the Department of Labor Standards at (617) 626-6975.
-
You, your employer, your parents, and possibly a doctor will each need to fill out parts of the application.
-
Bring the completed application to the appropriate school district in order to get your work permit.
- If you live in Massachusetts, go to the school superintendent for the town where you live or go to school. Your superintendent may have designated someone in your school to issue work permits.
- If you do not live in Massachusetts, go to the superintendent of schools for the town where you will be working.
Next steps for How to get a work permit
Bring the work permit to your employer
Your employer must keep the original work permit at your workplace as long as you work there or until you turn 18.
More info for How to get a work permit
When your job ends, your employer must return the work permit to the superintendent's office within 2 days of the termination. Most schools keep the permits on file until the worker turns 18.
Permits do not transfer. If you get a new job or a new job location, you must get a new permit. If you work at more than one location, the employer must have a permit on file at each location. If you keep the same job the next school year, you may still use the same permit.
Important! Even if you are no longer in school, you are still covered by child labor laws in the same way that students the same age are covered.
Contact for How to get a work permit
Phone
Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.