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Blog Post  Youth Employment Permit Process

Take these steps to obtain a working permit
6/05/2023
  • Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
Young male smiling at work.

Are you seeking employment this upcoming summer? Before starting a new job in Massachusetts, anyone under the age of 18 must complete a Youth Employment Permit Application and obtain a Work Permit. Follow these steps to get a Work Permit in Massachusetts. You can also complete a Youth Employment Permit Application in Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, or Chinese. 

  1. Get a job offer from an employer. 

  1. Fill out a Work Permit Application. To get an application, go to your districts Superintendent of Schools’ Office (where you live or go to school), or download an application from: mass.gov/dols/youth  

  1. Ask your employer to fill out the Promise of Employment section. 

  1. If you are 14 or 15 years old, a doctor must fill out and sign the Physician’s Certificate of Health section. Your doctor can do this part up to 12 months before you file your application. If you are 16 or 17 years old, you may skip step 4. 

  1. You and a parent, guardian or custodian must sign your completed application. 

  1. Take your completed application to the Superintendent of Schools (or the person in charge of permits) at the school district where you live or go to school. Also take proof of your age, like a Birth Certificate, Passport, or Immigration Record. 

  1. Give your Work Permit to your employer. Your employer must always keep it at the workplace until you leave your job. 

For more information about Work Permits, please contact the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards (DLS) or visit mass.gov/dols/youth  

  • Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development  

    The mission of EOLWD is to create, operate and oversee effective and innovative statewide services to: protect worker rights, health, safety, wages and working conditions; insure against job-related injury; provide individuals and families with economic stability following job loss or injury and illness; level the playing field for responsible employers; develop a pipeline of skilled workers for current, emerging and future employers; and, maintain labor harmony between employees, employers, and labor unions.

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