What Age Can You Work in the UK? Legal Requirements for Employers

If you’re hiring for the first time (or scaling quickly), you might be surprised how often this question comes up: what age can you work in the UK?

It’s a fair question. Employing younger workers can be a great way to build your team, cover weekend shifts, and create a talent pipeline early. But the rules are different depending on whether someone is still of compulsory school age, is 16–17, or is 18+.

This guide breaks down the legal framework in plain English, with practical tips you can apply straight away so you can hire confidently and stay compliant from day one.

What Age Can You Work In The UK? The Core Rules Employers Need To Know

In the UK, there isn’t one single “minimum working age” that applies to everyone in every situation. Instead, the legal answer depends on which of these categories the person falls into:

• Children (below compulsory school age): generally can’t be employed (except in limited circumstances like performances).
• Children of compulsory school age: can do certain types of “light work” but only within strict limits (and often with local council involvement).
• Young workers (16–17): can work, but have extra protections on working hours, night work and rest breaks.
• Adults (18+): standard working rules apply.

Compulsory school age usually means up to the last Friday in June of the school year when the child turns 16 (the “school leaving” point). From that point, they can generally work more freely (subject to “young worker” protections until 18).

Important (England): even after school leaving age, many 16–17 year olds must stay in some form of education or training until 18 (often called the “participation age”). This doesn’t usually stop them working, but it can affect availability and scheduling (for example, if work must fit around college, an apprenticeship, or approved training).

Also note: even when someone can legally work, you still need to do the usual employer basics like right to work checks, payroll/NI setup (where applicable), and having clear written terms. (This isn’t tax advice - if you’re unsure about PAYE/NI in your specific setup, speak to your accountant or HMRC.) Many startups keep this simple by putting an Employment Contract in place early so expectations are clear.

Employing Children (Under 16): When Is It Allowed And What Restrictions Apply?

If you’re considering hiring someone under 16, the rules are much tighter - and in many cases, you’ll need to rethink the role design.

Minimum Age For “Normal” Work

As a general rule, children can only work from 13 years old in the UK. However, whether (and how) a child can work may depend on local council byelaws, and under-13s are typically not allowed to be employed other than in specific areas like:

• TV, film, theatre, modelling or paid performances (often requiring a licence)
• some sports activities (again, commonly permission/licensing based)

Local Council Rules And Work Permits

For children of compulsory school age, local authorities often require an employment permit (sometimes called a “child employment permit”). This is handled through your local council and can vary by location, so you’ll want to check the council’s process (and any local byelaws) before the child starts.

As the employer, you’re usually expected to keep records and ensure the child only does permitted work.

Types Of Work Children Can And Can’t Do

Child employment is usually limited to “light work” - work that is not harmful to health, safety or development and doesn’t affect schooling.

Common examples that may be allowed (subject to local rules and hours limits) include:

• paper rounds
• shop work like stacking shelves (not involving dangerous machinery)
• certain café/restaurant duties in a safe, supervised setting (but not serving alcohol, and not in age-restricted areas like bars)

Work children generally can’t do includes:

• work involving dangerous machinery or hazardous substances
• work in factories/industrial sites
• work in bars, betting shops, or other age-restricted environments
• work that is physically demanding or otherwise risky

Working Time Limits For Children

Children of compulsory school age have strict limits around:

• maximum daily/weekly hours (different rules during term time vs school holidays)
• times of day (usually no very early morning or late night work)
• rest breaks and time off

While local byelaws can add extra restrictions, the commonly applied rules include:

• During term time: up to 12 hours per week total.
• School days: up to 2 hours per day (and only outside school hours).
• Sundays: up to 2 hours.
• Saturdays: up to 5 hours if aged 13–14, or 8 hours if aged 15–16.
• School holidays: up to 25 hours per week (13–14) or 35 hours per week (15–16), with daily limits of 5 hours (13–14) or 8 hours (15–16).
• Time of day: generally only between 7am and 7pm.

Because the precise limits can depend on age and local byelaws, it’s smart to treat child employment as a “special project”: document the roster, keep supervisor oversight high, and confirm the local permit requirements before day one.

Hiring 16–17 Year Olds (Young Workers): Hours, Breaks, Night Work And Pay

Once someone has reached school leaving age, employing them becomes more straightforward - but they’re still treated as young workers until they turn 18, and that comes with extra legal protections.

Working Time Protections For Young Workers

The Working Time Regulations provide stronger rules for young workers than for adults. In practice, this commonly affects:

• maximum weekly working hours
• night work restrictions (young workers generally shouldn’t work at night, with limited exceptions)
• rest breaks during shifts and longer rest periods between shifts

In most cases, you should plan rotas around these baseline limits:

• Maximum hours:8 hours per day and 40 hours per week (young workers generally can’t opt out of this like some adults can).
• Rest breaks: if they work more than 4.5 hours, they’re entitled to a break of at least 30 minutes.
• Daily rest: at least 12 hours between shifts.
• Weekly rest: at least 48 hours each week (or, in some cases, 36 hours uninterrupted if averaged/structured appropriately).
• Night work: generally not permitted between 10pm–6am (or 11pm–7am), subject to limited exceptions and compensatory rest.

If you’re running shift patterns (hospitality, retail, care, warehouses, events), these restrictions can catch you out - especially if you’re used to building rotas for adults only.

It helps to write your rules into your policies and onboarding documents, so managers don’t accidentally schedule something unlawful. A Staff Handbook is often the simplest way to set consistent rota, break, and conduct expectations across the business.

Pay: National Minimum Wage For 16–17 Year Olds

16–17 year olds must be paid at least the applicable National Minimum Wage rate for their age band (unless they are in an exempt category). Minimum wage rates change, so make sure your payroll setup is updated whenever rates increase.

Also keep in mind:

• if you provide uniforms, training time, or travel time (depending on the role), these can affect whether the worker is effectively receiving at least minimum wage
• deductions can be tricky - avoid “casual” deductions unless you’re confident they are lawful and clearly agreed in writing

Health And Safety Is Not Optional (Especially For Younger Staff)

You owe health and safety duties to all workers, but with younger staff you should be even more careful about:

• risk assessments that account for inexperience
• supervision levels
• training and documented instructions
• clear escalation channels if something feels unsafe

From a practical point of view, this is also where many disciplinary issues start (e.g. a young worker not following a process because it wasn’t properly taught). Having a fair process for issues is important - especially if you later need to rely on gross misconduct procedures for serious incidents.

Work Experience, Interns And Trial Shifts: Are Younger Workers “Employees”?

Startups often bring young people in through informal arrangements: “work experience”, “internships”, or “trial shifts”. This is one of the biggest legal risk areas - because what you call the arrangement isn’t what determines the legal position.

The key question is whether the person is actually doing work that looks like they should be paid and protected as a worker/employee.

Work Experience Placements

Work experience can be a great option when it’s structured properly, especially if it’s tied to education and genuinely observational/training-focused.

If you’re offering placements, having a clear work experience setup and a defined scope helps you avoid misunderstandings about duties, hours, confidentiality, and supervision.

Unpaid Work And Internships

Be careful with anything “unpaid” where the person is:

• doing set hours
• producing value for the business (sales, admin, customer service, fulfilment)
• expected to perform tasks rather than learn/observe

Those are classic signs the person might legally be a worker and entitled to pay (including minimum wage). If you’re tempted to offer unpaid “starter roles”, it’s worth checking the rules first - unpaid arrangements are a common source of disputes and reputational damage. The safest approach is to follow the principles around unpaid work and document the arrangement clearly.

Trial Shifts

Short trials can be lawful, but only when they are genuinely to assess ability and are reasonable in length. If someone is effectively covering a normal shift, that should raise a red flag.

If you want to use trial shifts, keep them:

• short and role-specific (testing relevant skills)
• supervised
• properly documented (who attended, duration, what was assessed)
• consistent across candidates to avoid discrimination risks

Step-By-Step: How To Hire Younger Workers Without Legal Headaches

Here’s a practical checklist you can use when hiring someone under 18. It’s designed for small businesses that need to move quickly, without cutting corners.

1. Confirm Their Age Category

• Are they under 13? (likely a “no” for employment, except licensed performances in specific circumstances)
• Are they 13–15 and still in compulsory schooling?
• Are they 16–17 (young worker protections apply, and in England they’ll usually need to stay in some form of education/training until 18)?
• Are they 18+ (standard rules apply)?

2. Check Local Council Requirements (If Under Compulsory School Age)

If the person is still of compulsory school age, check whether you need a child employment permit, what local byelaws apply, and what role/hours are permitted.

3. Build A Compliant Rota

Before the first shift, confirm you can meet:

• young worker rules on maximum hours
• night work restrictions
• rest breaks and daily/weekly rest periods

If your rota is flexible, don’t rely on “we’ll sort it out later”. Put the constraints into your scheduling process so a manager doesn’t accidentally create a breach during a busy week.

4. Put The Right Documents In Place

Even for casual or part-time roles, you’ll want written terms. This protects you just as much as it protects the worker.

Depending on the role and your business model, this might include:

• a written Employment Contract (pay, hours, duties, notice, confidentiality)
• policies in a Staff Handbook (conduct, social media, sickness, timekeeping)
• a clear probation period process so you can manage performance fairly from the start

Trying to run employment relationships on verbal agreements is where misunderstandings (and disputes) tend to start - particularly with younger workers and first-time jobholders who may not know what is “standard”.

5. Train Properly And Supervise

Most problems with young workers are not “bad attitude” issues - they’re clarity and training issues.

Set them up for success with:

• a short written induction checklist
• shadowing time
• clear safety instructions
• one named supervisor responsible for sign-off

6. Think About Data, Privacy And Safeguarding

If you’re collecting personal data (emergency contacts, medical information for adjustments, rota details, payroll information), make sure your internal handling is consistent and secure.

Even if you’re a small operation, good data habits matter - and they scale with you.

Key Takeaways

• The answer to what age you can work in the UK depends on whether the person is a child of compulsory school age, a young worker (16–17), or an adult (18+).
• Children can often only work from age 13, usually only in “light work”, and local council permits/byelaws may apply.
• Children and young workers have specific working time rules (including strict limits for under-16s, and 16–17 limits on weekly hours, night work, and rest breaks).
• In England, many 16–17 year olds must also remain in education or training until 18 (the “participation age”), which can affect scheduling.
• Be cautious with “work experience”, “interns” and “trial shifts” - what matters is the reality of the relationship, not the label you use.
• Protect your business from day one with clear written terms, sensible policies, and a structured onboarding process.

If you’d like help hiring younger workers compliantly (including drafting the right documents for your business), you can reach us at 08081347754 or team@sprintlaw.co.uk for a free, no-obligations chat.