How many hours can you work?

There are limits on the minimum and maximum number of hours you can work for each shift or each week, depending on how you are employed, and how old you are.

Generally if you are employed full time you will work 38 hours per week.  You  may be asked by your employer to work more than 38 hours per week.  If so, you may be entitled to a higher rate of pay (overtime) for these hours under an Award.

Part-time and casual work can be for any number of hours per week but is usually less than 38 hours.

The minimum number of hours that you have to work per shift can vary between 1.5 and 3 hours depending on the type of work that you are doing and your age. The type of work that you are doing will determine what Award your job is covered by, and how many hours you can work in one shift – look up your Award for more information.

FYI – The age you need to be to be able to work full time varies throughout the country – for more information, check your region below.

Differences between states

Northern Territory

It is against the law for an employer to require you to work during school hours.

If you are under 15, it is against the law for your parents or an employer to let you work before 6am or after 10pm.

Once you have competed year 10 and are 15 years old you can work full-time.

ACT

It is against the law for an employer to require you to work during school hours, and you cannot do work that interferes with your school work.

Depending on your age, there are limits on the number of hours you can work each day:

  • Children aged 0 – 3 can work for three hours a day;
  • Children aged 4 – 11 can work four hours a day;
  • Children aged 12 – 14 can work six hours a day.

There are extra conditions for anyone under the age of 15:

  • You can work 10 hours a week maximum;
  • You must have at least 12 hours between each shift;
  • You can’t work more than one shift per day; and
  • You can’t work before 6am or sunrise (whichever is later), or after 10pm.

An employer can contact the director-general if they want you to work more than 10 hours a week (such as in school holidays).

There is no limit on the number of hours you can work if you are aged 15 – 17, so long as the work does not interfere with your education.

You can work full-time when you turn 17 or when you finish year 12, whichever happens first.

You can also make an application to work full-time if you have completed year 10.

Western Australia

If you are under 17, it is against the law for an employer to employ you to work during school hours unless:

  • you have an agreement with your school principal and your parents
  • you are in year 11 or year 12 and the minister for education approves, or
  • you are in year 11 or year 12 and you are doing an apprenticeship or training course, or undertaking study provided by a university.

If you are 10, 11 or 12 years old, then you can work between the hours of 6am and 7pm.

If you are 13 or 14 years old, then you can work between 6am and 10pm.

Once you have completed the compulsory school attendance, or at the end of the year that you turn 17, then you can work full time.

If you need to find out more information, call Wageline on 1300 655 266 or the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94.

NSW

If you haven’t yet completed Year 10, you can’t work during school hours unless you have permission from the principal of your school or the NSW Department of Education and Training.

 

If you are under 15, your employer can’t require you to work:

  • during school hours,
  • more than one shift a day,
  • more than four hours on a day you have to go to school,
  • more than five days in a row,
  • after 9pm if you and have to go to school the next day,
  • if it is less than 12 hours since your last shift, or
  • for any hours that make the combination of your school hours and work hours in a seven-day week more than 50 hours.

There are additional rules about working hours if you are doing door-to-door sales, modelling, theatrical performances or entertainment work.  Check the website of the Office of the Children’s Guardian for more information.

 

Victoria

It is against the law for an employer to require you to work during school hours, and you cannot do work that interferes with your school work.

If you are under 15, the following conditions also apply:

  • during school term, you cannot work more than three hours a day, or 12 hours a week,
  • during school holidays you cannot work more than six hours a day, or 30 hours a week,
  • you cannot work earlier than sunrise or 6am (whichever is later), and after sunset or 9pm,
  • you must be given a rest break of 30 minutes after every three hours work, and
  • you must have more than 12 hours between finishing one shift and starting the next.

Once you have completed year 10 you can start full time work. But if you are under 17 years you must either be in an approved education training program or have full time paid employment.

If you work in the entertainment industry there are different rules around hours of work. For more information, check out the Business Victoria website.

These restrictions do not necessarily apply if you work for a family business or farm. However, your work must not disrupt your schooling.

South Australia

If you are under 16, you are not allowed to work during the hours that you are required to be at school.

You can work full-time:

  • when you are 17
  • when you are 16 and you have a year 12 qualification from a high school or a certificate 2 qualification from TAFE, apprenticeship, traineeship or university; or
  • when you are 16 and your full time work is an apprenticeship or traineeship that is part of an approved learning program.

Tasmania

If you are under 18, you are not able to work for an employer during school hours, unless you have been approved to have a Part-Time Attendance or an Exemption from Attending School.  If you have finished year 10, then you can choose to continue school through a paid apprenticeship or traineeship under a training contract.

For more information about work and school, the Department of Education has a fact sheet online.

Queensland

It is against the law for an employer to require you to work during school hours.

There are limits on the number of hours you can work. If you are under 16:

  • you cannot work more than four hours per day, and 12 hours a week during a school week
  • you cannot work more than 18 hours per day, and 38 hours per week during school holidays
  • you must be allowed a one-hour break for every four hours worked
  • you must have at least 12 hours between shifts
  • you cannot do more than one shift each day, and
  • you cannot work between 10pm and 6am.

If you are not old enough to start school then you cannot:

  • work more than four hours in a day
  • work more than 12 hours in a week, or
  • work if you have already worked for the same employer within the last 12 hours.

Once you have finished year 10 or turned 16 (whichever is first) then you can work full-time. You have to either be in school, a training program or have full-time paid employment until you turn 17, finish year 12, or have completed two years of further education, employment or training, whichever happens first.