How --and when -- teens can get working papers

My teenager wants to get an after-school job. How old does he have to be to start working? How does he get working papers?

Teens can start working when they hit 14. They apply for working papers through the middle school or high school in the district in which they live. For most people, this will be the school they attend. The application entails proof of a physical within the past year, a student's Social Security number and the signature of a parent or guardian.

However, if a student lives in Sachem but attends the private St. Anthony's High School in Huntington, for instance, he or she must apply at Sachem High School. Additional data will be required, such as the parent's driver's license showing residence in the district and the child's birth certificate, says Kathy Sohn, the senior clerk/typist at Sachem North High School who handles working papers there.

"They're called working papers, although it's actually a card," Sohn says. At age 14 and 15, students get a "blue" card. The back of the card covers all the state-mandated parameters for working at this age. "It restricts the number of hours during school days; on weekends the number of hours is expanded, but they are limited to a certain number of hours each week," Sohn says.

At age 16, students must reapply for a "green" working card, which expands the number of working hours. Students must present the card to their employers.

Once the child hits 18, working papers are no longer necessary.