True or False – Minnesota Teens Can Be Paid Less than Minimum Wage?

Getting your first job can be a fun and liberating experience.  Especially if you are a teen, and you start making your own money it can bring on a sense of empowerment.

Recently, we have all heard about the worker shortage, and how employers can't seem to keep employees because "no one wants to work anymore"  How often have your heard that lately?

The other thing that I have heard so often is that teenagers want a big hourly wage.  Honestly, who doesn't?  I think that anyone who works wants to get paid a lot.  That's just human nature.  But not all employers can afford what the minimum wage is... of course that differs from state to state depending on what the cost of living is.  And most teenagers don't have that big of a bill as far as their cost of living is.  They just want some jingle jangle in their pockets.  Or, perhaps a nicer car to drive and maybe some extra independence from their parents.  These are important things.

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But, the question is... can an employer in Minnesota pay a teenager less than what the state's minimum wage is?  The short answer is yes. Yes they can pay them less than minimum wage.  But there are limits.  The less than minimum wage cannot last longer than 90 days.

Minnesota employers may pay 18 year olds and minors the youth minimum wage of $4.25 for the first 90 days of employment. Other labor law exemptions for minors in Minnesota may exist.

The minimum wage in Minnesota is $10.59 per hour.  But there are some variables.  How many employees a business has and what city you are working in will also come into play.  You can get more information on this subject on the Minnesota Minimum Wage website. .