Hoosier Employers Who Hire Minors Face New Requirements

The Indiana Department of Labor’s Bureau of Youth Employment announced today that Hoosier employers must adhere to new requirements regarding minor employees younger than 18 years old, beginning July 1, 2021.

The announcement comes just weeks before the school year ends, and the biggest youth employment season begins. The new requirements will eliminate the need for work permits and replace them with a new employer registration platform known as the Youth Employment System, or YES.

“Schools will no longer be responsible for issuing work permits, or tracking and registering minor employees,” said State Labor Commissioner Joe Hoage. “That latter responsibility will now fall to employers via YES.”

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Effective July, employers who employ five or more employees at each individual location who are under 18 years old will be required to register via the new YES online platform.

The change is part of amendments to Indiana Code 22-2-18.1-26 made during the 2020 state legislative session, which also mandated implementation of the YES registry and effective date of employer registration by July 1, 2021.

“Employers who meet the criteria must register themselves as a youth employer, and provide specific minor employee information” said Michael Myers, director of DOL’s Bureau of Youth Employment.

Required information will include the employers’ corporate and individual facility location, and minor employee information, such as name and age, once the minor is officially employed. Upon termination of employment, the employer must remove the minor’s information from the YES active-employee registry.

The YES registry will go live in early June, giving employers an opportunity to register and “test drive” the system, Myers said. As of July 1, employers who fail to comply with the new registration requirements may face penalties of up to $400 per infraction.

The new YES requirement will not impact the state’s work-hour requirement for minors, and all employers must still comply with the Teen Work Hour Restrictions and Prohibited and Hazardous Occupation restrictions for minors. For more information about the new state requirements and the YES registry, click here.