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Can a Worker Under 18 Swap Shifts in Florida?

Use the free tool — Shift Swap Board

What Florida law says about workers under 18

Florida limits how many hours a minor can work and how late a minor can work. This comes from Fla. Stat. 450.081 — child labor. A shift swap does not change these limits. If a swap would put a worker under 18 into hours or a late shift the law does not allow, the swap cannot go forward as planned.

When a swap involves someone under 18

Say so before you write the request if you are under 18, or if the person taking your shift is under 18. A late-night swap for a minor should not be written or posted. Check the child labor rules in the source above, and ask your manager what your specific workplace allows for minors.

Overtime rules still apply to a swap

Under the federal FLSA overtime rule, 29 U.S.C. § 207, hours over 40 in a single workweek are paid at 1.5×. A swap that moves a shift across the week line can create or remove overtime for either person. Florida follows this federal 40-hour rule; it has no daily-overtime or adult rest-between-shifts statute (see U.S. DOL — Florida state labor laws).

What we don't know about your workplace

We only apply rules you tell us. If you have not said what your workplace's approval window is, whether the person taking the shift needs the same classification or license, or what the overtime or rest policy is, we cannot claim to know them. Ask your manager these before you post:

• Is there an approval window for swaps?
• Does the person taking the shift need the same classification or license?
• Will this swap create overtime for either person under the FLSA 40-hour rule?
• Is there a rest-between-shifts rule at this workplace?

If your workplace has a union contract, the contract's scheduling and seniority articles govern, not this guide. Have your steward confirm before you rely on any swap.

What to do next

The free tool reads the shift you describe — day, hours, role, and whether anyone involved is under 18 — and writes the swap request. It checks that request against the FLSA overtime rule and the Florida child labor rule above, using only what you typed. Nothing is saved, and there is no account. For pay questions, call the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243, in English or Spanish. This is not legal advice — confirm with your manager, your steward, or a professional before you count on a swap.

Shift Swap Board writes and checks a swap request in plain language; it can be wrong, and it is not legal advice. Your employer's policy and your union contract control. Pay questions: U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243. Nothing you paste is stored.