There are policies in place to ensure that young people receive the education they require before beginning employment. They still require time to focus on education and complete their degrees before beginning full-time employment.
With this in mind, we'll go through how you may employ young people for employment while staying safe and within the law.
Can I employ my own child?
You can hire your own child for work as long as they satisfy the legal requirements for the job. Your child will be entitled to the same benefits as any other employee in a comparable role. Similarly, you will be subject to the same employment requirements as any other employer.
What are the restrictions on child employment?
When and where youngsters are permitted to work is subject to a number of regulations.
Working privileges are not granted to children:
- if local rules prohibit it, without employment authorisation provided by the local council's education department;
- in settings such as a factory or an industrial site;
- during the school day;
- before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m.;
- during a period of time greater than one hour prior to the start of school (unless local bylaws allow it);
- for more than 4 hours without taking at least a 1-hour rest;
- in any job that might jeopardise their health, well-being, or education;
- without taking a 2-week break from work during each calendar year's school holidays.
Businesses that want to hire school-aged children must first apply for a child work permit, according to most municipal governments.
If a child works without a child employment permit, the employer may not be covered by insurance in the event of an accident involving the child.
To find out if a child’s work permit is required, employers should contact their local council's education department or education welfare agency.
What do I need to do if I want to employ children for work?
The work permit application procedure is simple and takes up only two sides of an A4 paper in most circumstances.
Within one week of hiring a child, the employer must submit specific details to the local authorities, together with the application form.
If the local authority is satisfied that the proposed employment is legal, that the child's health and welfare will be taken care of, and that it will not have a negative impact on their education, the local authority will issue a work permit, which the employer must keep for the duration of the child's employment.
How much should they be paid?
Children and young people have distinct wage regulations until they become 18 and have the same work rights as adults.
According to their age, they should be paid as follows:
Children under the age of 16
- The National Minimum Wage does not apply to school-aged children;
- Because children under the age of 16 are exempt from paying National Insurance, you must only put them on your payroll if their total income exceeds their Personal Allowance.
When a person reaches the age of 16
- Young employees aged 16 to 17 have a minimum hourly wage of £4.62;
- As part of operating payroll, if you're a registered employer, you'll need to record and report their salary. You'll also need to undertake other routine PAYE activities including making deductions if they earn more than £120 per week;
- Put their start date as 5 April in your payroll software if they started working for you in the prior tax year. Only keep track of their pay for the current tax year.
Employers have a responsibility to ensure the safety of all children with whom they work. This entails ensuring that they have a secure place to work and that their employment is appropriate for their age and abilities.
We hope that this blog has given you a better understanding of how child employment works and how important it is to obey the regulations in order to safeguard your employees and business.
Here at Persona Finance, we strive to provide greater value to all of our clients by offering an extensive range of business, accounting, and legal services. For more information on how we can help your business, please contact Persona Finance at [enquiries@personafinance.co.uk].
