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  2. Equal Rights
  3. Labor Standards
  4. Work Permits
  5. Work Permit Application Instructions

Work Permit Application Instructions

Work Permit Application

Use our online application to issue:

You will be prompted for the DWD login ID and password that you created previously. If you do not have a DWD login ID please follow the New Work Permit Officer Registration.

Update Your Personal Information and Default School

The first time you visit this page, you will be prompted to update your personal information. You are only required to update your personal information once. If you need to update your information later you can select Update Your Personal Information from the Work Permit Application Main Menu.

Update Permit Officer Information

When choosing the default school choose the school for which you expect to issue the most permits. Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required. When the updates are complete click on the Update button. You'll get a confirmation that your profile has been updated. Click on the 'Return to Main Menu' link.

Create a Permit or Age Certificate

  1. On the Main Menu, click ‘Issue an Work Permit'. You will be directed to a new page with four boxes (for Minor, Employer, Nature of Business, and Type of Work).
    2. Work Permit Main Screen
  2. In the box at the upper left of the page, click ‘Select Minor'. You will be directed to the Search for a Minor page.
    • Search for a minor by entering a last name and last four digits of the minor's social security number OR
    • Search for a minor by entering a last name and the minor's birthdate in MM/DD/YYYY format OR
    • Search for a minor by entering a last name, the last four digits of the social security number and the minor's birthdate in MM/DD/YYYY format
  3. Click ‘Search'. The results of your search will be listed at the bottom of the page.
    • If the minor was found: You will see list of minors matching the last name or social security number you entered. To select a minor from the results, click on a first name or last name. You will be directed to a page displaying information about the minor. All permits that have been previously issued to that minor are listed. To select this minor and issue a Work Permit, click ‘Select this Minor'. Remember that an Employment of Minors Permit cannot be issued to a person 18 years of age or older. If you wish to search for a different minor, click ‘Minor Search' (in small text at the top of the page, above the minor's information). Note: If you find the correct minor but the address is incorrect, click ‘Enter a new minor' at the top of the Search page and enter a new minor.
      • Search for a Minor / Search Results
    • If the minor was not found: You will need to enter a new minor. On the Search page, click ‘Enter a new minor' at the bottom of the window. Fill out the web form and click ‘Submit'. The new minor's information will be displayed. Verify that it the information is correct.

      No Results Found Create Minor Record

      • If the information is not correct use the browsers back button to go back. You can update the address, email and phone number. If the name, birthdate or social security number needs to be updated. Please contact our office.
      • If everything is correct you will be directed back to Part 1: Prohibited Employment (the page with the four boxes).
  4. In the box at the lower left, click ‘Select Employer'. To search for an employer enter the employer name and zip code.
    5. Employer Search
    • If the employer is found
      • Click on the employer name to review the employer information
      • If all the information is correct click ‘Select this Employer' to use the employer. If you wish to use a different employer, return to the Search for an Employer page by clicking on ‘Employer Search' (in small font at the top of the page).
    • If the employer is not found or the employer information is not correct (e.g. different address)
      • Click on ‘Enter a new employer' and then enter the information requested, field marked with a red asterisk (*) are required, and click submit.
        • Create New Employer
      • The employer information will be displayed. Verify everything was entered correctly.
        • If the information is incorrect use the browsers back button to go back, correct it and then click Submit. Click Continue after verifying the changes were saved.
  5. In the box at the upper right, Nature of Employer's Business, click ‘Specify'. Enter a search term (‘restaurant', ‘warehouse', etc.). A list of options matching the search term will appear in the two boxes. To select the employer's nature of business, click on an option to highlight it and then click the ‘Add >' button, located under the box.
    • If necessary, you may repeat this process as many times as you wish to add multiple natures of business. The terms that you have selected will appear in box on the right, under the word ‘selected'.
    • To remove a nature of business, highlight a term in the box on the right and click ‘remove' below the box on the right. If the nature of business you are searching for is not listed, you may enter a new term in the field at the bottom of the page under ‘Other Nature of Business Not Listed'. At least one Nature of Business is required.
    • When complete, click ‘Continue' at the bottom of the page.
    Nature of Business
  6. Under the final box at the lower right of the screen, click ‘Specify'. The process for selecting Type of Work is similar to the previous step. Once you've searched for the type of work the minor will be doing click on an option to highlight it and then click the ‘Add >' button, located under the box. When you've finished adding the types of work click 'Continue'.
    7. Type of Work
  7. Indicate whether or not the minor's parents own the business and click ‘Continue…' at the bottom of the page. At this point, if the minor is too young to for the nature of business/type of work selected, then the permit cannot be issued based on the information provided. An error message will be displayed.
    8. Business Ownership
  8. Provide the following additional information
    • Indicate whether or not the minor is a high school graduate AND
    • Whether or not the work is being performed as restitution AND
    • Indicate the proof of age the minor has presented
    Then Click ‘Next.' You will be directed to the School District Information page
    9. Additional Information
  9. School Attendance Information: Provide the minor's school district and school information.
    • Initially, this page is set to display information from the default school you chose when updating your personal information. If the minor attends school in a different school district from the one listed, click ‘Change School District' at the top of the page, select a school district from the drop down list, and click ‘Change District'.
    • If you aren't sure which district a school is in you can refer to the list of schools by school name, district, city or county.
    • Once you have selected the correct school district, choose a school from the drop down list (in the center of the page) and click ‘Select School'. The school information will be displayed below. Notice the option for ‘Home Schooled'. If the minor is home schooled, you can select this option and enter the home school information in the form below. When complete, click ‘Next' at the bottom of the page. You will be directed to a page displaying the permit information.
    • Note: If the minor attends a school from out of state, click ‘Change School District' at the top of the page, and then select ‘OUT OF STATE' from the drop down list and click ‘Change District'. The school drop down list on the center of the page will now contain a list of all out of state schools previously entered from other work permit officers, as well as an option for ‘Out of State – Enter New School'. Select the school the minor attends or create a new entry if you are unable to find the school in the list.
    Default School District
  10. Review the permit with the minor to make sure all of the information is correct. This step is the last chance to back up and make any changes. Click ‘Issue Permit' to create a PDF copy of the new Employment of Minors Permit.
  11. Print the Work Permit: A PDF version of the work permit should open in a new window. If it does not, click ‘Click Here to View the Work Permit Document' at the top of the screen. Print 4 copies of the Employment of Minors Permit (in the new window displaying the PDF, at the top of the screen, click File > Print , change the number of copies to 4 and click OK). You will need to send one copy to each of the following: Employer, Minor, Permit Office, and School District.
    • Note: In order to view the PDF in the new browser window, you may be prompted for your Logon ID and Password again. These are the same DWD Logon ID and Password that you used to login to the work permit application.

For more information