So you’re thinking about getting a job at Target. Good call — it’s one of the most common first jobs in the country for a reason. But before you fill out that application, there’s a lot more to know than just “how old do I need to be.” This guide covers the age requirements, sure, but also the stuff that actually matters once you’re hired: what you’ll get paid, how many hours you’re legally allowed to work, whether taxes get taken out of your check, what benefits you might qualify for, and your actual rights as a teen employee.
No fluff, no corporate-speak. Just what you need to know.
The Short Answer: You Need to Be 16
Target’s company-wide minimum hiring age is 16 years old for basically every entry-level store position — cashier, sales floor team member, stocking, guest services, the works. That rule is the same no matter which state you’re in, and it doesn’t bend for any specific store.
Here’s something a lot of people don’t realize: federal law actually allows 14- and 15-year-olds to work limited hours in retail, but Target’s own corporate policy chooses not to use that allowance. So even though the law would technically permit it, Target made its own internal rule stricter than it has to be. That means if you’re 14 or 15, Target is a hard no — not because the government says so, but because Target decided that’s their policy.
If you’re 14 or 15, you’ll need to look elsewhere — think babysitting, lawn care, working for a family business, or a local shop with a different age policy. Other big chains sometimes hire younger, so it’s worth checking around if Target’s a no-go for now.
If you’re 16 or 17, good news: you can apply for the exact same roles as adults, and you get paid the exact same rate for doing the same job. The only real difference is how many hours you’re legally allowed to work — more on that below.
If you’re 18+, every door is open, including roles that are off-limits to minors entirely — more on that too.
Roles That Need You to Be 18 (Not Just 16)
A few Target jobs are 18+ only, no exceptions, because they involve things the law specifically restricts for minors:
- Pharmacy Technician — handling medication requires adult status
- CDL Driver / forklift and machinery roles — operating certain equipment is legally classified as hazardous for anyone under 18
- Asset Protection Specialist — this role can involve confronting theft situations, which isn’t something companies put a 16-year-old in
- Alcohol Sales-related roles — anything tied to selling alcohol
- Distribution Center roles — warehouse work often involves machinery and heavy lifting that fall under the same hazardous-job restrictions
These restrictions aren’t Target being extra — they trace back to actual federal Hazardous Occupations Orders that ban anyone under 18 from operating power-driven machinery, forklifts, and similar equipment, regardless of which company they work for.
How Many Hours Can You Actually Work? (This Is the Part Everyone Skips)
This is genuinely the most important section for any teen applying anywhere, not just Target — because the rules are stricter than most people realize, and they change depending on whether school is in session.
If you’re 16 or 17
Here’s the part that surprises people: federal law puts zero hour limit on 16- and 17-year-olds. You could legally work full-time hours at 16 according to the feds alone.
But — and this is a big but — most states add their own stricter limits on top of the federal rule, and whichever rule is stricter (state or federal) is the one that actually applies to you. For example, California caps 16- and 17-year-olds at 4 hours on a school day and 8 hours on a non-school day, with a higher cap during summer break. Other states have similar limits on school-night hours and how late you can clock out before a school day.
Translation: don’t assume you can work unlimited hours just because you turned 16. Check your specific state’s labor department website, because this is one of the only things on this list that genuinely varies a lot by where you live.
If you’re 14 or 15
This doesn’t apply to Target specifically since they don’t hire this age group, but if you’re considering a different employer, federal law caps 14- and 15-year-olds at 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours total during a school week, and working hours only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. During summer break, that expands to 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, and you can work until 9 p.m.
Do You Actually Need a Work Permit?
Depends entirely on your state. Many states require a work permit (sometimes called an “age certificate” or “employment certificate”) for anyone under 18, and getting one usually means a form signed by a parent or guardian, sometimes with your school’s involvement too. Some states don’t require one at all.
The fastest way to find out: ask your school counselor’s office, or look up your state’s Department of Labor site directly. Don’t wait until you’ve already applied — if your state requires a permit, you’ll likely need it before your first day, not just before you apply.
What Does Target Actually Pay?
This is where the old advice floating around the internet gets outdated fast, so here’s the real, current picture. Target’s starting wage ranges from $15 to $24 an hour depending on your specific location and role — cost of living in your area is the biggest factor in where you land in that range.
One thing that genuinely matters: 16- and 17-year-olds get paid the exact same starting rate as an 18-year-old doing the same job. Target doesn’t have a separate, lower “teen wage” — your age affects whether you can be hired and how many hours you can work, not your hourly rate.
That said, there is one federal rule worth knowing about even though it usually doesn’t apply at a company like Target: federal law technically permits a lower “youth minimum wage” of $4.25 an hour for workers under 20 during their first 90 days at a given employer. Big companies like Target generally don’t use this — their posted starting wage applies to everyone — but it’s legal, and it’s worth knowing it exists in case a smaller employer ever tries to pay you less than minimum wage and calls it “training pay.”
What Jobs Can Teens Actually Get at Target?
For 16- and 17-year-olds, the most common entry points are front-of-store and sales floor roles:
- Cart Attendant — collecting carts, helping with carry-outs, keeping the entrance area clean
- Cashier — running registers, handling transactions, checkout
- General Merchandise / Sales Floor Team Member — stocking shelves, helping customers find stuff, keeping aisles organized
- Food & Beverage roles — working the grocery or Starbucks section in some locations (some food-handling-adjacent roles may have slightly different requirements depending on state)
These roles are designed for people with zero prior work experience. Target trains you on the job — you don’t need to walk in already knowing how to run a register.
Do You Pay Taxes on Your Target Paycheck?
Yes, even as a minor — taxes don’t care how old you are, they care how much you earn. Here’s what actually comes out of your check.
Social Security and Medicare taxes (FICA) always get withheld, no matter your age or income level. That’s 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare. There’s no exemption from this for minors, period.
Federal income tax is a different story. If you expect to earn under $16,100 total for the year (the 2026 standard deduction amount) and owed $0 in taxes the previous year, you can write “EXEMPT” on your W-4 form to stop federal income tax withholding specifically. Note: this only stops federal income tax — FICA still comes out regardless.
Do you need to file a tax return? If your total earned income for the year is under $16,100, you generally aren’t required to file — but you might want to anyway, because if any federal tax was withheld from your paycheck, filing is the only way to get that money back as a refund.
State taxes follow your own state’s rules, which vary, so check what applies where you live.
The bottom line: yes, a chunk of every paycheck disappears into taxes even at 16, but a meaningful part of that (specifically the federal income tax portion) often comes back to you as a refund when you file — assuming you didn’t claim exempt status on your W-4 in the first place.
Do Teens Get Any Real Benefits?
This is where things get genuinely interesting, because Target’s benefits aren’t nothing even for part-timers.
Employee discount: 10% off most merchandise, 20% off wellness products, and an extra 5% if you have a Target Circle Card — easily the most immediately useful perk for a teen employee.
Health insurance: Here’s a genuinely surprising one — Target’s health insurance eligibility threshold is just 25 hours a week, which is unusually low for retail (most competitors require 30+ hours). If you’re working a solid part-time schedule, you might actually qualify for medical, dental, and vision coverage sooner than you’d expect.
401(k): Target matches your contribution dollar-for-dollar up to 5% of your pay, but you need to be 18 or older and have completed 90 days of service to enroll — so this one’s a “once you’re older” benefit, not an immediate one.
Free education programs: Through Target’s “Dream to Be” program, eligible team members get access to roughly 500 tuition-free certificate, bootcamp, and degree programs from 40+ schools. Genuinely one of the more underrated perks of working there, especially if you’re thinking about college or a trade down the line.
Mental health support: Free therapy sessions through Spring Health, no referral needed, available to eligible team members.
Eligibility for most of these depends on hours worked and length of service, so don’t assume you qualify for everything on day one — but knowing they exist means you can ask HR directly what you’re eligible for once you’re hired.
Your Rights as a Teen Worker (Know This Stuff)
A few things every teen employee should actually know, because most workplaces won’t volunteer this information:
Your employer cannot legally schedule you outside the hour limits for your age and state, even if they ask nicely or say “we’re short-staffed.” If a manager pressures you to work hours that violate your state’s teen labor laws, that’s not a request you have to say yes to — it’s actually illegal for them to schedule it in the first place.
You’re entitled to the same minimum wage protections as adult workers, with the narrow under-90-days exception mentioned above that big companies like Target generally don’t use anyway.
You can’t be assigned to hazardous-occupation tasks — operating certain machinery, driving company vehicles on public roads, working with explosives, roofing, and similar high-risk jobs are off-limits to anyone under 18, no matter how responsible you are or how much your manager trusts you.
If you ever feel like you’re being asked to do something that doesn’t seem right or legal for your age, you can ask your school counselor or your state’s Department of Labor — both exist specifically to help answer exactly these kinds of questions, and you won’t get in trouble for asking.
Quick FAQ
Can I work at Target at 15? No. Target’s company policy requires 16, even though federal law would technically allow some limited hours for 15-year-olds at other employers.
Does Target pay 16-year-olds less than adults? No — same job, same starting pay, regardless of age.
Do I need a work permit? Depends on your state. Check with your school or your state’s labor department before you apply.
Will taxes come out of my Target paycheck? Yes — Social Security and Medicare taxes always come out. Federal income tax withholding can often be stopped with exempt status on your W-4 if you’re not expected to owe anything.
Can I get health insurance as a part-time teen worker? Possibly — Target’s threshold is just 25 hours a week, which is lower than a lot of other retailers.
The Bottom Line
You need to be 16 to work at Target, period — no exceptions by state or store. Once you hit that age, you get the same pay as everyone else doing your job, real benefits depending on your hours, and legal protections around how much you can be scheduled. The biggest variable isn’t Target’s policy — it’s your own state’s labor laws around hours and work permits, so that’s the one thing actually worth double-checking before you apply.
Before you accept any offer — Target or otherwise — it’s worth checking what current employees actually say about the day-to-day experience. WiseWorq has real, honest reviews from people working retail jobs right now, which can tell you a lot more than a corporate careers page ever will.
Related WiseWorq Guides
- 50 Unique Interview Questions to Ask an Employer (2026) — good questions to ask even for your very first job interview
- 40 Best Questions to Ask at the End of an Interview (2026) — what to ask once they hand the floor over to you
- Signs of a Toxic Workplace — good to know even for a part-time first job
- How to Accept a Job Offer (Step-by-Step Guide for 2026) — once Target (or anyone else) makes it official
