NY Child Permits/How and When to Apply

How do I get a NY Child Performer Work Permit?

First-time applicants may apply online for a temporary 15-day permit. 

DO NOT APPLY for a permit unless your child has booked a job. (We recommend applying two days before the first day of work):

Go To  https://www.labor.ny.gov/secure/ChildPerformer/welcome.html 

Instructions: Scroll to the bottom and click the link to the portal. Create a username and password for a NY Labor Department online account before applying for the permit. Then fill out all required information and print out your 15-day temporary permit. 

Printed with the temporary permit you will find a long-term permit form and instructions on how to mail the completed form to Albany. This permit will last one full year.

We highly recommend filling out the yearly application immediately after obtaining the 15 day Permit if your child has any interest in working in film or TV again— you have to mail in your renewal. 

Under the UTMA (Uniform Transfers to Minors Act) and UGMA (Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), New York State law requires all children who work in film and television to have a locked trust account in order for them to work. You must supply account information to the production’s payroll company as well as the New York State Department of Labor within 15 days of your child working and before the expiration of the 15-day permit. The account should be able to receive direct deposits and should only be accessible to the child upon his or her 18th birthday. The following banks offer such accounts:

• Actor’s Federal Credit Union (212-869-8926): No monthly maintenance fees, $0 opening balance

• Chase Bank (1-800-935-9935)

Do children need to bring anything with them to set in NY?

Children must have their valid NY Child Performer work permit and trust account info, as well as ID (for example: a birth certificate OR Social Security Number card AND report card or medical record OR an unexpired U.S. Passport).