What is the minimum age to work as a youth sports referee in Georgia?

12 under state law (non-manufacturing) but federal 14 governs; under 12 only for parents/farm/newspaper No referee/official carve-out in O.C.G.A. 39-2-9 (minimum age 12; exempt: agriculture, domestic service, parent-employed, and work specifically permitted by ch. 2) or 39-2-18 (actors/performers with Commissioner consent). State law keys on 'employ/permit to work' - no 1099 carve-out.

When is a final paycheck due in Georgia if you let someone go?

No statute: next regular payday No final-pay statute; PTO per policy.

Does a youth sports league in Georgia need workers' compensation for 1099 referees and coaches?

Georgia's act applies to employers with three or more regular employees and excludes independent contractors. O.C.G.A. 34-9-2(e) supplies a statutory three-part test: a person is a contractor only if (1) a written or implied contract intends a contractor relationship, (2) the worker has the right to control the time, manner and method of the work, and (3) pay is a set price per job or per unit rather than salary or hourly. Anyone who fails any element "shall be considered an employee" unless an ALJ rules otherwise. There is no waiver certificate for 1099 workers; sole proprietors and partners are not employees unless they elect coverage (34-9-2.2), and corporate officers may exempt themselves on Form WC-10 (34-9-2.1). Statutory employer: a principal or intermediate contractor is liable for compensation to employees of an uninsured subcontractor on work it contracted out (34-9-8). Sports officials: 34-9-2(f) treats a sports official for an interscholastic or intercollegiate sponsor, or for a public entity or private nonprofit sponsoring an amateur event, as an independent contractor. No unemployment exclusion appears in 34-8-35(n); the UI test is the 2022 seven-factor control test in 34-8-35(f). Bottom line: nonprofit youth league referees are not WC-covered. Coaches paid per hour or per season under league direction fail 34-9-2(e); a league with three or more such workers should carry coverage or expect liability.

For youth sports organizations and event operators · Georgia rulebook

Youth sports labor rules in Georgia: who can you put in the game, and what do you owe them?

State rules for everyone a youth sports organization pays: coaches and trainers on payroll, officials and event staff on 1099, program and front-office staff, and the teenagers you hire for a season. Wages, final pay, minors, contractor status, workers' comp, safe sport and youth safety, 50 states + DC, checked against statute text.

Last reviewed Oct 1, 202651 jurisdictions · 32 rules each

Step 1

Pick the state where the work happens

Rules follow where people work, not where you are based. Running an event? Use the event state. Operating a club or league? Use the state where your staff coach, officiate and work.

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Set a role, age and pay type below to see which rules apply to your organization.

Step 2

Check a staffing plan

Tell us who you are paying, how old they are, and whether they are on payroll or 1099. We rank what applies.

State where the work happens

Role

Worker age

Paid as

Not sure if someone should be 1099 or on payroll?Answer 5 plain-English questions. We explain the sticking points in your state.5-question check

Tourney Direct does not decide classification. Confirm with a tax advisor or attorney before you onboard anyone as a contractor.

Step 3

Everything on file for Georgia

All 32 rules for this state, with the statutes and agency pages they came from.

Wages and pay
Minimum wage (2026): $7.25 (federal; state $5.15 superseded)
Required pay frequency: Semi-monthly
Final paycheck if you let them go: No statute: next regular payday
Final paycheck if they quit: No statute: next regular payday
Final-pay penalties: No final-pay statute; PTO per policy.
State income tax withholding: Yes
Workers' comp required at: 3+
New-hire report due (days): 10
Minors
Minimum working age: 12 under state law (non-manufacturing) but federal 14 governs; under 12 only for parents/farm/newspaper
Work permit: Yes, ages 12-15 (employment certificate issued by school; GA DOL online system)
Ages 14 to 15, school in session: 4 hrs/school day (state), 40 hrs/wk; 6am-9pm - FLSA 3/18, 7pm stricter
Ages 14 to 15, summer and breaks: 8 hrs/day, 40 hrs/wk; 6am-9pm (FLSA 9pm summer aligns)
Ages 16 to 17: None: federal has none
Weekend and evening games: State 9pm curfew for under-16 applies year-round incl. Sat; no curfew 16-17
Referee, coach and recreation exemptions: No referee/official carve-out in O.C.G.A. 39-2-9 (minimum age 12; exempt: agriculture, domestic service, parent-employed, and work specifically permitted by ch. 2) or 39-2-18 (actors/performers with Commissioner consent). State law keys on 'employ/permit to work' - no 1099 carve-out.
Contractors and leave
How this state decides 1099 vs. payroll: Common law / right to control
Same question, for unemployment insurance: Statutory multi-factor (O.C.G.A. 34-8-35(f), 2022 SB 373: 7-factor test replacing ABC-style)
Referee-specific rule: O.C.G.A. 34-9-2(f): sports official for interscholastic/intercollegiate sponsor or public/nonprofit amateur event sponsor is an independent contractor, not employee (WC)
Workers' comp for 1099 referees and coaches: Georgia's act applies to employers with three or more regular employees and excludes independent contractors. O.C.G.A. 34-9-2(e) supplies a statutory three-part test: a person is a contractor only if (1) a written or implied contract intends a contractor relationship, (2) the worker has the right to control the time, manner and method of the work, and (3) pay is a set price per job or per unit rather than salary or hourly. Anyone who fails any element "shall be considered an employee" unless an ALJ rules otherwise. There is no waiver certificate for 1099 workers; sole proprietors and partners are not employees unless they elect coverage (34-9-2.2), and corporate officers may exempt themselves on Form WC-10 (34-9-2.1). Statutory employer: a principal or intermediate contractor is liable for compensation to employees of an uninsured subcontractor on work it contracted out (34-9-8). Sports officials: 34-9-2(f) treats a sports official for an interscholastic or intercollegiate sponsor, or for a public entity or private nonprofit sponsoring an amateur event, as an independent contractor. No unemployment exclusion appears in 34-8-35(n); the UI test is the 2022 seven-factor control test in 34-8-35(f). Bottom line: nonprofit youth league referees are not WC-covered. Coaches paid per hour or per season under league direction fail 34-9-2(e); a league with three or more such workers should carry coverage or expect liability.
Seasonal or recreation carve-out: Ga. MW law (O.C.G.A. 34-4-3) exempts employers <$40k sales and <6 EEs; FLSA otherwise governs
Paid sick leave: No
Paid family and medical leave: No
What it costs to get it wrong: UI misclassification: back contributions + penalties; no per-worker statute
Safety
Background checks: None statewide for private leagues, check municipal/league policy (O.C.G.A. §35-3-34.2 permits GCIC/FBI checks for orgs serving children; NCPA/VCA channeling via GBI 'GAPS').
Safe sport: state law: No state safe-sport statute for private youth leagues; federal SafeSport Act baseline and NGB rules apply. Georgia has no statute requiring abuse-prevention or SafeSport-style training for youth coaches, staff or volunteers, no required written policies on two-adult supervision, one-on-one contact, electronic communication, locker rooms or travel, and no abuse information-sheet duty to parents. The only youth-sports-specific mandates are the Return to Play Act, O.C.G.A. 20-2-324.1 (2013), which requires public and private schools and public recreation youth athletic programs to give parents a concussion information sheet and adopt concussion policies, and the mandated reporter statute, O.C.G.A. 19-7-5(c)(1), which covers "child service organization personnel" including sports league staff and volunteers with a 24-hour reporting duty (see mandatory_reporter_coaches). No Georgia statute adopts or references the U.S. Center for SafeSport Code or the federal SafeSport Act. Hazing (O.C.G.A. 16-5-61, Max Gruver Act amendments 2021) applies to school and college student organizations, not coaches. Background checks remain permissive (see background_check_youth_sports). SR 2023 resolutions encouraging Coach Safely injury training are non-binding, and no youth-sports abuse-prevention bill was identified in the 2025-2026 General Assembly.
Safe sport: federal SafeSport Act and NGB rules: Nationally, the SafeSport Act (36 U.S.C. 220541-220543, as amended by Pub. L. 116-189 in 2020; no enacted amendments since, the Safer Sports for Athletes Act remains pending) requires USOPC national governing bodies and the amateur sports organizations they sanction or that compete interstate with adults in regular contact with minors to deliver SafeSport Core training, adopt MAAPP-style policies limiting one-on-one adult-minor contact, and report suspected child abuse to law enforcement within 24 hours and to the Center. Georgia-specific: O.C.G.A. 19-7-5 independently makes club employees and volunteers mandatory reporters to DFCS or police within 24 hours, so NGB clubs face parallel state and federal 24-hour duties with different recipients. Public recreation programs add Return to Play concussion sheets. GHSA uses NFHS coach education, not SafeSport.
Concussion law: O.C.G.A. §20-2-324.1 (Return to Play Act, 2013), public/private schools AND public recreation facilities/youth athletic activities (except church-sponsored); parent info; RTP clearance by health-care provider; coach training via GHSA/recreation policies.
Sudden cardiac arrest law: Yes (school), O.C.G.A. §20-2-324.5 (Jeremy Nelson and Nick Blakely SCA Prevention Act, 2019): coaches annual review; removal; youth leagues not covered.
CPR and AED: Schools: AED policies (O.C.G.A. §20-2-775). None for youth leagues.
Coaches as mandated reporters: Effectively covered: O.C.G.A. §19-7-5(c)(1): 'child service organization personnel' (employees/volunteers of orgs providing services to children, incl. sports). No SafeSport-style state mandate.
Coach certification: None statewide.
Assault-on-official law: Yes: O.C.G.A. §16-5-23(f) (simple battery on sports official).

All states

Rulebook by state

Georgia at a glance: minimum wage $7.25 (federal; state $5.15 superseded). Final paycheck when you let someone go: No statute: next regular payday. Minimum working age: 12 under state law (non-manufacturing) but federal 14 governs; under 12 only for parents/farm/newspaper. Background checks for youth sports: None statewide for private leagues, check municipal/league policy (O.C.G.A. §35-3-34.2 permits GCIC/FBI checks for orgs serving children; NCPA/VCA channeling via GBI 'GAPS').