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

14; 11-13 may be youth athletic program referees/umpires for younger age bracket (adult present + parental consent); 11+ golf/bridge caddies; 13+ farm & trap setting (MCL 409.103) Explicit: 11-13 youth athletic referees/umpires exempt from minimum age; 16+ HS grads exempt from Act; parents' business exempt from permit. State law keys on 'employ/permit to work' - no 1099 carve-out; misclassifying minor officials as contractors does not avoid child-labor rules.

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

Next regular payday Penalties under Payment of Wages Act (MCL 408.475). PTO per written policy.

How does Michigan decide whether a coach or referee is a 1099 contractor or an employee?

Economic reality (Michigan courts, IWOWA)

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

Michigan's Worker's Disability Compensation Act covers every person in the service of another under any contract of hire (MCL 418.161(1)(l)). For services performed on or after January 1, 2013, a worker is an independent contractor only if he or she satisfies the IRS 20-factor test of Revenue Ruling 87-41; anyone who fails that test is an employee for WC purposes (MCL 418.161(1)(n)), and UI uses the same test (MCL 421.42(5)). Sole proprietors are not employees and are not covered unless they buy a policy; there is no contractor certificate or waiver of exemption (the WC-337 exclusion form applies only to corporate officers and members). The principal (contractor-under) rule in MCL 418.171 makes an entity that contracts out work that is part of its business liable for the uninsured contractor's employees. The Act's threshold is three or more employees at once, or one employee working 35 or more hours a week for 13 weeks (418.115). Sports officials: None found in the WC act or the Michigan Employment Security Act. Bottom line: per-game referees who set their own availability and work for several assignors typically pass the 20-factor test; coaches with league-set schedules, training and pay often do not, and once three or more workers are recharacterized the league must carry coverage.

For youth sports organizations and event operators · Michigan rulebook

Youth sports labor rules in Michigan: 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 Michigan

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

Wages and pay
Minimum wage (2026): $13.73; $15.00 on 1/1/2027
Required pay frequency: Semi-monthly (varies by occupation)
Final paycheck if you let them go: Next regular payday
Final paycheck if they quit: Next regular payday
Final-pay penalties: Penalties under Payment of Wages Act (MCL 408.475). PTO per written policy.
State income tax withholding: Yes
Workers' comp required at: 3+ (or 1 emp ≥35 hrs/wk 13+ wks)
New-hire report due (days): 20
Minors
Minimum working age: 14; 11-13 may be youth athletic program referees/umpires for younger age bracket (adult present + parental consent); 11+ golf/bridge caddies; 13+ farm & trap setting (MCL 409.103)
Work permit: Yes, under 18 unless HS grad/GED. From 10/2/2026 permits are issued only through LEO's online Youth Employment Permit Portal (PA 196 of 2024); employers must register with LEO before hiring minors and report when employment ends. School-issued CA-6/CA-7 no longer used.
Ages 14 to 15, school in session: 3 hrs/school day, 18 hrs/school wk, 6 days, avg 8 hrs/day; 7am-7pm Labor Day-June 1
Ages 14 to 15, summer and breaks: 8 hrs/day avg (10 max), 48 hrs/wk combined school+work, 6 days; 7am-9pm June 1-Labor Day; 30-min break after 5 hrs
Ages 16 to 17: 10 hrs/day, 24 hrs/school wk, 48 hrs/non-school wk, 6 days; 6am-10:30pm Sun-Thu, 6am-11:30pm Fri-Sat & vacations; 30-min break after 5 hrs
Weekend and evening games: 16-17 get 11:30pm Fri/Sat; weekend hours count toward 24-hr school-week cap; HB 5727 (2026, pending) would loosen
Referee, coach and recreation exemptions: Explicit: 11-13 youth athletic referees/umpires exempt from minimum age; 16+ HS grads exempt from Act; parents' business exempt from permit. State law keys on 'employ/permit to work' - no 1099 carve-out; misclassifying minor officials as contractors does not avoid child-labor rules.
Contractors and leave
How this state decides 1099 vs. payroll: Economic reality (Michigan courts, IWOWA)
Same question, for unemployment insurance: IRS 20-factor test, MCL 421.42(5): on/after 1/1/2013 employee status is determined 'using the 20-factor test announced by the internal revenue service ... in revenue ruling 87-41'.
Referee-specific rule: None found (no officials-specific statute; general tests apply)
Workers' comp for 1099 referees and coaches: Michigan's Worker's Disability Compensation Act covers every person in the service of another under any contract of hire (MCL 418.161(1)(l)). For services performed on or after January 1, 2013, a worker is an independent contractor only if he or she satisfies the IRS 20-factor test of Revenue Ruling 87-41; anyone who fails that test is an employee for WC purposes (MCL 418.161(1)(n)), and UI uses the same test (MCL 421.42(5)). Sole proprietors are not employees and are not covered unless they buy a policy; there is no contractor certificate or waiver of exemption (the WC-337 exclusion form applies only to corporate officers and members). The principal (contractor-under) rule in MCL 418.171 makes an entity that contracts out work that is part of its business liable for the uninsured contractor's employees. The Act's threshold is three or more employees at once, or one employee working 35 or more hours a week for 13 weeks (418.115). Sports officials: None found in the WC act or the Michigan Employment Security Act. Bottom line: per-game referees who set their own availability and work for several assignors typically pass the 20-factor test; coaches with league-set schedules, training and pay often do not, and once three or more workers are recharacterized the league must carry coverage.
Seasonal or recreation carve-out: MCL 408.934a(4)(d) exempts from state OT (not MW) employees of an amusement or recreational establishment that does not operate >7 months in a calendar year; no receipts test and no camp/coach-specific exemption.
Paid sick leave: Yes: ESTA (as amended 2/21/2025): 1 hr/30 hrs up to 72 hrs (10+ EEs) or 40 hrs (<10); part-time covered; employers can front-load
Paid family and medical leave: No
What it costs to get it wrong: Payroll Fraud Enforcement Unit; no per-worker statute
Safety
Background checks: None statewide for private leagues, check municipal/league policy (MCL 28.243/ICHAT public name check; NCPA channeling via MSP; youth camps under MCL 722.115 require checks).
Safe sport: state law: No state safe-sport statute for private youth leagues; federal SafeSport Act baseline and NGB rules apply. Despite the 2018 Nassar package, Michigan never enacted training, written-policy (two-adult, one-on-one, electronic communication, locker room, travel) or parent-notification duties for private leagues, clubs or tournaments, and no statute adopts the SafeSport Code. The 2018 laws (Public Acts 32-33 and 183-184 of 2018) extended civil and criminal limitation periods for child sexual abuse and added athletic trainers and physical therapists as mandated reporters, but lawmakers expressly dropped coaches over the volunteer-definition problem. Youth-sports-specific mandates remain concussion-only (MCL 333.9155-9156, which reach non-school programs using school facilities). Coach-relevant criminal law: MCL 750.520b-e make sexual contact with a 13-15 year old first or third degree CSC where the actor holds a position of authority and uses it to coerce, or is a school employee, contractor or volunteer who uses that status for access; MCL 750.411t criminalizes hazing at educational institutions. No 2025-26 Michigan bill extending safe-sport duties to private leagues was located (checked Oct. 1, 2026). Cross-reference: the mandated-reporter list and permissive ICHAT checks are in the existing columns.
Safe sport: federal SafeSport Act and NGB rules: National baseline: the SafeSport Act (36 U.S.C. 220541-43, 18 U.S.C. 2258, Pub. L. 115-126 as amended by Pub. L. 116-189 in 2020, no later amendment found) binds NGBs and their member clubs in interstate competition to SafeSport Core training, MAAPP policies and 24-hour reporting to the Center and law enforcement. Michigan overlay: coaches are not state mandated reporters (athletic trainers are, MCL 722.623), so for NGB clubs the federal 24-hour duty (report to local police or MDHHS, plus the Center) is the operative rule for coaching staff. Michigan hosts USA Gymnastics-sensitive scrutiny after Nassar but has no stricter club statute. MHSAA's "every coach every year" education rule binds member-school coaches only.
Concussion law: MCL 333.9155-9156 (PA 342/343 of 2012; amended 2017), every 'organizing entity' (schools AND non-school youth sports organizations) running organized athletic activity for youth under 18; coaches, employees, volunteers and other adults must complete MDHHS-approved concussion awareness training at least once every 3 years; info sheet with signed acknowledgment; immediate removal; RTP written clearance by appropriate licensed health professional.
Sudden cardiac arrest law: Yes (school), MCL 380.1319 & 29.19b (2024 SB 500?): cardiac emergency response plans; high school coaches CPR/AED. Youth leagues not covered.
CPR and AED: No statute: MHSAA Representative Council rule (eff. 2015-16): all HS and JH/MS head coaches must hold current CPR certification before first-sport rules meeting; renew every 2 years. Not codified in MCL (the 380.1319 cite is incorrect; legislation to expand it stalled). None for youth leagues.
Coaches as mandated reporters: Not specifically: MCL 722.623(1)(a) (professionals list; 'athletic trainer' added 2018; last amended 2022 PA 66, eff. 11/1/2022). Coaches, recreation staff and volunteers not named; no enacted 2023-26 amendment adds them (HB 5220, 2025-26, concerns reporter continuing education only). Checked 9/9/2026.
Coach certification: None statewide for non-school coaches.
Assault-on-official law: No.

All states

Rulebook by state

Michigan at a glance: minimum wage $13.73; $15.00 on 1/1/2027. Final paycheck when you let someone go: Next regular payday. Minimum working age: 14; 11-13 may be youth athletic program referees/umpires for younger age bracket (adult present + parental consent); 11+ golf/bridge caddies; 13+ farm & trap setting (MCL 409.103). Background checks for youth sports: None statewide for private leagues, check municipal/league policy (MCL 28.243/ICHAT public name check; NCPA channeling via MSP; youth camps under MCL 722.115 require checks).