Kansas — Hiring & Onboarding

All Kansas employers must report each newly hired or rehired employee to the Kansas Secretary of Labor within 20 business days of the hiring, rehiring, or return to work. A "newly hired employee" includes any employee who has not previously been employed by the employer, or who was previously employed but has been separated from that prior employment. Required information includes the employee's name, address, Social Security number, and date services for remuneration first began, plus the employer's name, address, and federal tax identification number. Reports may be submitted online, by fax, or by mail to the Kansas New Hire Directory.

Source: K.S.A. 75-5743

Kansas child labor law, codified at K.S.A. 38-602 and 38-603, regulates the employment of workers under 18 years of age. The law imposes minimum-age requirements, hours-of-work limits, and hazardous-occupation prohibitions that vary by the minor's age. Where federal Fair Labor Standards Act provisions are more restrictive, the federal rule governs.

Minimum age and general prohibition

K.S.A. 38-602 prohibits the employment of any child under 18 "in any occupation, trade or business which is in any way dangerous or injurious to the life, health, safety, morals or welfare of such minor." The statute authorizes the Kansas Secretary of Labor to hold public hearings and adopt regulations specifying which occupations fall within this prohibition. According to the Kansas Department of Labor, workers must generally be at least 14 years old to work, and workers under 14 cannot be employed except in limited categories including employment by parents in non-hazardous work, household chores, paper routes, farm work, and as child actors. This minimum-age floor aligns with federal FLSA standards.

Work permits for minors under 16

The Kansas Department of Labor indicates that minors aged 14 or 15 must obtain an employment certificate (work permit) if they are not enrolled in or attending secondary school. K.S.A. 38-604 requires employers hiring children under 16 to obtain and keep on file a work permit accessible to state inspectors. The permit is issued by school officials. Minors actively enrolled in secondary school are exempt from the permit requirement.

Hours restrictions — 14- and 15-year-olds

Kansas law limits work hours for minors aged 14 and 15. According to the Kansas Department of Labor, these workers may work no more than 8 hours on a school day or non-school day, and no more than 40 hours in a workweek regardless of whether school is in session. On days before a school day, 14- and 15-year-olds may work only between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Kansas law does not restrict the times they may work on days before non-school days. The federal FLSA imposes additional restrictions on this age group, including limits of 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, and evening curfews (generally 7 p.m., extending to 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day). Where the federal restriction is more stringent, it applies instead of the state rule.

No state hour restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds

Kansas child labor law does not restrict the number of hours or times of day that minors aged 16 and 17 may work, except that an employer may not require a minor to work when the minor is supposed to be in school. Federal hazardous-occupation orders under 29 C.F.R. Part 570 continue to apply to 16- and 17-year-olds, prohibiting employment in specified hazardous jobs such as roofing, excavation, demolition, operation of power-driven hoisting apparatus, work in slaughtering or meat-packing plants, and operation of certain power-driven equipment.

Enforcement

Violations of Kansas child labor laws carry civil penalties under K.S.A. 38-612. The Kansas Department of Labor's Office of Employment Standards enforces the state law through complaint investigations and periodic audits. Federal child labor violations under the FLSA are enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and can result in civil monetary penalties of up to $11,000 per violation, with enhanced penalties for violations causing serious injury or death.

Source: K.S.A. 38-602 Source: Kansas Department of Labor — Workplace Laws

Kansas does not have a statewide law restricting private employers from conducting background checks or making criminal history inquiries during the hiring process. The absence of restriction is based on review of published state law and executive orders as of June 2026; practitioners should verify local requirements for each location. There is no Kansas “ban-the-box” law that applies to private-sector employers statewide as of June 2026.

Public employers Kansas does impose ban-the-box timing restrictions on the state executive branch. By Kansas Executive Order 18-12 (effective May 2, 2018), executive branch agencies may not inquire into a job applicant’s criminal history until after an interview or after a conditional offer has been made, with limited exceptions (positions requiring background checks by law or for sensitive law enforcement/corrections roles). The executive order requires that initial job applications for executive branch state jobs must not ask about criminal convictions. This requirement does not apply to private employers or to non-executive-branch public employers such as cities, counties, or school districts unless those jurisdictions separately adopt local ban-the-box rules.

Local ordinances Some Kansas cities or counties may have their own ordinances restricting criminal history inquiries for public or, rarely, private employment. Because the Kansas Executive Order does not regulate outside the state executive branch, employers operating in multiple Kansas localities should check the rules of each city or county where they hire.

Federal overlay Federal law—including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (regarding disparate impact of criminal history screening policies) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) (regulating third-party background checks)—continues to apply to all employers.

Source: Kansas Executive Order 18-12

Kansas employers subject to the state’s Minimum Wage and Maximum Hours Law must retain specific payroll and employment records for all covered employees, including newly hired workers.

Payroll and hours records (K.S.A. 44-1209) Under K.S.A. 44-1209, every employer as defined in the Kansas wage and hour law must keep, for at least three years, a record of:

• The name and address of each employee
• Hours worked each day and each workweek
• The rate of pay for each pay period
• Total wages paid each pay period
• Deductions from wages

These records must be available for inspection at all reasonable hours by representatives of the Kansas Secretary of Labor. The law does not mandate employers to retain records beyond three years for state compliance purposes. Note: Employer coverage is defined in K.S.A. 44-1202 and includes most, but not all, Kansas employers; certain agricultural, domestic, and other categories are exempt.

New hire reporting (K.S.A. 75‑5743) Kansas law separately requires employers to report each newly hired, rehired, or returning-to-work employee to the Kansas Department of Labor within 20 business days of hire. The report must include the employee’s name, address, Social Security number, date work for remuneration began, and the employer’s name, address, and federal employer identification number. The statute does not address how long employers must retain any confirmation or evidence of this reporting—only that the report must be handled in the specified timeframe.

These Kansas requirements operate in addition to federal employment recordkeeping duties, so multi-state and federal contractors should also consult applicable federal retention standards. For a detailed review of federal floor rules, see the United States — Hiring & Onboarding guide.

Source: K.S.A. 44‑1209 Source: K.S.A. 75‑5743

Kansas law allows employers to pay wages by cash, check, direct deposit (electronic fund transfer to an account designated by the employee), or payroll card. However, an employer cannot require sole use of electronic payment methods—such as direct deposit or payroll card—without offering an alternative to employees who do not provide bank account information or do not wish to participate in a payroll card program.

Permitted payment methods Under K.S.A. 44-314(b), employers may select one or more of the following methods to pay wages:

• Cash (lawful money)
• Check or draft negotiable at a local financial institution
• Electronic fund transfer (direct deposit) to an employee-designated account
• Payroll card with specified consumer protections

Direct deposit restrictions and alternative requirement If an employer chooses to pay only by electronic fund transfer (direct deposit), they must offer a default alternative (such as check or cash) to any employee who does not provide account information for deposit (K.S.A. 44-314(c)). Thus, Kansas employers may offer and even encourage direct deposit, but may not make it the sole and mandatory method for all employees.

Payroll card rules For payroll cards, the statute requires that employees have access to withdraw their full net wages once per pay period without cost (K.S.A. 44-314(d)). Employers cannot assess fees for initiating, loading, or participating in payroll card programs—only for replacing lost or damaged cards. Before switching to a payroll card or electronic-only system, employers must provide at least 30 days’ notice to employees via forums or written materials (K.S.A. 44-314(e)).

Summary Employers in Kansas must either offer an alternative to electronic wage payment methods or comply with the statutory requirements specific to payroll cards or default alternatives. All arrangements for wage payment—including direct deposit—must comply with these requirements, and payroll cards carry additional consumer protections for employees.

Source: K.S.A. 44-314