How to become a child actor: a parent's guide to permits, pay and first steps

To become a child actor, a child needs a reason to perform (classes, school plays, youth theatre), simple current photos, and a parent who handles the business: in California that means an Entertainment Work Permit before any job, a Coogan Trust Account for earnings, and only licensed agents or permit-holding service providers. The path is the same at 6, 12 or 13; what changes with age is the paperwork, the hours a child may work and how much of the work they can drive themselves.

This guide is for parents in Los Angeles and the rest of California, where the state's child performer laws apply. It is general information from the official sources listed below, not legal advice. For the adult version of the path, see how to become an actor.

1. Check that it is the child's idea. Interest that lasts through a term of classes or a school play is a better signal than a single good afternoon.
2. Get experience close to home. A weekly kids or teen class, a school play or a community theatre show gives a child practice taking direction and something to put on a resume. The kids and teen classes guide lists LA schools that teach young actors and what to check before you enroll.
3. Take simple photos. For young children, a clear, recent snapshot is the place to start (see the next section). Update it as your child changes.
4. Write a one-page resume. List classes, school and community shows and special skills such as singing, dance, sports or languages. The free acting resume builder formats it.
5. Get the Entertainment Work Permit before your child books paid work in California. The six-month permit is free.
6. Open a Coogan Trust Account at a California bank or credit union, so you are ready when a contract is signed.
7. Look for legitimate auditions and representation. Use casting sites and LA casting calls, consider background work, and approach licensed agents once your child has photos, a resume and some training. Never pay anyone to represent your child.
8. Keep school first. California's permit depends on satisfactory school records, so slipping grades can stop the work.

Parents are often told that a child needs an expensive photo shoot before anyone will look at them. The Federal Trade Commission says the opposite: because "a child's looks change quickly," legitimate professionals "generally ask for casual snapshots, not professional photos" (FTC). A good snapshot is well lit, sharp, recent, and shows your child's face as it looks today, without heavy makeup or filters.

If you later want professional headshots for an older child or teen, the actor headshots guide explains what casting looks for and what California law says about photo fees. For the resume, list training (school and teacher), shows with the role and venue, and real skills. Do not pad it: a short honest resume is normal at this stage. The acting resume guide covers the format.

"All minors working in the entertainment industry in California must register" for an Entertainment Work Permit with the Labor Commissioner's Office (California DIR). A parent or guardian applies, online or by mail; to apply online, the parent creates the account in their own name. There are two kinds:

• Six-month permit: free, and renewable every six months until your child turns 18 (California DIR).
• 10-day permit: $50, online only, for first-time registrants from 15 days old through 15 years. It can be issued without the birth certificate or school approval the six-month permit needs, but it cannot be renewed, and 16- and 17-year-olds are not eligible (California DIR).

For the six-month permit, the documents depend on age (California DIR):

• Infants through kindergarten: a copy of a certified birth certificate, baptismal certificate, official hospital letter or passport.
• Infants under one month: also a written certification from a licensed physician board certified in pediatrics or family medicine that the baby is at least 15 days old, was carried to full term, has normal birth weight and is physically able to handle the work.
• Grades 1 to 12: an authorized school official certifies that attendance, health and scholastic records are "satisfactory," with the school's seal or stamp. When school is out, you can attach the most recent report card or a letter on school letterhead instead.
• Online, virtual, private or home school: the program's office completes the school record, or, for homeschool with no program, the parent attaches a current private school affidavit or a satisfactory verification from the local district, county office or state board.

Applicants aged 14 to 17 must complete sexual harassment prevention training before they can get a permit. If a job is already booked, the Labor Commissioner offers expedited processing with proof of the job; same-day in-person service needs a letter from the production company on its letterhead (a letter from an agent or manager is not accepted) (California DIR).

Apply for the free six-month permit as soon as your child starts auditioning, not after a booking. The school record certification can take time to get signed, and casting may need an answer within a day.

California's Coogan law sets aside part of a child performer's pay until adulthood. Under Family Code section 6752, the employer must set aside 15 percent of the minor's gross earnings under the contract and deposit it into the child's trust account within 15 business days of receiving the trustee's statement (Family Code 6752). The parent or guardian with custody is normally the trustee. Section 6753 sets the account rules (Family Code 6753):

• Open it fast. The trustee must establish a Coogan Trust Account "within seven business days after the minor's contract is signed," at a financial institution located in California and insured (for example by the FDIC or NCUSIF).
• Send the trustee's statement. Within 10 business days of the contract, the trustee prepares a written statement under penalty of perjury with the institution, account number, the child's name and the trustees' names, and gives a copy to the employer.
• The money is locked. Before the child turns 18 or is emancipated, no one, including the parent, may withdraw from it without a written order of the superior court. At 18, the child can withdraw by giving the institution a certified copy of their birth certificate.

If the employer does not receive the trustee's statement within 180 days, it must send the set-aside money to The Actors Fund of America, which then holds it for the child (Family Code 6752). The 15 percent rule does not apply to employers of minors working "as an extra, background performer, or in a similar capacity" (Family Code 6752). The other 85 percent is not a free-for-all either: the law says the parent must use the child's earnings to pay the child's contract liabilities, including taxes on all of the earnings.

Open the account before the first booking. A Coogan account is an ordinary blocked trust account at a California bank or credit union; ask the branch for one by name. Keep a copy of the trustee's statement ready to send to every new employer.

California limits how long a minor may be at work and how much of that time is actual work, by age. These are the motion picture industry limits in Title 8, section 11760, for any 24-hour period (Title 8, 11760):

• 15 days to 6 months: at the place of employment up to 2 hours; work no more than 20 minutes. A nurse and a studio teacher are also required.
• 6 months to 2 years: up to 4 hours there, no more than 2 hours of work.
• 2 to 6 years: up to 6 hours there, no more than 3 hours of work.
• 6 to 9 years: up to 8 hours there, no more than 4 hours of work when school is in session, plus 3 hours of schooling and an hour of rest and recreation; up to 6 hours of work on non-school days.
• 9 to 16 years: up to 9 hours there, no more than 5 hours of work on school days, plus 3 hours of schooling and at least an hour of rest; up to 7 hours of work on non-school days.
• 16 to 18 years: up to 10 hours there, no more than 6 hours of work on school days, plus 3 hours of schooling and an hour of rest; up to 8 hours of work on non-school days.

The same section requires at least 12 hours between dismissal and the next day's call. Employers must provide a studio teacher on every call for minors from 15 days to 16 years old (and for 16- and 17-year-olds when needed for their education), one for each group of ten minors (Title 8, 11755.2). The studio teacher is responsible for "the health, safety and morals" of minors under 16 and may refuse to let a child work, or remove them from a set, if conditions are dangerous (Title 8, 11755.3). For children under 16, a parent or guardian must be present and stay "within sight or sound" of the child at all times (Title 8, 11757).

Child acting draws people who sell hope to parents. The FTC warns that "the market for child models and actors is very small," that ads for the next child star "are often a way to get parents to enroll their kids in expensive acting classes," and that "scammers tell you to pay them." Its advice: research the company, get references, get everything in writing, and "never pay an agency up front" (FTC). California law backs that up:

• No paying for representation. Labor Code 1702 bars anyone from running or referring you to an "advance-fee talent representation service," and businesses that sell talent services must file a $50,000 bond with the Labor Commissioner (California DIR). The agent guide explains how agents are paid.
• Agents need a license. Check any agency in the Labor Commissioner's Talent Agency License Search (California DIR).
• Others who work with kids need a permit. Anyone who, for a fee, manages a minor's career, coaches or teaches acting or singing, photographs them for acting, handles publicity, or runs an artist camp offering those services must hold a Child Performer Services Permit. Applicants are fingerprinted, the permit is denied to anyone required to register as a sex offender, and permit holders must post the permit at their business and put its number on their ads (Labor Code 1706). Licensed talent agents and certified studio teachers are exempt.
• You can look them up. The Labor Commissioner's site has a Child Performer Services Permit Holders Search; the permit costs $198 plus fingerprinting and must be renewed every two years (California DIR).

Before you sign with a manager, book private coaching or pay for a photo shoot, ask for the permit number and check it. If someone says they will represent your child as soon as you buy their class, photos or showcase, walk away.

There is no minimum age to start training, and no age that is too late for a child to try. The rules change with age, though, and so does what a child can do for themselves:

• Babies and preschoolers: work time is very short (20 minutes a day under 6 months, 3 hours from 2 to 6) and the parent does everything. Central Casting lets parents register babies from 15 days old for background work and manage the account (Central Casting; Title 8, 11760).
• Ages 6 to 12: classes and school shows build the basics; school records now matter for the permit, and work days include three hours of schooling when school is in session.
• At 12 or 13: a child can learn lines, take notes and self-tape with a parent's help, which opens up more auditions. Look for teen-level on-camera or audition classes, and see the self-tape guide for setting up at home.
• At 14 to 17: harassment prevention training is required before the permit (California DIR). At 16 and 17 the 10-day permit is no longer an option, so keep the six-month permit current, and daily work limits rise to 6 hours on school days.

Start with training: the kids and teen acting classes guide covers what a good class looks like and which LA schools teach young actors, and you can audit a class before paying. Arlo's Price Index shows what LA classes cost, and free acting classes lists no-cost options.

When your child is ready to audition, see casting calls in Los Angeles, what a callback is and the on-camera and self-tape classes guide. For monologues and scenes to practice with, Offbook has a library of them.