Seasonal jobs: when and where to apply

Updated November 2026

Seasonal hiring follows the calendar, and the best seasonal jobs go to people who apply weeks before the rush starts. Holiday retail hiring peaks in the fall, summer jobs fill in spring, and tax offices staff up in January. A seasonal job can also turn into a permanent one if you ask about it early.

How big the seasonal swings are

Bureau of Labor Statistics payroll data (not seasonally adjusted) show how much hiring moves with the seasons:

+461,500retail jobs added from September to December 2025
+1.4 millionleisure and hospitality jobs added from January to July 2026
2.2×tax-preparation staff in February 2026 compared with August 2025

The arithmetic: retail employment rose from 15,345,600 in September 2025 to 15,807,100 in December, then fell back to 15,365,600 in January 2026. Leisure and hospitality went from 16,252,000 in January 2026 to 17,650,000 in July. Tax-preparation services employed 70,100 people in August 2025 and 154,600 in February 2026, then dropped to 81,300 by May. Most of the extra jobs end when the season does.

When to apply

Typical timing for common seasonal jobs
Season	Examples	Start applying	Work period
Holiday	Retail sales, stockroom, warehouses, delivery, customer service	September to October	November to early January
Tax season	Tax preparer, receptionist, data entry at tax offices	October to December (training often runs in late fall)	January to the mid-April filing deadline
Summer	Camps, pools, parks, restaurants, hotels, landscaping, amusement parks	February to April	Memorial Day to Labor Day
Farm and harvest	Planting, picking, packing, orchard work	Depends on the crop and region	Spring through fall in most regions

These are typical patterns, not rules. Large retailers and warehouses often post holiday openings by early fall, and summer camps may finish hiring by spring break.

Holiday retail and warehouse jobs

Apply online and then visit the store to ask for the hiring manager; a face to match the application helps. Be ready to work evenings, weekends and the days around Thanksgiving and Christmas, because that availability is what stores are hiring for. Write your available hours clearly on the application. If you want to stay on in January, say so at the interview and again in December, and ask your manager what it takes. Warehouses and delivery companies add staff in the same months and often pay more for night and weekend shifts.

Summer jobs

Summer jobs suit students and teachers. Lifeguard and camp jobs often require certifications such as CPR or first aid, so check the requirements in winter and book a course before spring. Hotels and parks in tourist areas sometimes offer housing; read the terms on housing costs before you accept.

Teens aged 14 and 15 may work longer hours in summer under federal law: up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week when school is out, and until 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day (7 p.m. the rest of the year). Some jobs are off-limits for them. States can set stricter rules, and the stricter rule applies. See getting your first job.

Tax-season jobs

Tax-preparation offices hire receptionists and preparers for January to April. Some tax-preparation chains train new preparers before the season starts, so the time to ask is October or November. Accounting firms also take on temporary clerical help. These jobs reward accuracy and comfort with numbers more than prior experience.

Farm and agricultural work

Farms hire seasonal workers for planting and harvest. When a farm cannot find enough local workers, it can apply to the Department of Labor to bring in temporary foreign workers under the H-2A program. Before that, the employer must actively recruit US workers and contact its US workers from the previous year to invite them back. H-2A job terms include employer-provided safe housing, transportation from that housing to the job site, and a guarantee of work for at least 75% of the hours in the contract period.

US workers can see these openings on the Department of Labor's SeasonalJobs.dol.gov, which lists H-2A farm jobs and H-2B nonfarm seasonal jobs such as landscaping and seafood processing, with a Spanish translation. You do not apply through the site: you contact the employer directly using the recruitment information on each listing.

Tips that apply to every season

Apply early and to several employers at once.
Keep your resume to one page and list your availability dates.
Go to seasonal hiring events and job fairs; some employers interview on the spot.
Ask about pay, hours per week, and the end date before you accept.
Never pay a fee to get a seasonal job. See job scams.