How to Get Hired at an Amazon Warehouse (2026): Application, Pre-Hire Appointment, Drug Test, Shifts and Pay

The process, step by step

Amazon describes its hourly warehouse hiring on hiring.amazon.com. We read its pages on October 21, 2026. Here is what they say, in order.

1. Online application. You give basic information and pick your preferred shift. Amazon says "you don't need a resume." Its hiring process page says the application usually takes about 20 minutes. Its FAQ says about an hour, including picking a shift and booking your pre-hire appointment, and asks you to finish within 3 hours to keep the shift you picked.
2. Paperwork right after. Amazon asks you to fill out a Work Opportunity Tax Credit questionnaire and a Form I-9.
3. Work assessment. Amazon's warehouse jobs page lists a work assessment as the second of four general steps. It says the process "can vary slightly" by role and location.
4. Pre-hire appointment, in person and unpaid. Amazon states: "You don't get paid to go to a pre-hire appointment." Bring proof of identity and work eligibility. Amazon's tip is to bring the right I-9 documents.
5. Contingent offer, then checks. In your Amazon Jobs account you "check the status on your contingent offer, including background check and drug test results." Once you pass, you accept the formal offer and finish employment paperwork. What a background check covers: background checks explained.
6. Before Day 1. Order safety shoes with Amazon's credit of up to $110. Set up the Amazon A to Z app. Read your welcome email, because Day 1 training "could also happen at a different location than your assigned warehouse."
7. Day 1. Onboarding and safety training. Amazon's dress rules: closed-toe shoes, no jackets or hoodies with drawstrings, no long necklaces or hoop earrings, and long hair pulled back.

Does Amazon drug test? What about marijuana?

Yes. Amazon's hiring page lists "drug test results" as part of the contingent offer, and its FAQ says it reviews background check and drug test results when it decides who moves forward (Amazon, viewed October 21, 2026). In a June 1, 2021 message, Amazon said it would no longer include marijuana in its drug screening for jobs not regulated by the Department of Transportation. In the same message it said it would keep doing impairment checks on the job and would test for all drugs and alcohol after any incident (Amazon, June 1, 2021).

Who can apply

An Amazon fulfillment center posting on hiring.amazon.com (JOB-220096304, Appling, GA, closed, viewed October 21, 2026) lists these needs: at least 18 years old, willing to submit a drug test, able to lift up to 49 pounds, push carts up to 60 pounds, and work at heights up to 40 feet on a mezzanine where the site has one. Read the posting for your own site, because duties differ by building.

No forklift experience is needed for equipment roles. Amazon's powered industrial truck page says "No prior experience with PIT equipment is needed" and that Amazon provides free PIT training (viewed October 21, 2026). What that training is worth later: forklift certification guide.

Pay in live postings, October 21, 2026

A banner on hiring.amazon.com pages says hourly rates for seasonal and regular warehouse associates rose effective September 27, 2026. On September 16, 2026, Amazon said its minimum starting pay for U.S. full-time core operations employees is now $20 an hour, with average pay of nearly $24 an hour and average total compensation above $32 an hour once benefits are counted. Amazon put the cost at more than $1.5 billion and described "an annual step plan where pay increases the first three years" (Amazon, September 16, 2026).

Here is what Amazon's job search showed on October 21, 2026. "Regular" means year-round. "Seasonal" postings end after peak.

Scroll horizontally to view every column.

"Up to" is Amazon's wording. Its FAQ says you can make more "based on your location and the shift you choose," so the top rate goes with certain shifts (viewed October 21, 2026). Some sortation listings carry a "Premium Pay" tag, and the listing does not show how much of the rate is premium. For comparison, hand laborers and material movers earned a national median of $19.35 an hour and stockers and order fillers $17.95 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). More benchmarks: pay benchmarks.

Pay is weekly. Amazon's FAQ says all hourly associates are paid every Friday, with 52 pay periods a year, and its work-life page promises paid overtime for over 40 hours in a week. Some jobs offer Anytime Pay, which lets you choose your own payday (Amazon, viewed October 21, 2026). Compare employers that pay weekly: jobs with weekly pay and warehouse jobs with weekly pay.

Shift types and what they mean for benefits

Amazon groups schedules by weekly hours, and benefits follow the group (Amazon benefits page, viewed October 21, 2026):

• Regular Full and Reduced Time, 30 to 40 hours a week. Medical, dental, vision, paid time off, 401(k) match, free life and disability insurance, discounts, and Career Choice after 90 days.
• Regular Part Time, 20 to 29 hours. Dental and vision after 90 days (employee only), a free medical advice line, 401(k) match, paid time off you earn as you work, and Career Choice after 90 days.
• Regular Flex Time, 0 to 19 hours. Medical advice line, mental health support, 401(k) match, discounts. No medical plan is listed for Flex.
• Seasonal Full and Reduced Time, 30 to 40 hours. Medical after 90 days of employment, plus paid time off you earn as you work.

Amazon says offerings "may vary based on factors like work location, scheduled work hours, length of employment, and job type." On September 16, 2026, it said regular full-time employees get health care from day one, including an Essential Plan at $5 a week with $5 copays. Career Choice, its tuition program, pays up to $5,250 a year through more than 475 education partners (Amazon, September 16, 2026). Overnight options and what other employers pay for them: night shift warehouse jobs.

Attendance: UPT and the A to Z app

Amazon tracks time off in the A to Z app. One bucket is Unpaid Time Off, or UPT. Amazon's FAQ says new hires and rehires in warehouse roles get a one-time grant of 10 hours of UPT, then earn more each day based on the hours they work, and that accrual rates may differ by role (Amazon FAQ, viewed October 21, 2026). Check your balance in the app every week and read your site's attendance policy on Day 1.

Where Amazon is hiring near you

Search live Amazon and other warehouse openings: Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles. Comparing parcel sorters? Read UPS vs FedEx package handler. Comparing retail warehouses? Read Walmart distribution center jobs.

Want to stay past January? Apply to a Regular posting when you see one, and read how seasonal jobs become permanent. How the holiday version of the job works: Amazon seasonal jobs.

Current openings

See all warehouse jobs, or start with warehouse jobs with no experience. By city: Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles.

How to verify a listing

Every opening on JobPin links to its source posting. Open it, check the date and the "Regular" or "Seasonal" label, and confirm the pay on hiring.amazon.com before you give personal information. No real employer charges a fee to apply or asks you to buy equipment before you start. How to read posting labels: how to read "hiring now" labels. How we check listings: how JobPin verifies listings. Warning signs: job scam warning signs.

How JobPin dates and sources listings: How JobPin verifies listings and events. Report a listing.