Ohio ties its minimum wage to inflation and to the size of your business, so the first question for any employer is how much revenue you bring in. The table summarizes the main rules; each topic is explained below.
EZTime labor rule alerts flag overtime and missed rest periods before payroll.
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage | $11.00 per hour in 2026 for employers with annual gross receipts above $405,000; $11.40 from January 1, 2027 (Ohio Dept. of Commerce) |
| Smaller employers and 14-15-year-olds | $7.25 per hour (federal rate) |
| Tipped employees | $5.50 per hour cash wage in 2026; $5.70 in 2027 |
| Overtime | 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek; no daily overtime (R.C. 4111.03) |
| Meal and rest breaks | No adult break rule; minors get a 30-minute rest period after 5 consecutive hours |
| Paid sick leave | No state paid sick leave law located; check with the Department of Commerce |
| Payday | Semimonthly: first-half wages by the 1st of the next month, second-half by the 15th (R.C. 4113.15) |
| Final pay | No separate state deadline in R.C. 4113.15; follow the regular payday schedule |
| Minors | Under 16: 3 hours a school day, 18 hours a school week; age and schooling certificate required |
The Ohio Department of Commerce set the 2026 minimum wage at $11.00 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.50 per hour for tipped employees. These rates apply to businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $405,000. Employees of businesses at or below that threshold, and workers aged 14 and 15, are tied to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
The rate is adjusted each year based on inflation. In its 2027 announcement, the Department said the minimum wage will rise by 3.5% to $11.40 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.70 per hour for tipped employees on January 1, 2027. The gross receipts threshold also rises, to $419,000, for 2027. If your revenue sits near the line, review your most recent annual figures before January so you know which rate applies.
Ohio's 2026 minimum wage poster defines a tipped employee as someone in an occupation that customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips. An employer paying the lower cash wage must be able to show that the cash wage plus the tip credit adds up to at least the full minimum wage. If tips fall short in a given week, the employer has to make up the difference.
Under Ohio Revised Code 4111.03, covered employers must pay one and one-half times the employee's wage rate for hours worked over 40 in one workweek. Ohio follows the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's exemptions, so bona fide executive, administrative and professional employees and commissioned outside salespeople are not owed overtime, and employees in agriculture are excluded from the state overtime provision. The state poster adds that the overtime rule does not apply to employers grossing less than $150,000 per year, although federal overtime rules may still cover those businesses. Ohio has no daily overtime rule, and the state statute offers compensatory time only to county and township employees, not to private-sector workers. The U.S. DOL confirms that federal overtime is also calculated by the workweek. Try our overtime calculator to check a week's pay.
Ohio does not appear in the U.S. Department of Labor's tables for adult meal periods or paid rest periods; the DOL notes that states not listed in the rest-period table do not require paid rest breaks. Ohio does protect younger workers: under R.C. 4109.07(C), no employer may employ a minor for more than five consecutive hours without a rest period of at least 30 minutes, and that rest period does not count as hours worked. If you schedule teen workers for longer shifts, build the break into the schedule so it is not forgotten during a busy rush.
We did not find an Ohio statute requiring private employers to provide paid sick leave or vacation, and the Department of Commerce's Wage and Hour pages do not list one. If you offer PTO, your written policy governs how it accrues and whether it is paid out when someone leaves, so be specific. The PTO accrual calculator can help you set accrual rates. For larger businesses, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act applies to private employers with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks and gives eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of job-protected leave in a 12-month period, according to the U.S. DOL. Check with the Ohio Department of Commerce for any state leave questions.
Ohio Revised Code 4113.15 requires employers to pay employees at least twice a month. Wages earned in the first half of a month must be paid on or before the first day of the following month, and wages for the second half by the fifteenth. Daily or weekly pay is allowed, and a different lag can apply where it is customary in a trade or set by written contract. If wages stay unpaid for 30 days beyond the regularly scheduled payday, the employer may owe liquidated damages.
The section does not set a separate final paycheck deadline for employees who quit or are fired, so the safest course is to pay all wages owed on or before the next regular payday under the semimonthly schedule. If an employee is absent when wages are paid, they may collect the payment at any later time on demand. For questions about a specific separation, check with the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance.
Ohio's Minor Labor Law (R.C. Chapter 4109) adds several requirements beyond federal law. Under R.C. 4109.07:
Under R.C. 4109.02, a minor of compulsory school age may not be employed without a proper age and schooling certificate, with an exception for 16- and 17-year-olds in certain non-hazardous summer vacation jobs. Employers must also keep a complete list of all minors employed on the premises and post an abstract of the law, which may be displayed on site or online (R.C. 4109.08).
According to the Ohio minimum wage poster, employers must keep records for at least three years showing each employee's name, address, occupation, rate of pay, amount paid each pay period and hours worked each day and each workweek. The Director of Commerce may inspect and copy these records at any reasonable time.
The Department of Commerce says employers must display the most recent minimum wage poster. Download the 2026 and 2027 versions from the Ohio minimum wage posters page, and swap in the 2027 poster for January 1. Remember the separate Minor Labor Law abstract if you employ anyone under 18.
Between the annual rate change, the 30-minute rest rule for minors and strict school-night limits for teens, Ohio employers need precise time data. EZTime tracks hours with a GPS mobile time clock with geofencing, NFC tags, a tablet kiosk or biometric clocks. Scheduling tools with shift templates and swaps make it easy to keep minors inside legal hours, while overtime and break alerts warn managers in real time. PTO and sick-leave balances update automatically, and payroll-ready Excel or PDF exports work with any payroll software. Plans start at $2 per employee per month with a 14-day trial; see pricing.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change; check the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance or an employment attorney. Last reviewed November 2026.
Ohio’s minimum wage is $11.00 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.50 per hour for tipped employees at businesses with annual gross receipts above $405,000. Smaller businesses and 14- and 15-year-olds are tied to the federal $7.25 rate.
Yes. The Ohio Department of Commerce announced the rate will rise to $11.40 per hour for non-tipped and $5.70 per hour for tipped employees on January 1, 2027, with the gross receipts threshold rising to $419,000.
Ohio has no general meal or rest break rule for adult employees. Minors must receive a rest period of at least 30 minutes if they work more than five consecutive hours.
At least twice a month. Wages for the first half of a month are due by the first of the next month, and wages for the second half are due by the fifteenth.
Minors under 16 may work up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, or 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week when school is out, and not before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. (9 p.m. in summer).