Ohio Labor Laws

In the US, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes laws that ensure workers are compensated fairly for their time and effort in the workplace and protect them from abuse and exploitation by employers. 

Compared to the FLSA, Ohio’s employment laws set a higher minimum wage requirement for all employees in the state. A brief overview of the state’s minimum wage, overtime, and break provisions is as follows: 

Employers who contravene federal and state time management laws face severe legal ramifications, including fines, back pay, and damages. Any employee who believes that their employer has violated their rights can file a wage complaint with the Ohio Department of Commerce, Bureau of Wage and Hour Administration for investigation and legal action.

The Ohio Civil Rights Commission prohibits employers from discriminating against job applicants and employees based on certain protected characteristics such as: 

Additionally, Ohio’s Equal Pay Law prohibits wage discrimination in occupations that require similar effort and skills based on these characteristics. 

Ohio also follows the at-will employment policy, which allows an employer or employee to end an employment contract at any time and for any reason, without legal repercussions, However, employees cannot be terminated at will if their termination violates public policy, an implied contract, or a promise of employment made by the employer. 

After termination or resignation, an employee must be paid their final wages within 15 days or by their next regularly scheduled payday. However, if an employee is fired, they must be paid by the earlier of these two options.

Some important regulations that also affect employment relationships in Ohio include but are not limited to:

• Health Insurance Continuation Laws: In Ohio, the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) allows employees and their dependents to continue their health insurance plan after a significant life event such as job termination, divorce, or illness may choose to continue their group health insurance benefits. Coverage can be extended for 18 to 36 months and employees may have to pay 102% of the cost of the plan as a coverage premium under COBRA. However, COBRA insurance can only be offered by employers with 20 or more employees.  Smaller employers can offer health insurance continuation similar to the federal COBRA with the Ohio Mini-COBRA to eligible employees and their dependents for up to 12 months.  
• Workplace Safety Laws: The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is responsible for enforcing workplace health and safety standards at the federal level. They conduct routine inspections to ensure compliance. Additionally, Ohio has its own agency, the Public Employment Risk Reduction Program (PERRP), which focuses on workplace safety for public employees. PERRP also provides inspections and consultations to mitigate imminent risks.
• Ban-the-Box Laws: In 2017,  Ohio’s ban-the-box law was implemented to promote fairness during the hiring process. This law aims to promote equal opportunities, preventing employers from inquiring about a job applicant’s conviction history. Additionally, it delays background checks in certain circumstances.
• Recordkeeping Laws: Employment law in Ohio requires employers to maintain employee records for a minimum of three years. These records should include the employee’s personal information such as name and address as well as their job description, rate of pay, amount of wages per pay period, and daily/weekly work hours. All records must be available for inspection by the Director of the Ohio Department of Commerce at any reasonable time.

A minimum wage is the lowest amount of remuneration an employer must pay an employee for work performed in a certain period of time. This amount cannot be further reduced with mutual bargaining between employer and employee. 

As of January 1, 2025, wage laws in Ohio require employers to pay workers a minimum pay of at least $10.70 per hour. However, businesses that earn less than $394,000 in gross income are covered by federal law and must pay their employees at least $7.25 per hour.

Minors under the age of 16 are also entitled to earn at least $7.25 per hour.

An employee who earns more than $30 monthly in tips is categorized as a tipped employee in Ohio. Employers in Ohio can take tip credit and pay tipped workers a reduced minimum cash wage of $5.35 per hour. 

However, employers must ensure that their tipped worker’s cash wage and tip combined equal the state’s minimum wage.

According the Ohio employment law, the following occupations in Ohio are exempt from the minimum wage provisions:

• Employees of the United States
• Babysitters or live-in companions for the sick or elderly, whose main duties exclude housekeeping
• Executives, administrators, and professionals earning at least $1.128 weekly
• Computer professionals who earn at least $27.63 per hour
• Outside salespeople
• Volunteers for public agencies 
• Individuals providing unpaid charitable services at hospitals or health institutions
• Employees of non-profit camps or recreational areas for children under 18
• Family members working in a family-owned and operated business

Physically or mentally disabled workers can be paid subminimum wages following the policies set forth by the Director of the Ohio Department of Commerce.

Ohio labor law requires employers to pay employees for work completed in the first 15 days of a month on or before the first day of the next calendar month. Payments for work completed from the 16th to the last day of the month must be paid on or before the 15th day of the next calendar month. However, employers can choose to set a different payment schedule at their discretion.

Under Ohio’s overtime laws, any employee who works more than 40 hours in a workweek is entitled to earn overtime wages. This additional wage is calculated at 1.5 times the employee’s hourly pay rate for all hours worked as overtime.

Certain occupations in Ohio are exempt from receiving overtime pay i.e. they do not earn overtime wages even if they work more than 40 hours weekly. These include:

• Employees of businesses earning less than $150,000 in yearly gross sales
• Agricultural workers
• Casual babysitters
• Live-in caretakers
• Recreational camp staff
• Public employees
• Administrative, professional, or executive employees earning at least $684 weekly (or $35,568 annually)
  
• Computer employees earning $27.63 hourly

In Ohio, employers are not mandated by state law to offer adult employees lunch breaks or rest periods during work hours. However, if an employer decides to provide such breaks, they must adhere to the general break guidelines of the FLSA. 

Rest breaks lasting five to 20 minutes are paid under the FLSA.   However, meal breaks—which typically last 30 minutes or longer— are unpaid, provided that the employee is completely relieved of their job duties for the duration of the break. 

However, state law entitles minors in Ohio to a 30-minute break for every five hours of consecutive work. This break must be uninterrupted and the minor must be relieved of all job duties for the duration of the break. 

The federal PUMP Act requires employers in Ohio to provide reasonably timed breaks and appropriate facilities at the workplace for nursing employees to express breastmilk. 

Employers must arrange a private room that is not a toilet and is free from intrusion for this purpose. These breaks must be provided for a year after the employee gives birth. 

Furthermore, a nursing employee’s breastfeeding break may be paid if they are not completely relieved of their job duties for the duration of the break. Employees can also take legal action against their employer if they violate the policies of the PUMP Act. 

Leave laws in Ohio entitle employees to the following leave benefits throughout their employment:

• Family and Medical Leave: Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), employees in Ohio can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to recover from illness or care for a family member in a similar situation. FMLA leave can also be used to bond with a child after childbirth or for the adoption or foster care placement of a child. To qualify for FMLA leave,  an employer must have worked for an employer for at least 12 months for at least 1,250 hours.
• Jury Duty Leave: Employers in Ohio are prohibited from threatening, retaliating, or discharging an employee who takes leave to attend jury duty. Employees can also not be forced to use their annual, vacation, or sick leave for attending jury service.   Jury duty leave in Ohio is not paid. However, employees are required to provide advance notice before taking leave.
• Family Military Leave: Ohio’s Military Family Leave Act allows employees who are the parent, spouse, or legal custodian of a uniformed services member to take up to 10 days or 80 hours of unpaid leave when the family member is called to active duty extending 30 days, or is injured or hospitalized during deployment. To qualify for this leave, the employee must provide written notice, meet certain length-of-service and hours-worked requirements, and exhaust all other available leave options except for sick or disability leave. Upon returning from this leave, the employee is entitled to all benefits that were in place prior to the family medical leave.
• Leave for Victims of Crime: In Ohio, employees who are crime victims or are related to a crime victim can take time off work to attend various court proceedings related to their case, such as criminal case court preparations, grand jury appearances or criminal proceedings where they have been subpoenaed to testify.
• Voting Leave: In Ohio, employees can take leave for a reasonable time to vote on election day. Employers cannot refuse to grant employees voting leave in Ohio or prohibit them from serving as election officials. Additionally, employees cannot be retaliated against or terminated for taking time off to vote. Employers who violate this law can face fines ranging from $50 to $500.

Given below is a list of public holidays that will be observed in Ohio in 2025:

Any individual under the age of 18 who is yet to secure a high school diploma (or an equivalent certification) is considered a minor in Ohio.

Work Permits for Minors in Ohio

All minors aged 14 to 17 are required to obtain a work permit before securing employment in Ohio. 

Employers in Ohio are required by law to maintain a list of minors employed in their establishment. This list must also be posted in a location accessible by all minors.

In Ohio, school attendance is mandatory for minors of all ages and work cannot be scheduled during school hours. Further details related to work hour schedules are as follows:

For Minors Aged 14 and 15:

• Minors aged 14 and 15 can only be scheduled to work between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. However, work hours can be extended until 9 p.m. between June 1st and Labor Day. 
• They are strictly prohibited from working during school hours unless their occupation is vocational or is part of a work-study program. 
• When school is in session, they can work up to three hours daily, with a weekly maximum of 18 hours.
• During summer break/holidays, they can work eight hours daily and up to 40 hours weekly. 

For Minors Aged 16 and 17:

• They cannot work before 7 a.m. on a school day. 
• They cannot be scheduled to work before 6 a.m. if they work past 8 p.m. the preceding night. 
• They cannot be required to work after 11 p.m. on any night before a school day.

Following state law, minors of all ages are strictly prohibited from employment in the following occupations:

Additionally, the law specifically prohibits minors under the age of 16 from working in the following jobs: