The Ohio Labor Law Guide

Minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate that employers are legally obligated to pay employees. The federal minimum wage is a wage baseline, but different states, cities, and regions can adopt their own rates.

$10.45 per hour for most employees (as of 2024)

Although efforts have been made in certain cities in Ohio to increase the minimum wage, none currently surpasses the federal minimum wage.

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Tipped minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate employers are legally obligated to pay employees who earn a significant portion of their income through tips.

$5.25 per hour for most tipped employees (as of 2024)

Ohio employees are entitled to 1.5 times their regular hourly pay rate for every hour worked over 40 hours weekly.

If employees are nonexempt minors, they must be given a 30-minute unpaid break if they work more than five consecutive hours. Ohio does not have any additional required rest or meal breaks.

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Vacation leave
Ohio does not require employers to provide paid time off to their employees. The employer can choose to offer vacation leave at their discretion. 

Paid Sick Leave
Ohio has no state laws requiring private employers to provide paid or unpaid sick leave.

Holidays
Ohio has no state laws requiring private employers to provide paid or unpaid holiday leave.

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In Ohio, every minor who is 14 through 17 years old must have a working permit to work. Employers must provide the minor with a 30-minute rest period if they work more than five hours. Employers should keep records of stopping time for each work and rest period for two years.  

Laws for minors 14-15:

• Cannot work before 7 AM or after 9 PM from June 1st to September 1st or during any school holiday of 5 days or more

  • Or after 7 pm when school is in session

• Cannot work more than 3 hours per day and 18 hours per week when school is in session

• Cannot work more than 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week when school is not in session

Laws for minors 16-17:

• Cannot work before 7 AM when school is in session

• Cannot work before 6 AM if the minor was not employed after 8 PM on the previous night 

• Cannot work after 11 PM when school is in session the following day

Hiring
Ohio hiring law prohibits hiring discrimination based on the following characteristics:

• Race

• Color

• Religion

• Sex

• National origin

• Disability

• Age (40 or older)

Employers can do background checks but must follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). 

Firing
Ohio employers have the right to terminate employees at will for nearly any reason and no reason at all provided the reason is not unlawful.