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. 

The current rate is: $11.00 per hour for most employees.

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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. 

The current rate is: $5.50 per hour for most tipped employees.

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, state laws govern the hours and types of work permitted for minors. Every minor, 14 through 17 years of age, must have a work permit.

• Rest periods: no employer shall employ a minor more than 5 consecutive hours without a rest period of at least 30 minutes.

• Recordkeeping: every employer shall keep a time book or other written record showing the actual starting and stopping time of each work and rest period. These records must be kept for two years.

Laws for minors under 16 years-old (14- and 15-year-olds)

An employer cannot employ a child under the age of 16 for:

• More than 3 hours a day in any school day.

• More than 18 hours in any school week.

• More than 8 hours in any day when school is not in session.

• More than 40 hours in any week that school is not in session nor during school hours.

• During school hours except where specifically permitted by law.

• Before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m.

Exceptions: 

• Summer/holidays: from June 1st to September 1st, or during any school holiday of 5 school days or more, minors under 16 may work until 9:00 p.m.

• Vocational programs: the 40-hour weekly restriction when school is not in session does not apply if employment is incidental to bona fide programs of vocational cooperative training, work-study, or other work-oriented programs with the purpose of educating students, provided the program meets standards established by the state board of education.

Laws for minors 16 and 17 years-old

An employer cannot employ a 16- or 17-year-old child who is required to attend school to work:

• Before 7:00 a.m. on any day that school is in session.

• After 11:00 p.m. on any night preceding a day that school is in session.

• Exception for early mornings: minors 16 or 17 may begin work at 6:00 a.m. on a school day if they were not employed after 8:00 p.m. the previous night.

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.