Ohio · Unpaid wages · Updated Oct 2026

Ohio wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

Not paid for all your hours, no overtime, or no final paycheck? Here is Ohio’s minimum wage, the final-paycheck rules, the deadlines and where to file, in plain English.

$11.00minimum wage in 2026
$5.50tipped cash wage
Nodaily overtime
No state deadlinefinal pay if fired
3 yearstime limit to file (see details)

Where to file in Ohio

Wage claims in Ohio go to this state office. Filing is usually free.

Office
Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance, Bureau of Wage and Hour Administration
Phone
614-644-2239
Official wage claim page

For federal minimum wage and overtime you can also contact the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: 1-866-487-9243. How federal claims work.

How to file a wage claim in Ohio

  1. Gather your records

    Dates and hours worked, your pay rate, pay stubs or bank deposits, texts or schedules, and the employer's name and address.

  2. Ask in writing first (optional)

    A demand letter gives your employer a deadline to pay and shows you tried. Use the free letter on this page.

  3. File with Ohio Department of Commerce

    You can file a complaint with Ohio's Bureau of Wage and Hour Administration for unpaid minimum wage, unpaid overtime, unauthorized deductions, or a withheld final paycheck. Fill out the complaint form in ink, attach copies (not originals) of pay stubs and time records, have your signature notarized, and mail it to 6606 Tussing Road, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 (the page also links to an online filing system). An investigator looks into the claim at no cost to you. You can ask to stay anonymous until wages are to be paid, but you cannot use the state process and a private lawsuit at the same time.

  4. Watch the deadline

    3 years from the violation (or from when a continuing violation stopped) to sue for minimum-wage violations, or 1 year after the state notifies you of the final result of your complaint, whichever is later (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.14(K); Ohio Const. art. II, § 34a).

Minimum wage and overtime in Ohio

Ohio's minimum wage in 2026 is $11.00 an hour for non-tipped workers. It applies to employers with more than $405,000 in yearly gross receipts; smaller employers and workers under 16 must be paid at least the federal $7.25. The rate rises with inflation every January 1: it goes to $11.40 on January 1, 2027 (and the business-size threshold rises to $419,000).

Minimum wage (2026)
$11.00
Tipped cash wage
$5.50
Next change
$11.40 (tipped $5.70) on January 1, 2027

Overtime

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Ohio has no daily overtime rule. Employers with less than $150,000 in yearly sales, farm workers, and the usual federal exemptions (executive, administrative, professional, outside sales) are not covered by the state overtime law (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.03).

Paydays: At least twice a month: wages for the first half of a month are due by the 1st of the next month, and wages for the second half by the 15th of the next month. Weekly or daily pay is allowed (Ohio Rev. Code § 4113.15(A)).

Your final paycheck in Ohio

If you are fired or laid off
Ohio has no special final-paycheck deadline. Your last wages are due on the normal semi-monthly schedule: wages for the 1st-15th by the 1st of the next month, and wages for the rest of the month by the 15th of the next month (unless a shorter pay schedule applies).
If you quit
Same as when fired: no special rule; final wages are due on the regular schedule set by Ohio Rev. Code § 4113.15.
Law
Ohio Rev. Code § 4113.15(A)

When was your final paycheck due in Ohio?

Enter how your job ended and your last day of work. We show your state’s rule and, when the rule is a simple number of days or your next payday, the date.

Enter your last day of workThe result appears when you pick a date.

Dates are approximate: we skip weekends for business and working days but not holidays. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Penalties your employer may owe

For minimum-wage violations you can get your back wages plus an additional two times that amount (Ohio Const. art. II, § 34a; Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.14(J)). For unpaid overtime, a court can award the unpaid overtime plus costs and reasonable attorney fees (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.10(A)). If undisputed wages stay unpaid 30 days past the regular payday, the employer also owes 6% of the unpaid amount or $200, whichever is greater (Ohio Rev. Code § 4113.15(B)).

Retaliation and immigration status

Your employer may not fire or punish you for complaining to them or to the state about unpaid wages, or for testifying (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.13(B)). For retaliation under the minimum-wage amendment, damages must be at least $150 for each day the violation continued (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.14(J)).

Federal law also makes it illegal to fire or punish you for filing a wage complaint or cooperating in an investigation (US DOL Fact Sheet #77A).

The US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces federal wage law without regard to immigration status, and its services are free and confidential whether you are documented or not (US DOL).

Deductions and tips

The state investigates unauthorized deductions from pay. Tipped workers (who get more than $30 a month in tips) can be paid $5.50 an hour in 2026, but tips plus that wage must reach at least the full minimum wage, and the employer must be able to prove it.

Good to know in Ohio

  • Ohio's minimum wage only applies to employers with more than $405,000 in yearly gross receipts in 2026; others pay the federal $7.25.
  • The state cannot collect vacation pay, sick leave, holiday pay, or other promised benefits, and does not handle wrongful-termination claims.
  • Your complaint form must be notarized, and you can ask to stay anonymous until wages are paid.

Forms

Wage-theft calculator for Ohio

Work out what you should have been paid: at least the minimum wage for every hour, plus overtime. Then compare it with what you got.

If a higher city or county minimum wage applies where you work, enter that rate if it is more than you were promised.

Before taxes, if you know it. Leave it empty to see only what you were owed.

Fill in your pay, hours and weeksThe result appears as you type.

Ohio overtime rule: You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Ohio has no daily overtime rule. Employers with less than $150,000 in yearly sales, farm workers, and the usual federal exemptions (executive, administrative, professional, outside sales) are not covered by the state overtime law (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.03).

Penalties your employer may also owe in Ohio: For minimum-wage violations you can get your back wages plus an additional two times that amount (Ohio Const. art. II, § 34a; Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.14(J)). For unpaid overtime, a court can award the unpaid overtime plus costs and reasonable attorney fees (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.10(A)). If undisputed wages stay unpaid 30 days past the regular payday, the employer also owes 6% of the unpaid amount or $200, whichever is greater (Ohio Rev. Code § 4113.15(B)).

Tipped workers: this calculator does not count tips. In many states your employer may pay a lower cash wage if your tips make up the difference to the minimum wage; see your state’s page.

An estimate from the numbers you enter and Ohio’s rules, not legal advice. Nothing you type in this calculator is sent anywhere.

Free demand letter for unpaid wages

A short, firm letter asking your employer to pay what it owes by a deadline. Many workers get paid at this step, and in some states a written demand starts penalties or makes the employer pay your attorney fees later. Fill this in, then download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it), sign it, keep a copy and send it in a way you can prove, such as certified mail or an email you keep.

When you download or copy the letter, the details you typed are saved on our server. See our privacy policy.

The name on your pay stubs, checks or the business sign. If you only know the owner’s name, use that.

Use the calculator above if you are not sure.

We suggest 10 days.

What were you not paid? (required)

One or two sentences with dates, hours and amounts.

Questions about wage claims in Ohio

Where do I file a wage claim in Ohio?

With Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance, Bureau of Wage and Hour Administration. Phone: 614-644-2239. You can file a complaint with Ohio's Bureau of Wage and Hour Administration for unpaid minimum wage, unpaid overtime, unauthorized deductions, or a withheld final paycheck. Fill out the complaint form in ink, attach copies (not originals) of pay stubs and time records, have your signature notarized, and mail it to 6606 Tussing Road, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 (the page also links to an online filing system). An investigator looks into the claim at no cost to you. You can ask to stay anonymous until wages are to be paid, but you cannot use the state process and a private lawsuit at the same time.

What is the minimum wage in Ohio in 2026?

Ohio's minimum wage in 2026 is $11.00 an hour for non-tipped workers. It applies to employers with more than $405,000 in yearly gross receipts; smaller employers and workers under 16 must be paid at least the federal $7.25. The rate rises with inflation every January 1: it goes to $11.40 on January 1, 2027 (and the business-size threshold rises to $419,000).

Does Ohio have daily overtime?

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Ohio has no daily overtime rule. Employers with less than $150,000 in yearly sales, farm workers, and the usual federal exemptions (executive, administrative, professional, outside sales) are not covered by the state overtime law (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.03).

When is my final paycheck due in Ohio if I'm fired?

Ohio has no special final-paycheck deadline. Your last wages are due on the normal semi-monthly schedule: wages for the 1st-15th by the 1st of the next month, and wages for the rest of the month by the 15th of the next month (unless a shorter pay schedule applies).

When is my final paycheck due in Ohio if I quit?

Same as when fired: no special rule; final wages are due on the regular schedule set by Ohio Rev. Code § 4113.15.

How long do I have to file a wage claim in Ohio?

3 years from the violation (or from when a continuing violation stopped) to sue for minimum-wage violations, or 1 year after the state notifies you of the final result of your complaint, whichever is later (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.14(K); Ohio Const. art. II, § 34a).

What can my employer owe besides my wages in Ohio?

For minimum-wage violations you can get your back wages plus an additional two times that amount (Ohio Const. art. II, § 34a; Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.14(J)). For unpaid overtime, a court can award the unpaid overtime plus costs and reasonable attorney fees (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.10(A)). If undisputed wages stay unpaid 30 days past the regular payday, the employer also owes 6% of the unpaid amount or $200, whichever is greater (Ohio Rev. Code § 4113.15(B)).

Can my employer fire me for filing a wage claim in Ohio?

Your employer may not fire or punish you for complaining to them or to the state about unpaid wages, or for testifying (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.13(B)). For retaliation under the minimum-wage amendment, damages must be at least $150 for each day the violation continued (Ohio Rev. Code § 4111.14(J)).

Employer still won't pay? Small claims court is often the next step for amounts under the state limit.

Small claims in Ohio
Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.

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