Human Resource Blog

Ohio Minimum Wage

	Compensation
Employee Payroll Action Form W-4 Employee Withholding Allowance Cert. Employee Payroll Status/Change Form Direct Deposit Form Total Compensation Summary

	Labor Laws
Complete State & Federal Labor Law Posters 1 Year Compliance Protection Plan State ONLY Labor Law Posters Federal Labor Law Posters

What is the new 2008 minimum wage in Ohio?

Minimum wage earners in Ohio began getting $7.00 an hour starting January 1, 2008. That’s an increase of 15 cents an hour from the old rate of $6.85.

Tipped workers, exempt from minimum wage laws in many states, are getting $3.50 an hour in Ohio now.

The minimum wage increase wasn’t the only significant change in Ohio’s labor law during the past two years. A new smoking ban makes it against the law to smoke in public place and in almost every workplace. Employers must post noticeable non-smoking signs at every entrance.

With every change in the Ohio labor law, employers are obliged to display updated labor law posters reflecting those changes. To stay abreast of the changes, it’s helpful to join a labor law poster service. Such services provide good-quality posters (laminated), and they update those posters automatically with each change. Human Resource professionals find the service useful.

Ohio minimum wage law does not cover employees in businesses with gross yearly revenues of less than $255,000. They are instead covered by the federal minimum wage law, which now guarantees $5.85 per hour. When the federal minimum wage goes up on July 24, 2008, the rate will be $6.55 per hour. The federal law covers workers who are 14 and 15 years old as well.

Ohio labor law covers overtime as well as the minimum wage. If a business grosses more than $150,000 annually, then it must pay an overtime rate of 1.5 times the normal pay for all hours over 40 per week. Under that $150,000 yearly ceiling, a business may be covered by federal overtime law. Federal law also guarantees 1.5 times the normal rate for any hours over 40 a week.

Ohio’s overtime law does not cover certain workers, including outside salespeople paid on commission and employees of a charity or a non-profit camp or recreational area for minors. Baby-sitters and live-in companions are excluded from overtime protection, but housekeepers are covered. Family members are exempted, as long as they are employed by a family owned and operated establishment and they are related to the owner. JH