Ohio Minimum Wage 2027

Two minimum wages: $11.40 and $7.25

Ohio's rate depends on the size of the business. An employer whose gross receipts last year were more than $419,000 owes the state rate of $11.40 from January 1, 2027; at or below that line, Ohio requires only the federal minimum wage of $7.25. For 2026 the line is $405,000. Workers under 16, in practice 14- and 15-year-olds, are also owed only $7.25, whatever the size of the business.

For these two groups the constitution points to the federal minimum wage instead of a number of its own, so their $7.25 changes only if Congress changes the federal rate.

Where the 3.6% comes from

Ohio voters put the minimum wage into the state constitution in November 2006 (Article II, Section 34a): $6.85 from January 1, 2007, then a raise every year. On September 30 the state measures the change in the consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) over the 12 months ending in August, and the new rate takes effect the next January 1, rounded to the nearest five cents. The receipts line moves by the same percentage, rounded to the nearest $1,000; it started at $250,000.

For 2027 the Department of Commerce announced on September 30, 2026 that the CPI-W rose 3.5% from September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026, which turns $11.00 into $11.40 and $405,000 into $419,000.

Tipped workers: half the minimum, $5.70

The constitution lets an employer pay a tipped employee less than the minimum wage but not less than half of it, and only if the employer can show that wages plus tips reach the full rate for all hours worked. Half of $11.40 is $5.70 an hour in cash wages from January 1, 2027, up from $5.50.

Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati

Since March 21, 2017, Ohio law has said that no political subdivision shall establish a minimum wage rate different from the state rate (Ohio Revised Code 4111.02, as amended by Senate Bill 331). Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and every other city therefore use the same two numbers. What does differ from city to city is income tax, covered below.

Who is not covered, and overtime

• People employed on a casual basis in or around the employer's home or property.
• Family members of an owner working in a solely family-owned and operated business.
• Certain volunteers, and people employed by the United States.
• Workers with mental or physical disabilities whose employer holds a state license to pay less.

Overtime in Ohio is one and a half times the regular rate after 40 hours in a week. Employers with annual gross sales under $150,000 do not owe overtime under Ohio law. For salaried managers and professionals, Ohio uses the federal definitions, so the federal salary test of $684 a week ($35,568 a year) decides who is exempt.

$11.40 an hour over a year, and Ohio's tax line

Forty hours a week at $11.40 comes to $23,712 a year. That is below the $26,050 of taxable income on which Ohio charges no state income tax in 2026, so a full-time minimum wage job pays no Ohio income tax; above that line the rate is 2.75%. City income tax is another matter: most Ohio cities tax wages earned there, commonly 1%, and Columbus and Cleveland charge 2.5%. The table leaves city tax out; the Ohio paycheck calculator takes your city's rate.

Complaints and back pay

The Ohio Department of Commerce, Bureau of Wage and Hour Administration investigates unpaid minimum wage, unpaid overtime, unauthorized deductions and withheld final paychecks at no cost. The paper form has to be notarized, and a worker can stay anonymous until wages are paid. The bureau cannot collect vacation, sick or holiday pay. A worker may go to court instead, but not use both routes at the same time.

A lawsuit must be filed within three years of the violation, or within one year after the state closes a complaint, whichever is later. An employer found to have underpaid owes the back wages plus damages of twice that amount, along with costs and attorney's fees, within 30 days. Employers must keep records of hours and pay for at least three years after a worker leaves and give a copy free on request.

How this is calculated

Ohio is preselected, and the calculator uses the state rate for businesses over the receipts line: $11.00 today and $11.40 from January 1, 2027. If you work for a smaller business or are under 16, the federal $7.25 applies instead; the calculator does not ask for the size of the employer. Weekly pay is the rate times your hours, a year is 52 weeks and a month is a twelfth of the year.

After-tax pay applies 2026 federal income tax for a single filer, 6.2% Social Security, 1.45% Medicare and Ohio's 2026 income tax. School district and city income taxes are not included.