Ohio Overtime Laws for Hourly Employees (2026)

The rule

	Ohio
Weekly threshold	Over 40 hours in one workweek: 1.5 times the employee's wage rate
Daily threshold	None. Overtime is counted by the workweek
Employer coverage	Employers with annual gross volume of sales of $150,000 or more. Smaller employers are outside the state rule but may be covered by the FLSA
Method and exemptions	Applied in the manner of, and subject to the exemptions in, sections 7 and 13 of the FLSA, so federal executive, administrative, professional, and outside sales exemptions carry over
Ohio-specific exemptions	Agricultural employees, certain owner-operator motor carriers, babysitters and live-in companions, newspaper delivery, part-time or seasonal police and fire personnel, and legislative employees
Records	Employers must keep hours worked each day and each workweek, with rate of pay, for at least three years

How Ohio's rule tracks the federal one

Ohio wrote the federal overtime rule into state law. Section 4111.03 requires time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek and borrows the FLSA's calculation methods and exemptions, so the regular-rate rules, the fixed workweek, and the salary and duties tests are the same ones the U.S. Department of Labor applies. The Department of Commerce's 2026 minimum wage poster states the same rule and the $150,000 exception for small employers.

The practical difference is the $150,000 threshold. A very small business under it is not covered by Ohio's overtime statute, but an employer of that size can still be covered by the FLSA through interstate commerce, so most should assume the 40-hour rule applies either way.

Worked example: a 25-person landscaping company

A crew lead paid $22 an hour works 10, 10, 10, 10, and 4 hours during a spring push: 44 hours in the workweek.

Ohio has no daily overtime, so the four 10-hour days earn regular pay on their own.
40 hours at $22: $880. 4 hours at $33 (1.5 times $22): $132. Gross: $1,012.
Ohio requires the employer to keep the hours worked each day and each workweek for at least three years, so the daily punches behind that $1,012 have to be kept, not just the weekly total.

How to track it

Ohio's recordkeeping requirement is as important as the rate: hours worked each day and each workweek, by employee, kept for three years and open to inspection. A time clock that stores each punch and totals by the company's workweek satisfies both at once.

ClockOut keeps every punch with its timestamp, totals hours by workweek, flags employees projected to pass 40 before the week ends, and exports daily hours by employee for the records file.

Ohio overtime FAQ

Does Ohio have daily overtime?

No. Ohio Revised Code 4111.03 counts overtime by hours over 40 in one workweek, the same as the federal FLSA.

What is the $150,000 rule?

Ohio's overtime statute applies to employers whose annual gross volume of sales is $150,000 or more. Smaller employers are outside the state rule, but they may still be covered by the federal FLSA, which has its own coverage tests.

Who is exempt from overtime in Ohio?

Anyone exempt under sections 7 and 13 of the FLSA, including executive, administrative, professional, and outside sales employees, plus the Ohio-specific categories such as agricultural employees, live-in companions, and newspaper delivery.

How long must Ohio employers keep time records?

At least three years, showing each employee's name, address, occupation, rate of pay, amount paid each pay period, and hours worked each day and each workweek.

Sources, checked September 9, 2026

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; check the linked source.