Ohio's minimum wage increases Jan. 1

Ohio’s minimum wage is scheduled to increase on Jan. 1, 2013 to $7.85 per hour for non-tipped employees and to $3.93 per hour for tipped employees, plus tips.

The 2012 Ohio minimum wage is $7.70 per hour for non-tipped employees and $3.85 for tipped employees, plus tips.

On Jan. 1, 2013, the increased minimum wage will apply to employees of businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $288,000 per year.

The 2012 Ohio minimum wage applies to employees of businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $283,000 per year.

The Constitutional Amendment passed by Ohio voters in November 2006 states that Ohio’s minimum wage shall increase on January 1 of each year by the rate of inflation.

The state minimum wage is tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban wage earners and clerical workers for the 12-month period prior to September. This CPI index rose 1.7 percent from Sept. 1, 2011 to Aug. 31, 2012.

The amendment also states that the wage rate for non-tipped employees shall be rounded to the nearest five cents.

The Constitutional Amendment is available at: www.legislature.state.oh.us/constitution.cfm?Part=2&Section=34a.
For employees at smaller companies (with annual gross receipts of $283,000 or less per year in 2012 or $288,000 or less per year after Jan. 1, 2013) and for 14- and 15-year-olds, the state minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

For these employees, the state wage is tied to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour which requires an act of Congress and the president’s signature to change.

Information on Ohio’s 2013 minimum wage is available at http://www.com.ohio.gov/laws/docs/dico_2013MinimumWageposter.pdf.