Prepare for Ohio’s 2022 minimum wage increase

Effective January 1, 2022, Ohio’s minimum wage will increase from $8.80 to $9.30 per hour for nontipped employees. The minimum wage for tipped employees will increase from $4.40 to $4.65 per hour. The 2022 wage increase will apply to employees of businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $342,000. For employees of smaller businesses, and 14- and 15- year-olds, the state minimum wage will remain the same as the federal minimum wage, $7.25 per hour.

Details of the increase

A Constitutional Amendment passed by Ohio voters in 2006 ties Ohio’s minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers for the 12-month period before September. This index increased by 5.8 percent over the 12-month period from September 1, 2020, to August 31, 2021.

Ohio is one of 18 states that makes automatic adjustments to the state minimum wage.

In contrast, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour requires an act of Congress and the president’s signature to change.

Ohio employers also need to obtain and post updated Ohio Minimum Wage and Overtime posters. They should be posted in an easily visible location, such as an employee break room or other common space accessible by employees.

Franck Wobst is an attorney in the labor and employment department of Porter Wright’s Columbus, Ohio, office. He can be reached at 614-227-2266 or fwobst@porterwright.com.