Last verified October 25, 2026 · How we verify
Ohio break laws
Ohio sets no break rules of its own. What federal law still requires, how overtime and teen work hours are limited in Ohio, and where to complain.
Ohio sets no break rules of its own. What federal law still requires, how overtime and teen work hours are limited in Ohio, and where to complain.
Ohio has no state law requiring meal or rest breaks for adult workers, so breaks are up to your employer. Federal pay rules still apply to any break you do get. Overtime is due after 40 hours in a workweek; there is no daily overtime.
Ohio has no state law requiring meal or rest breaks for adult private-sector employees. It is not listed in the U.S. Department of Labor's tables of state meal-period and rest-period laws, which list every state that has one.
“States not listed do not require paid rest periods.”
So only the federal rules apply. Federal law does not require meal or rest breaks. Short breaks (about 5 to 20 minutes) that an employer gives count as paid work time; meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid if the employee is completely relieved of duty.
“Rest periods of short duration, running from 5 minutes to about 20 minutes, are common in industry”— 29 CFR 785.18-785.19 (rest and meal periods)
Verified October 26, 2026 · Sources (DOL tables last revised January 1, 2023): U.S. DOL, Minimum Length of Meal Period Required under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector; U.S. DOL, Minimum Paid Rest Period Requirements under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector
Ohio law requires 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Businesses with annual sales under $150,000 are left out of the state overtime rule, though federal law may still cover you.
“shall pay an employee for overtime at a wage rate of one and one-half times the employee's wage rate”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Ohio Revised Code 4111.03
Nursing employees also have a federal right to reasonable unpaid break time and a private place, not a bathroom, to pump breast milk for one year after the birth. What the federal pump-break rule covers.
Rules for adult, non-exempt private-sector workers. Industry orders, union contracts, local laws and exemptions can change the answer. General reference, not legal advice.
Teen workers in Ohio have limits on how long and how late they can work. Where the Ohio and federal limits differ, the stricter one applies. Ohio is also one of 33 states with a separate meal-break rule for minors; when a teen is covered by both the adult and the minor rule, the employer must follow the higher standard (U.S. DOL). Ask the Ohio labor department for its details.
| Age | Hour limits | Can't work between |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 (Ohio) | Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week School days and weeks: up to 3 hours a day and 18 a week | 7 p.m. (9 p.m. June 1 to Sept. 1 and during school holidays of 5 school days or more) to 7 a.m., 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. in door-to-door sales. |
| 16 and 17 (Ohio) | No state limit listed | 11 p.m. before school day to 7 a.m. on school day (6 a.m. if not employed after 8 p.m. previous night) if required to attend school. 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. in door-to-door sales. |
| Under 16 (federal) | Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week School days and weeks: up to 3 hours a day and 18 a week | 7 p.m. (9 p.m. June 1 through Labor Day) to 7 a.m. |
| 16 and 17 (federal) | No hour limits | No night limits |
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment, as of July 15, 2025. School-day limits usually apply only to students.
Because Ohio has no break law, there is no state claim for a missed break itself. But if your employer deducts short breaks (5 to 20 minutes) from your pay, or you work through an unpaid lunch, that is unpaid work time under federal law. File a free complaint online with the Ohio Department of Commerce, Bureau of Wage and Hour Administration. It investigates unpaid minimum wage or overtime, unauthorized deductions and last paychecks being held. No filing deadline is stated. Official page ↗ Verified October 25, 2026
You can also call the federal Wage and Hour Division free at 1-866-487-9243. Firing or punishing you for a wage complaint is illegal.
Since April 9, 2025, your employer must give you a paper or electronic pay statement each pay period showing gross and net pay, each deduction and its purpose, the pay period and pay date, and hours worked if you are paid hourly. Source ↗ Verified October 25, 2026
Paid break time counts as hours worked, at no less than Ohio's minimum wage of $11.00 an hour, rising to $11.40 on January 1, 2027. Ohio minimum wage details ↗ Keep your own record to compare: the time card calculator totals your week with Ohio's rules and saves a PDF.
| State | Meal break | Rest breaks | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Indiana | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Kentucky | A reasonable lunch period, starting between the 3rd and 5th hour of the shift | A paid 10-minute rest break in each 4 hours | Weekly, 40 h |
| Michigan | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Pennsylvania | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| West Virginia | A 20-minute meal break for workdays of 6 or more hours | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
See all 50 states and DC.
Every rule on this page was checked against the official source below; the quotes are verbatim and were found in the source on the date shown next to each rule. This page was last verified on October 25, 2026, the oldest of those dates. How we verify.