If your employer hasn't paid your final wages, Ohio law gives you specific deadlines and specific penalties — and a properly cited demand letter is how you invoke both. Here is exactly what Ohio Rev. Code § 4113.15 requires, and what it costs your employer to ignore it.

Ohio's final paycheck deadlines at a glance

If you were fired or laid off By the regular payday — wages become actionable 30 days past it (ORC § 4113.15)
If you quit Same — the regular payday for the period worked
The penalty for nonpayment Liquidated damages: the greater of 6% of the unpaid amount or $200 (§ 4113.15(B)); minimum-wage claims add back wages plus two times that amount under Ohio Const. art. II, § 34a

Ohio's prompt-pay framework

ORC § 4113.15(A) requires employers to pay on regular semimonthly paydays — wages earned in the first half of a month by the first of the next, and second-half wages by the fifteenth. Your final wages are due on the regular payday for your last pay period, whether you quit or were fired.

The 30-day liquidated damages trigger

Section 4113.15(B) is the teeth: when wages remain unpaid for 30 days past the scheduled payday and the employer has no good-faith dispute accounting for the nonpayment, liquidated damages attach automatically — the greater of 6% of the unpaid amount or $200. On a typical final paycheck, the $200 floor is the operative number, and each successive 30-day delinquency constitutes a separate offense.

The minimum-wage overlay

If your unpaid wages dip your effective pay below Ohio's minimum wage, the Ohio Constitution (art. II, § 34a) and ORC § 4111.14 add a far heavier remedy: back wages plus an additional two times that amount as damages, plus a burden-shifting records demand that forces your employer to prove its own payroll. For most unpaid-final-paycheck cases, though, § 4113.15 is the workhorse.

Enforcement is cheap and fast here

Greene County and every other Ohio county runs small claims dockets where you can file for up to $6,000 without a lawyer, and the Ohio Department of Commerce's Bureau of Wage & Hour takes complaints at no cost. A demand letter citing § 4113.15(B), with the 30-day clock and liquidated damages computed, signals you know both paths — and that the cost of stalling just became concrete.

What a strong Ohio demand letter looks like

An effective letter states the exact amount owed and the statutory deadline that was missed, cites Ohio Rev. Code § 4113.15 by name, computes the penalty exposure in dollars, and sets a firm response deadline before escalation. Here's how the opening of a strong one reads:

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Ohio Final Paycheck Demand — Preview
[Your Name] [Your Address] [City, OH ZIP] [Date] [Employer Name] [Employer Address] RE: Demand for Payment of Unpaid Final Wages — Ohio Revised Code § 4113.15 Dear [Employer Name], I am writing to formally demand payment of my unpaid final wages in the amount of $[AMOUNT], earned through my last day of work on [LAST DAY WORKED]. Under Ohio Revised Code § 4113.15(A), these wages were due on my regularly scheduled payday. As of today, [NUMBER] days have passed without payment. Be advised that under § 4113.15(B), wages remaining unpaid for thirty days beyond the scheduled payday, absent a good-faith dispute, render you liable for liquidated damages in the amount of six percent of the sum unpaid or two hundred dollars, whichever is greater... Accordingly, demand is hereby made for payment of $[AMOUNT], together with all statutory penalties described above, within ten (10) days of the date of this letter — no later than [RESPONSE DEADLINE]. If payment is not received by that date, I will pursue every remedy available under law — including filing with the appropriate state agency and in small claims court — without further notice. I would prefer to resolve this without litigation — but I am fully prepared to proceed. Govern yourself accordingly, [Your Name]

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This guide is general information about Ohio law, not legal advice. Statutes are paraphrased; verify current law for your situation. For significant or contested claims, consult a licensed Ohio attorney.