Ohio's semi-monthly pay law puts final wages at the next regular payday or within 15 days of separation, whichever is sooner.
Law: Ohio Rev. Code §4113.15 · Rules checked October 2026
The same earlier-of deadline applies when you quit. The free wage claim for either path goes to the Ohio Department of Commerce, Wage and Hour Administration — the walkthrough in the kit lists its window and what to attach.
Ohio sets no automatic waiting-time penalty; unpaid wages are pursued through the Department of Commerce wage claim or court.
Your state lets the employer's own policy decide. If the handbook or your offer letter promises payout of accrued vacation — or the company has a practice of paying it — that promise is enforceable. If the policy says unused vacation is forfeited at separation, the state will generally hold you to it.
The free claim goes to Ohio Department of Commerce, Wage and Hour Administration. It costs nothing and you do not need a lawyer; what you need is the amount computed, the demand already sent where your state rewards one, and the file assembled.
Filing window: set by state law and shorter than people expect — file within weeks, not months.
Compute your Ohio verdict — free
General information from the published statute — not legal advice. Penalty figures elsewhere on this site are statutory maximums, with willfulness conditions named where the statute names them.