(A) Every employer doing business in this state shall, on or before the first day of each month, pay all its employees the wages earned by them during the first half of the preceding month ending with the fifteenth day thereof, and shall, on or before the fifteenth day of each month, pay such employees the wages earned by them during the last half of the preceding calendar month. If at any time of payment an employee is absent from the employee's regular place of labor and does not receive payment of wages through an authorized representative, such person shall be entitled to said payment at any time thereafter upon demand upon the proper paymaster at the place where such wages are usually paid and where such pay is due. This section does not prohibit the daily or weekly payment of wages. The use of a longer time lapse that is customary to a given trade, profession or occupation, or establishment of a different time lapse by written contract or by operation of law.

(B) Where wages remain unpaid for thirty days beyond the regularly scheduled payday or, in the case where no regularly scheduled payday is applicable, for sixty days beyond the filing by the employee of a claim or for sixty days beyond the date of the agreement, award, or other act making wages payable and no contest court order or dispute of any wage claim including the assertion of a counterclaim exists accounting for nonpayment, the employer, in addition, as liquidated damages, is liable to the employee in an amount equal to six per cent of the amount of the claim still unpaid and not in contest or disputed or two hundred dollars, whichever is greater.

(C) In the absence of a contest, court order or dispute, an employer who is party to an agreement to pay or provide fringe benefits to an employee or to make any employee authorized deduction becomes a trustee of any funds required by such agreement to be paid to any person, organization, or governmental agency from the time that the duty to make such payment arises. No person shall, without reasonable justification or excuse for such failure, knowingly fail or refuse to pay to the appropriate person, organization, or governmental agency the amount necessary to provide the benefits or accomplish the purpose of any employee authorized deduction, within thirty days after the close of the pay period during which the employee earned or had deducted the amount of money necessary to pay for the fringe benefit or make any employee authorized deduction. A failure or refusal to pay, regardless of the number of employee pay accounts involved, constitutes one offense for the first delinquency of thirty days and a separate offense for each successive delinquency of thirty days.

(D) As used in this section and section 4113.16 of the Revised Code:

(1) "Wage" means the net amount of money payable to an employee, including any guaranteed pay or reimbursement for expenses, less any federal, state, or local taxes withheld; any deductions made pursuant to a written agreement for the purpose of providing the employee with any fringe benefits; and any employee authorized deduction.

(2) "Fringe benefits" includes but is not limited to health, welfare, or retirement benefits, whether paid for entirely by the employer or on the basis of a joint employer-employee contribution, or vacation, separation, or holiday pay.

(3) "Employee authorized deduction" includes but is not limited to deductions for the purpose of any of the following:

(a) Purchase of United States savings bonds or corporate stocks or bonds;

(b) A charitable contribution;

(c) Credit union savings or other regular savings program;

(d) Repayment of a loan or other obligation.

(4) "Employer" means an individual, firm, partnership, association, or corporation, but does not include a franchisor with respect to the franchisor's relationship with a franchisee or an employee of a franchisee, unless either of the following applies:

(a) The franchisor agrees to assume that role in writing.

(b) A court of competent jurisdiction determines that the franchisor exercises a type or degree of control over the franchisee or the franchisee's employees that is not customarily exercised by a franchisor for the purpose of protecting the franchisor's trademark, brand, or both.

(5) "Franchisor" and "franchisee" have the same meanings as in 16 C.F.R. 436.1.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 494, §1, eff. 3/20/2019.

Effective Date: 01-01-1974 .