(The Center Square) – Soon, Ohio employers will have to give paystubs to employees, a move advocates say will help identify wage theft cases across the state.
Gov. Mike DeWine recently signed the Pay Stub Protection Act into law, which removes Ohio from a list of only nine states that did not require employers to provide paystubs to employees.
The bipartisan law will take effect in 90 days.
“For too long, Ohio was one of the few states where workers lacked a fundamental protection – the right to receive a pay stub,” said Rep. Dontagvius Jarrells, D-Columbus. “With this new law, every hardworking Ohioan will have the documentation they need to verify their wages, hours, and deductions without the burden of legal battles. This is a game-changer for working families.”
Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit research institute based in Cleveland, said the new law should make it easier for employees to identify pay errors and provide evidence of wage theft.
“Providing a pay stub is a simple way for employers to be transparent with their employees, so workers can confirm they are being paid correctly for all the hours they work,” Policy Matters Researcher Heather Smith said. “Pay stubs also help workers keep tabs on their tax withholdings, understand their classification as an employee or contractor, and in some cases, clarify who is their official employer.”
The move to require pay stubs began in 2020 with a report and the first proposed legislation that never left committee. Four years later, the bill passed during last month’s lame duck session and was signed by DeWine.
“It can be easy to overlook the value of something as common and simple as a paystub,” Policy Matters Executive Director Hannah Halbert said. “But when you consider how many Ohioans are going to benefit from this and how long people have been fighting for this basic protection, the value is clear. The Pay Stub Protection Act is a policy win for Ohio.”
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Dakota and Tennessee do not require employees to receive a paystub.