Illinois Employment Laws for Employers

Illinois' minimum wage is $15.00 per hour for employers of 4 or more employees (excluding family members), for employees 18 and older. (State Minimum Wage Laws (U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division table, updated July 1, 2026))

“Illinois Applicable to employers of 4 or more employees, excluding family members Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $15.00”

“Beginning January 1, 2025, the minimum wage in Illinois is $15.00 per hour for those individuals who are 18 years and older.”

dol.gov · labor.illinois.gov

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• Executive administrative professional: Illinois executive, administrative and professional employees may be paid monthly. (State Payday Requirements (U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division table, January 1, 2023))

  “2 Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, and Virginia. Monthly payday requirements for Executive, Administrative, and Professional personnel.”

  “Wages of executive, administrative and professional employees as defined in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, may be paid once per month.”

  dol.gov · labor.illinois.gov · verified Sep 27, 2026 · 2 official sources

• General rule: Illinois employers must pay wages at least semi-monthly. (State Payday Requirements (U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division table, January 1, 2023))

  “Illinois X X 2”

  “Every employer is required to pay all wages earned at least semi-monthly. The wages are to be paid no later than 13 days after the end of the pay period in which the wages were earned.”

  dol.gov · labor.illinois.gov · verified Sep 27, 2026 · 2 official sources

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Employees who work 7.5 continuous hours or more must get a meal period of at least 20 minutes, beginning no later than 5 hours after the start of the work period, plus an additional 20-minute meal period for every additional 4.5 continuous hours worked. (Minimum Length of Meal Period Required under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (U.S. DOL WHD table, January 1, 2023))

“At least 20 minutes, no later than 5 hours after the start of the work period, to employees who work 7 ½ continuous hours or more.”

“Employees must also be given a meal period of at least 20 minutes for every 7.5-hour shift beginning no later than 5 hours after the start of the shift, with an additional 20-minute meal period for every additional 4.5 continuous hours worked.”

dol.gov · labor.illinois.gov

One more case for this topic is pending verification. Official source.

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• Accrual: Where the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act applies (it does not cover the City of Chicago or Cook County, which have their own paid leave ordinances), employees earn at least 1 hour of paid leave (usable for any reason, including sickness) for every 40 hours worked; employers may front-load instead. (Illinois DOL, Paid Leave for All Workers Act FAQ)

  “Under the Act, employees can earn at least 1 hour of paid time off for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours in a 12-month period.”

  “The law entitles employees to earn 1 hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year,”

  labor.illinois.gov · labor.illinois.gov · verified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official pages from the same agency

• Annual cap: Where the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act applies (not in the City of Chicago or Cook County, which have their own paid leave ordinances), employees can earn and use up to 40 hours of paid leave per 12-month period (employers may provide more). (Illinois DOL, Paid Leave for All Workers Act FAQ)

  Same official text as quoted above (see the quote; Illinois DOL, Paid Leave for All Workers Act FAQ · labor.illinois.gov).

  Same official text as quoted above (see the quote; Illinois DOL, Paid Leave for All Workers Act fact sheet · labor.illinois.gov).

  labor.illinois.gov · labor.illinois.gov · verified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official pages from the same agency

• Effective date: The Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act took effect January 1, 2024 (it does not cover the City of Chicago or Cook County, which have their own paid leave ordinances); accrual begins at the start of employment or January 1, 2024, whichever is later, and employees may start using leave after 90 days. (Illinois DOL, Paid Leave for All Workers Act FAQ)

  “PLAWA went into effect on January 1, 2024. Accrual of paid leave begins upon the start of employment or January 1, 2024, whichever is later. Employees are entitled to begin using the accrued paid leave after 90 days.”

  “SPRINGFIELD - Workers in Illinois will begin earning paid time off on January 1, 2024.”

  labor.illinois.gov · gov.illinois.gov · verified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official pages from the same agency

Note: The Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act does not apply to workers and employers in the City of Chicago or Cook County. Chicago and Cook County have their own paid leave ordinances; check the local rule there. (Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act (820 ILCS 192); Illinois DOL PLAWA FAQ)

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Illinois recognizes the tort of retaliatory discharge: an employer may fire an at-will employee for any reason or no reason, except when the discharge violates a clearly mandated public policy (Kelsay v. Motorola; Palmateer v. International Harvester). The Illinois Supreme Court describes the tort as limited and narrow. (Turner v. Memorial Medical Center, 233 Ill. 2d 494 (2009) (Ill. Sup. Ct. Docket No. 107317), quoting Barr v. Kelso-Burnett Co., 106 Ill. 2d 520 (1985); Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions (Civil), 250.00 Retaliatory Discharge, Comments)

“The common law doctrine that an employer may discharge an employee-at-will for any reason or for no reason is still the law in Illinois, except for when the discharge violates a clearly mandated public policy.”

“The common law doctrine that an employer may discharge an employee-at-will for any reason or for no reason remains the law in Illinois, except when the discharge violates a clearly mandated public policy.”

illinoiscourts.gov · illinoiscourts.gov

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Illinois recognizes that an employee handbook or other policy statement can create enforceable contractual rights that limit at-will employment when the traditional requirements for contract formation are met (Duldulao v. Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center). (Ross v. May Co. (Ill. App. Ct., 1st Dist., No. 1-06-0239, 2007), quoting Duldulao v. Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center, 115 Ill. 2d 482, 490 (1987); Unterschuetz v. City of Chicago (Ill. App. Ct., 1st Dist., No. 1-02-2871), discussing Duldulao v. Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center, 115 Ill. 2d 482, 490 (1987))

“Our supreme court crafted an exception to this rule where " 'an employee handbook or other policy statement creates enforceable contractual rights if the traditional requirements for contract formation are present.' "”

“For example, plaintiff notes the supreme court's decision in Duldulao v. Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center, 115 Ill. 2d 482, 490 (1987), which held that "an employee handbook or other policy statement creates enforceable contractual rights" if three conditions were met: (1) it contains "a promise clear enough that an employee would reasonably believe that an offer has been made"; (2) "the employee is aware of its contents and reasonably believes it to be an offer"; and (3) the employee accepts the offer "by commencing or continuing to work after learning of the policy statement."”

illinoiscourts.gov · illinoiscourts.gov

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Illinois employers must give the IDES pamphlet 'What Every Worker Should Know About Unemployment Insurance' to each worker laid off for seven days or more or separated for any reason, at the time of separation; if that is impracticable, it must be mailed to the worker's last known address within five days of separation. (IDES pamphlet CLI111L, What Every Worker Should Know About Unemployment Insurance)

“When workers are laid off for a period of seven days or more or are separated from the payroll for any reason, employers are required to provide them with a copy of this publication. If it is not practical to provide copies at the work site, the publication should be mailed to employees’ last known address within five calendar days of separation.”

“Each employer shall deliver the pamphlet “What Every Worker Should Know About Unemployment Insurance” to each worker separated from employment for an expected duration of seven or more days. The pamphlet shall be delivered to the worker at the time of separation or, if delivery is impracticable, mailed within five days after the date of the separation to the worker’s last known address.”

ides.illinois.gov · ides.illinois.gov

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