Short answer: As of November 2026, the Illinois minimum wage is $15.00 an hour ($9.00 for tipped workers), and Chicago's is higher at $17.05. Illinois requires a 20-minute meal period for shifts of 7.5 continuous hours, 24 consecutive hours of rest in every seven-day period, overtime after 40 hours a week and up to 40 hours of paid leave a year under the Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Chicago adds its own paid leave and Fair Workweek scheduling rules.
EZTime labor rule alerts flag overtime and missed rest periods before payroll.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws change; check your state labor department or an employment attorney before making decisions.
Illinois combines state rules that apply everywhere with city rules in Chicago that go further. This guide covers the requirements hourly employers deal with most, with links to the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL), the Illinois Compiled Statutes and the City of Chicago.
The Illinois Department of Labor lists these statewide rates:
| Category | Hourly minimum |
|---|---|
| Employees 18 and older | $15.00 |
| Tipped employees (60% of the minimum wage, plus tips) | $9.00 |
| Employees under 18 who work fewer than 650 hours in a calendar year | $13.00 |
If a tipped employee's tips do not bring total pay up to $15.00 an hour, the employer must make up the difference. Track hours for workers under 18 during the year, because once they pass 650 hours the adult rate applies.
Chicago sets its own higher minimum, which rises every July 1. According to the city's Office of Labor Standards, from July 1, 2026, the Chicago minimum wage for employers with four or more employees is $17.05 per hour and the tipped minimum wage is $12.96. The city's materials state that the youth rate now matches the full $17.05 and that the tipped wage stays at $12.96 until the next scheduled increase on July 1, 2028. Cook County and some suburbs have their own ordinances, so check each location.
The Illinois Minimum Wage Law requires overtime at one and one-half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, matching the federal rule. There is no daily overtime. With a $15.00 minimum, an overtime hour costs at least $22.50 statewide and $25.58 in Chicago. Our FLSA overtime rules guide covers the regular rate, bonuses and exemptions in more depth.
The One Day Rest in Seven Act (ODRISA) sets two rules most Illinois employers must build into their schedules.
Under 820 ILCS 140/3, employees who are to work 7.5 continuous hours must be given at least a 20-minute meal period that begins no later than 5 hours after the start of the work period. Employees who work more than 7.5 continuous hours get an additional 20-minute meal period for every additional 4.5 continuous hours. Reasonable restroom time does not count as the meal period. Employees whose meal periods are set by a collective bargaining agreement, and certain on-call monitoring and EMS employees, are handled differently.
| Continuous shift length | Minimum meal periods |
|---|---|
| Under 7.5 hours | None required by ODRISA |
| 7.5 to under 12 hours | One 20-minute meal period, starting by hour 5 |
| 12 hours or more | A second 20-minute meal period |
Example: a warehouse employee starts at 6:00 a.m. for a 10-hour shift. The first meal period must start by 11:00 a.m. If the same employee works a 13-hour shift, a second 20-minute meal period is required.
Under 820 ILCS 140/2, covered employees must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in every consecutive seven-day period, in addition to daily meal periods. Part-time employees who work 20 hours or fewer a week, along with some agricultural, coal mining and union-covered employees, are exempt. A rolling seven-day check catches problems that a calendar-week view misses, such as an employee who works Thursday through the following Wednesday without a day off.
Since January 1, 2024, the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (PLAWA) lets employees in Illinois earn up to 40 hours of paid leave in a 12-month period, usable for any reason (IDOL PLAWA page). Key rules from 820 ILCS 192:
To set accrual rates and check balances, use our PTO accrual calculator.
Chicago employers follow the city's Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance instead of PLAWA. The city's 2026 labor law materials say eligible employees (those who work at least 80 hours within any 120-day period) can receive up to five days of paid leave and five days of paid sick leave. For the paid leave portion, employees accrue one hour for every 35 hours worked, up to 40 hours in a 12-month period, must be allowed to use it by the 90th day of employment, and may carry over up to 16 hours if leave is not front-loaded. Since July 1, 2026, workers can also enforce these rights through a private lawsuit.
Chicago's Fair Workweek Ordinance requires covered employers to give predictable schedules. According to the city's Fair Workweek page, it covers employees in building services, healthcare, hotels, manufacturing, restaurants, retail and warehouse services who earn at or below the city's published wage thresholds ($33.85 per hour or $64,945.55 per year as currently listed), when the employer has at least 100 employees globally (250 employees and 30 locations for restaurants). Covered employees must receive their schedules at least 14 days in advance and may decline hours that start less than 10 hours after the end of the previous day's shift; schedule changes after posting can require premium pay. Our guide to predictive scheduling laws compares Chicago with other cities.
Under 820 ILCS 115/3, employers must pay wages at least semi-monthly; executive, administrative and professional employees may be paid monthly. Under 820 ILCS 115/5, final compensation is due at separation if possible and no later than the next regularly scheduled payday. Earned vacation under your policy must be paid out at the final rate of pay, and policies cannot provide for forfeiture of earned vacation at separation.
Comparing states? See how different the rules are in our Texas labor laws guide.
EZTime's scheduling software lets you publish schedules weeks ahead, keeps a record of changes, and handles shift swaps with manager approval. Labor rule alerts flag approaching overtime and missed breaks, the time clock records actual meal periods from the mobile app, kiosk or NFC tags, and PTO balances accrue automatically. Exports in Excel or PDF work with any payroll software. Plans start at $2 per employee per month with a 14-day trial; see pricing.
As of November 2026, $15.00 per hour for adults, $9.00 for tipped employees and $13.00 for workers under 18 who work fewer than 650 hours a year. Chicago’s minimum is $17.05 from July 1, 2026.
Yes. Employees working 7.5 continuous hours must get at least 20 minutes for a meal, starting no later than 5 hours into the work period.
The One Day Rest in Seven Act requires at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in every consecutive seven-day period for covered employees.
No. Employers covered by Chicago’s paid leave ordinance follow the city ordinance instead, which provides paid leave and separate paid sick leave.
Yes. Earned vacation under the employer’s policy must be paid as part of final compensation, and policies cannot make it forfeit at separation.