Chicago Wage and Leave Rights

General information, not an assessment of any person's case.

Reading scope: City of Chicago; Illinois and federal wage rules may separately apply

Sources read 2026-10-25. A retrieval date is not a certification that the law remains unchanged.

How Chicago rules fit with other wage rules

City of Chicago coverage. This page summarizes City of Chicago rules. Illinois and federal wage rules may also matter. Under the City minimum-wage ordinance, a covered employee must receive at least the greatest applicable City, Illinois, or federal minimum wage. This page does not decide which rule applies to a particular job or worker. Read Municipal Code of Chicago § 6-105-020.

Chicago minimum wage

Chicago states that, as of July 1, 2026, its minimum wage is $17.05 per hour for employers with four or more employees. The City states that the tipped-worker minimum wage for those employers is $12.96 per hour. If a tipped worker’s wages plus tips do not reach the full minimum wage, the City says the employer must make up the difference. Check the City’s current minimum-wage page.

The City code uses a location-based definition. For this ordinance, a covered employee generally performs at least two hours of work for an employer in a two-week period while physically in Chicago. Compensated travel in the City can count, while unpaid commuting does not. The code includes domestic workers and also lists exclusions and special rules, including a general small-employer exclusion other than for domestic workers. Read Municipal Code of Chicago § 6-105-010.

Chicago says its minimum wage changes every July 1 under the ordinance. For the rate for the relevant date, check the City’s current page and annual notice. Open the City’s rate and notice resource.

Chicago paid leave and paid sick leave

The City says an employee who works at least 80 hours for an employer in Chicago within a 120-day period is covered by its paid-leave ordinance. The code uses a physical-presence test and contains definitions and exceptions that can matter, including special treatment for domestic workers and some governmental work. Read the City’s paid-leave overview Read Municipal Code of Chicago § 6-130-010.

For covered employees, paid leave and paid sick leave begin to accrue on the first calendar day after employment begins. For every 35 hours worked, the ordinance calls for at least one hour of paid leave and one hour of paid sick leave. It sets a minimum accrual cap of 40 hours of each type in a 12-month period unless an employer sets a higher limit. The rules also address use, carryover, front-loading, notice, and employer policies. Read Municipal Code of Chicago § 6-130-030.

Leave accrual — in plain language. Here, accrual means building up paid leave or paid sick leave under the Chicago ordinance. It is different from when leave may be used and from a filing deadline. Chicago paid leave only. Coverage and the ordinance’s other conditions remain in the explanation below. Municipal Code of Chicago § 6-130-030, Paid sick leave and paid leave →

Under the ordinance, an employer must allow use of accrued paid sick leave no later than 30 calendar days after employment starts and accrued paid leave no later than 90 calendar days after employment starts. Paid leave may be used for a reason chosen by the covered employee; paid sick leave has the health, safety, and public-health uses listed in the ordinance. A policy that meets or exceeds the ordinance can satisfy the City minimum, so the employer’s written policy and the full ordinance both matter. Read the use and policy provisions.

The code generally calls for written information about available paid leave and paid sick leave when wages are paid, with a monthly alternative for employers that credit time monthly. It also requires a written paid-time-off policy at the start of employment and before certain changes. Read Municipal Code of Chicago § 6-130-050.

City resources and complaint process

The City’s Office of Labor Standards says it processes complaints, conducts investigations, mediates disputes, directs settlement proceedings, and may issue violations. The City directs people to file a labor-law complaint by calling 311, using CHI 311, or using the City complaint form. Visit the Office of Labor Standards page.

The City states that retaliation for filing an Office of Labor Standards complaint is prohibited. Read the City’s minimum-wage notice information.

An Office of Labor Standards complaint is a City administrative process. The City code also separately describes private civil actions for certain minimum-wage underpayment and paid-leave matters. This page does not list or calculate a filing deadline. Do not assume that an agency complaint and a court action are the same process. Read Municipal Code of Chicago § 6-105-110 Read Municipal Code of Chicago § 6-130-100.

Official City pages to check

Rates change, and workplace policies can add facts that are not on this page. For a current wage rate, use the City’s minimum-wage resource. For the current paid-leave overview, use the City’s paid leave and paid sick leave resource. The Office of Labor Standards page links to complaint routes and additional City labor-law materials. Open Office of Labor Standards resources.

Sources and dates

Minimum Wage

Publisher and place: City of Chicago, Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection · City of Chicago.

Read: 2026-10-25.

Displayed date or version: The page states the rate is current as of July 1, 2026; no overall page version is displayed.

Source limits: City guidance page, not the ordinance text. It states rates as of a particular date and says the rate changes annually.

Paid Leave and Paid Sick Leave

Publisher and place: City of Chicago, Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection · City of Chicago.

Read: 2026-10-25.

Displayed date or version: No overall page version or displayed date found.

Source limits: City guidance page. It provides an overview and complaint links; the ordinance supplies fuller definitions, rules, and exceptions.

Office of Labor Standards

Publisher and place: City of Chicago, Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection · City of Chicago.

Read: 2026-10-25.

Displayed date or version: No overall page version or displayed date found.

Source limits: Agency overview page. It describes functions and links to routes, but does not provide a general filing deadline.

Municipal Code of Chicago § 6-105-010, Definitions