General information, not an assessment of any person's case.
Reading scope: Illinois (state)
Sources read 2026-10-25. A retrieval date is not a certification that the law remains unchanged.
Illinois Minimum Wage Law
Current state rate resource. The Illinois Department of Labor lists a $15.00 hourly minimum wage for workers age 18 and older. Its current table lists $9.00 for tipped workers and $13.00 for workers under 18 who work fewer than 650 hours in a calendar year. Read the Illinois Department of Labor minimum-wage page.
The rate table is not a complete coverage decision. The Department says that employers may apply for certain subminimum-rate licenses, and the statute has separate rules about gratuities. The Department also states that overtime must be paid after 40 hours of work in a workweek at time and one-half the regular rate. An exemption, job duties, a tip arrangement, or another rule can matter, so this page does not decide a worker’s coverage. Read 820 ILCS 105/4.
Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act
What this law addresses. The Illinois Department of Labor says this Act sets when, where, and how often wages must be paid and restricts deductions from wages or final compensation without the employee’s consent. The agency says state and federal government employees are exempt from Act claims. Whether a particular item is covered can depend on the employment contract or agreement. Read the Illinois Department of Labor Act overview.
For employees who separate from employment, the Act defines final compensation to include wages, salaries, earned commissions and bonuses, and the monetary equivalent of earned vacation and holidays, when owed under an employment contract or agreement. It generally requires final compensation by the next regularly scheduled payday. Read the statutory definition and the final-compensation timing rule.
The Act also sets regular-payday timing. For example, the statute generally sets a seven-day period after a weekly pay period and a 13-day period after a semimonthly or biweekly pay period. A valid collective bargaining agreement can provide different arrangements. Do not assume that every withheld amount is automatically unlawful; the specific deduction, consent, and other legal conditions matter. Read 820 ILCS 115/4.
One Day Rest In Seven Act
Rest days. Except for employees covered by a statutory exception, the One Day Rest In Seven Act requires at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in every consecutive seven-day period. The Act lists exceptions, including some part-time employees working no more than 20 hours for one employer in a calendar week, certain emergency work, agriculture, coal mining, certain seasonal canning work, watchmen or security guards, certain executive, administrative, professional, or outside-sales roles, and employees whose schedules are set through collective bargaining. Read 820 ILCS 140/2.
Meal periods. For employees expected to work 7.5 continuous hours, the Act generally requires at least a 20-minute meal period that begins no later than five hours after the work period starts. It also provides an additional 20-minute meal period for each additional 4.5 continuous hours worked. The statute identifies exceptions, including some collective-bargaining arrangements and certain on-call work. It says meal periods do not include reasonable restroom time. Read 820 ILCS 140/3.
The Department’s current ODRISA page links an online complaint form and describes reasonable restroom breaks as separate from the meal period. Open the Illinois Department of Labor ODRISA resource.
Official process and timing information
Different routes have different rules. For an Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act complaint to the Department of Labor, the statute calls for a signed, completed wage-claim application and copies of supporting documentation. It says that complaint must be filed within one year after the wages, final compensation, or wage supplements were due. The Department’s FAQ says it reviews a claim for completeness, timeliness, and jurisdiction. Read 820 ILCS 115/11 and the Department’s filing FAQ.
That one-year timing rule is for the Department complaint described above. It is not a universal deadline for every wage issue. For example, the Illinois Minimum Wage Law separately states that an employee civil action under that Act must be brought within three years from the underpayment. The official ODRISA materials opened for this draft do not provide one general filing deadline. Do not use this page to calculate a deadline for a particular situation. Read 820 ILCS 105/12.
Sources and dates
Publisher and place: Illinois Department of Labor · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: No revision date or version displayed in retrieved text.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. No displayed revision date; this page records the agency presentation as retrieved and is not a certification of future law.
Publisher and place: Illinois General Assembly · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: Source note: P.A. 101-1, eff. 2-19-19.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. The statute page source note predates later public acts; use with the current agency rate resource and attorney review.
Publisher and place: Illinois Department of Labor · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: No revision date or version displayed in retrieved text.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. The page contains a time-sensitive pilot-triage notice; this draft does not rely on that notice for an individual claim outcome.
Publisher and place: Illinois General Assembly · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: Source note: P.A. 103-953, eff. 1-1-25.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. Whether a payment is owed depends on the applicable employment contract or agreement and other facts.
Publisher and place: Illinois General Assembly · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: Source note: P.A. 98-862, eff. 1-1-15.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. The section also has different rules for daily pay and certain executive, administrative, and professional employees.
Publisher and place: Illinois General Assembly · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: Source note: P.A. 83-199.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. The provision turns in part on the terms of a contract, policy, or collective bargaining agreement.
Publisher and place: Illinois General Assembly · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: Source notes: P.A. 103-201, eff. 1-1-24; 104-135, eff. 8-1-25.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. This deadline is identified for the Department complaint in this Act, not as a universal deadline for all wage claims.
Publisher and place: Illinois Department of Labor · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: No revision date or version displayed in retrieved text.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. The FAQ says it is not a substitute for statutes or administrative rules and is not legal advice.
Publisher and place: Illinois Department of Labor · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: No revision date or version displayed in retrieved text.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. No general filing deadline is displayed on the retrieved agency page.
Publisher and place: Illinois General Assembly · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: Source notes: P.A. 102-828, eff. 1-1-23; 102-1012, eff. 1-1-23; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. Whether an exception applies requires facts and may incorporate other legal definitions.
Publisher and place: Illinois General Assembly · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: Source note: P.A. 102-828, eff. 1-1-23.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. Coverage exceptions are material and this source does not decide their application to a specific worker.
Publisher and place: Illinois General Assembly · Illinois.
Read: 2026-10-25.
Displayed date or version: Source notes: P.A. 103-182, eff. 6-30-23; 103-201, eff. 1-1-24; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.
Source limits: Extracted text snapshot, not original HTML bytes. The cited periods apply to the actions specified in this statute; this draft does not calculate or select a limitation period for any person.
Read the scope and exceptions beside each explanation. These links do not replace review of personal facts or qualified legal advice.