Final pay · IL
Illinois — Final Paycheck & Wage Rules
Final paycheck — discharged
Next regular payday
Every employer shall pay the final compensation of separated employees in full, at the time of separation, if possible, but in no case later than the next regularly scheduled payday for such employee.
Final paycheck — voluntary quit
Next regular payday
Same rule — final compensation due no later than next regularly scheduled payday after separation, regardless of cause.
Waiting-time penalty
Damages = 5% of underpayment per month, accruing without limitation until paid. Plus attorney's fees in civil action. Additional 1%/day post-order non-compliance penalty + 20% IDOL penalty.
Minimum wage (2026)
$15.00/hr
Effective January 1, 2025
Tipped: $9.00/hr
- Chicago: verification pending
- Cook County (unincorporated): verification pending
Overtime rules
40-hour workweek @ 1.5×
Illinois follows the federal FLSA 40-hour weekly threshold. No state-specific daily overtime overlay.
PTO payout
mandatoryVested PTO must be paid out
Accrued, unused vacation/PTO is treated as wages and must be paid out at termination. Forfeiture clauses ("use it or lose it") are unenforceable for vested time.
Illinois Final-Paycheck Decoder
Enter your separation date + hourly rate. The decoder computes your statutory deadline and an estimated maximum waiting-time penalty.
Final-Paycheck Decoder
Privacy-first — your inputs never leave your browserState, termination type, hours, willful-failure standard. Get your statutory deadline + waiting-time-penalty estimate with primary-source statute cite. Informational, not legal advice.
If your wages are unpaid past the deadline
File a wage claim — start here
- Federal: DOL Wage & Hour Division (1-866-487-9243). Free, no attorney needed.
- State: IL state labor agency claim form. Often faster than federal for in-state employers.
- Larger or willful claims: consult a licensed employment-law attorney. State-bar lawyer-referral services are the standard starting point. How to choose.
Some links above are referral-partner affiliate links once vetted; the federal and state government links are not. Lawyer referrals are subject to state-bar advertising rules in your jurisdiction.
Legal review
PendingReviewer credential verification in progress
We are retaining a US employment-law attorney to review every state page on this site before it leaves the dev preview. Once retained, the reviewer's name, bar number, state of admission, and signoff date will appear on every state page and on /about. Until then, treat statute citations as informational, not legal advice. Last data verification: May 8, 2026.
File a Illinois wage claim
- Send a written demand to your employer with the amount owed, statute cite, and a 7-day deadline.
- File with Illinois state labor agency (no attorney needed).
- Or file federal: DOL Wage & Hour Division (1-866-487-9243).
- Your civil-suit deadline (statute of limitations) in Illinois: 10 years from the date wages first became due. source
Disclaimer: This page is informational and is not legal advice. Illinois statutes are amended over time; we re-verify quarterly and annually for January 1 minimum-wage updates. Specific applications depend on facts your employer may dispute. For advice on your specific situation, consult a licensed Illinois employment-law attorney. WageTheftMap is a Desymphony portfolio property.