New Paid Leave For Illinois Workers

A new law recently signed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker guarantees paid time off for employees. The Paid Leave for All Workers Act requires employers to provide up to 40 hours of paid leave during a 12-month period, allowing approximately 1.5 million workers to begin earning paid time off starting in 2024. The law does not apply to employers covered by pre-existing municipal or county ordinances in Chicago and Cook County. Illinois employers that do not currently offer paid leave of at least 40 hours per year should begin planning now to make sure they will be compliant with the new law.

This historic legislation makes Illinois the third state in the nation to mandate paid time off for any reason. Paid leave will accrue at the rate of one hour for every 40 hours worked. Employees will be paid their hourly rate of pay while on leave and tipped workers will be paid at least the local minimum wage. Employers are required to document each employee's hours worked,