Illinois Mimimum Wage & Wage Claims

    
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Chicago, Illinois 60601
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For detailed information about the minimum wage in your county, please enter your ZIP code. This will direct you to a page providing tailored information about the minimum wage in your area.
Illinois Minimum Wage
     
                   Cook County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Chicago)  FIPS: 17031                 - pop.5,275,541               
             
                   DuPage County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Wheaton)  FIPS: 17043                 - pop.932,877               
             
                   Lake County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Waukegan)  FIPS: 17097                 - pop.714,342               
             
                   Will County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Joliet)  FIPS: 17197                 - pop.696,355               
             
                   Kane County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Geneva)  FIPS: 17089                 - pop.516,522               
             
                   McHenry County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Woodstock)  FIPS: 17111                 - pop.310,229               
             
                   Winnebago County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Rockford)  FIPS: 17201                 - pop.285,350               
             
                   Madison County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Edwardsville)  FIPS: 17119                 - pop.265,859               
             
                   Saint Clair County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Belleville)  FIPS: 17163                 - pop.257,400               
             
                   Champaign County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Urbana)  FIPS: 17019                 - pop.205,865               
             
                   Sangamon County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Springfield)  FIPS: 17167                 - pop.196,343               
             
                   Peoria County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Peoria)  FIPS: 17143                 - pop.181,830               
             
                   McLean County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Bloomington)  FIPS: 17113                 - pop.170,954               
             
                   Rock Island County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Rock Island)  FIPS: 17161                 - pop.144,672               
             
                   Kendall County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Yorkville)  FIPS: 17093                 - pop.131,869               
             
                   Tazewell County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Pekin)  FIPS: 17179                 - pop.131,343               
             
                   La Salle County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Ottawa)  FIPS: 17099                 - pop.109,658               
             
                   Kankakee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Kankakee)  FIPS: 17091                 - pop.107,502               
             
                   Macon County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Decatur)  FIPS: 17115                 - pop.103,998               
             
                   DeKalb County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sycamore)  FIPS: 17037                 - pop.100,420               
             
                   Vermilion County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Danville)  FIPS: 17183                 - pop.74,188               
             
                   Williamson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Marion)  FIPS: 17199                 - pop.67,153               
             
                   Adams County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Quincy)  FIPS: 17001                 - pop.65,737               
             
                   Whiteside County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Morrison)  FIPS: 17195                 - pop.55,691               
             
                   Boone County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Belvidere)  FIPS: 17007                 - pop.53,448               
             
                   Jackson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Murphysboro)  FIPS: 17077                 - pop.52,974               
             
                   Grundy County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Morris)  FIPS: 17063                 - pop.52,533               
             
                   Ogle County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Oregon)  FIPS: 17141                 - pop.51,788               
             
                   Knox County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Galesburg)  FIPS: 17095                 - pop.49,967               
             
                   Henry County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cambridge)  FIPS: 17073                 - pop.49,284               
             
                   Coles County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Charleston)  FIPS: 17029                 - pop.46,863               
             
                   Macoupin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Carlinville)  FIPS: 17117                 - pop.44,967               
             
                   Stephenson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Freeport)  FIPS: 17177                 - pop.44,630               
             
                   Woodford County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Eureka)  FIPS: 17203                 - pop.38,467               
             
                   Franklin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Benton)  FIPS: 17055                 - pop.37,804               
             
                   Marion County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Salem)  FIPS: 17121                 - pop.37,729               
             
                   Jefferson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Mount Vernon)  FIPS: 17081                 - pop.37,113               
             
                   Clinton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Carlyle)  FIPS: 17027                 - pop.36,899               
             
                   Livingston County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Pontiac)  FIPS: 17105                 - pop.35,815               
             
                   Monroe County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Waterloo)  FIPS: 17133                 - pop.34,962               
             
                   Effingham County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Effingham)  FIPS: 17049                 - pop.34,668               
             
                   Lee County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Dixon)  FIPS: 17103                 - pop.34,145               
             
                   Christian County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Taylorville)  FIPS: 17021                 - pop.34,032               
             
                   Fulton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lewistown)  FIPS: 17057                 - pop.33,609               
             
                   Bureau County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Princeton)  FIPS: 17011                 - pop.33,244               
             
                   Morgan County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Jacksonville)  FIPS: 17137                 - pop.32,915               
             
                   Randolph County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Chester)  FIPS: 17157                 - pop.30,163               
             
                   Montgomery County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Hillsboro)  FIPS: 17135                 - pop.28,288               
             
                   Logan County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lincoln)  FIPS: 17107                 - pop.27,987               
             
                   McDonough County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Macomb)  FIPS: 17109                 - pop.27,238               
             
                   Iroquois County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Watseka)  FIPS: 17075                 - pop.27,077               
             
                   Saline County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Harrisburg)  FIPS: 17165                 - pop.23,768               
             
                   Jo Daviess County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Galena)  FIPS: 17085                 - pop.22,035               
             
                   Jersey County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Jerseyville)  FIPS: 17083                 - pop.21,512               
             
                   Fayette County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Vandalia)  FIPS: 17051                 - pop.21,488               
             
                   Shelby County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Shelbyville)  FIPS: 17173                 - pop.20,990               
             
                   Perry County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Pinckneyville)  FIPS: 17145                 - pop.20,945               
             
                   Douglas County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Tuscola)  FIPS: 17041                 - pop.19,740               
             
                   Crawford County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Robinson)  FIPS: 17033                 - pop.18,679               
             
                   Hancock County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Carthage)  FIPS: 17067                 - pop.17,620               
             
                   Union County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Jonesboro)  FIPS: 17181                 - pop.17,244               
             
                   Edgar County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Paris)  FIPS: 17045                 - pop.16,866               
             
                   Warren County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Monmouth)  FIPS: 17187                 - pop.16,835               
             
                   Bond County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Greenville)  FIPS: 17005                 - pop.16,725               
             
                   Piatt County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Monticello)  FIPS: 17147                 - pop.16,673               
             
                   Wayne County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Fairfield)  FIPS: 17191                 - pop.16,179               
             
                   Richland County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Olney)  FIPS: 17159                 - pop.15,813               
             
                   Carroll County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Mount Carroll)  FIPS: 17015                 - pop.15,702               
             
                   Mercer County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Aledo)  FIPS: 17131                 - pop.15,699               
             
                   DeWitt County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Clinton)  FIPS: 17039                 - pop.15,516               
             
                   Clark County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Marshall)  FIPS: 17023                 - pop.15,455               
             
                   Lawrence County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lawrenceville)  FIPS: 17101                 - pop.15,280               
             
                   Pike County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Pittsfield)  FIPS: 17149                 - pop.14,739               
             
                   Moultrie County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Sullivan)  FIPS: 17139                 - pop.14,526               
             
                   Massac County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Metropolis)  FIPS: 17127                 - pop.14,169               
             
                   White County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Carmi)  FIPS: 17193                 - pop.13,877               
             
                   Washington County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Nashville)  FIPS: 17189                 - pop.13,761               
             
                   Ford County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Paxton)  FIPS: 17053                 - pop.13,534               
             
                   Johnson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Vienna)  FIPS: 17087                 - pop.13,308               
             
                   Clay County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Louisville)  FIPS: 17025                 - pop.13,288               
             
                   Mason County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Havana)  FIPS: 17125                 - pop.13,086               
             
                   Cass County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Virginia)  FIPS: 17017                 - pop.13,042               
             
                   Menard County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Petersburg)  FIPS: 17129                 - pop.12,297               
             
                   Greene County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Carrollton)  FIPS: 17061                 - pop.11,985               
             
                   Marshall County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Lacon)  FIPS: 17123                 - pop.11,742               
             
                   Wabash County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Mount Carmel)  FIPS: 17185                 - pop.11,361               
             
                   Cumberland County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Toledo)  FIPS: 17035                 - pop.10,450               
             
                   Jasper County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Newton)  FIPS: 17079                 - pop.9,287               
             
                   Hamilton County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (McLeansboro)  FIPS: 17065                 - pop.7,993               
             
                   Schuyler County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Rushville)  FIPS: 17169                 - pop.6,902               
             
                   Henderson County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Oquawka)  FIPS: 17071                 - pop.6,387               
             
                   Edwards County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Albion)  FIPS: 17047                 - pop.6,245               
             
                   Brown County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Mount Sterling)  FIPS: 17009                 - pop.6,244               
             
                   Putnam County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Hennepin)  FIPS: 17155                 - pop.5,637               
             
                   Stark County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Toulon)  FIPS: 17175                 - pop.5,400               
             
                   Alexander County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Cairo)  FIPS: 17003                 - pop.5,240               
             
                   Pulaski County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Mound City)  FIPS: 17153                 - pop.5,193               
             
                   Scott County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Winchester)  FIPS: 17171                 - pop.4,949               
             
                   Gallatin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Shawneetown)  FIPS: 17059                 - pop.4,946               
             
                   Calhoun County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Hardin)  FIPS: 17013                 - pop.4,437               
             
                   Pope County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Golconda)  FIPS: 17151                 - pop.3,763               
             
                   Hardin County Minimum Wage
               
               County Seat: (Elizabethtown)  FIPS: 17069                 - pop.3,649

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Illinois City Minimum Wage

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Wage & Hour Law Minimum Wage ▼

What Is the Minimum Wage in Illinois?

What Is the Minimum Wage in Illinois?

The minimum wage in Illinois is $14 an hour. Because this is higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25, employees in Illinois must be paid at least $14 an hour.

The minimum wage is the least you can be paid per hour, by law. You are entitled to earn at least the highest minimum wage that applies to you, whether the standard is federal, state, or local. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25. If your city or state has passed a law setting a higher minimum wage, your employer must pay you at least that higher amount per hour; it cannot pay you the lower federal minimum wage instead.

The minimum wage represents gross earnings: earnings before deductions, such as tax withholding, are taken. Your actual take-home pay may be less than the minimum wage.
Who Earns Overtime in Illinois?
Who Earns Overtime in Illinois?
You qualify for overtime pay if:
- you are paid by the hour
- you are not exempt (for example, because you hold a “white collar” job), and
- you work over 40 hours in a workweek (or 8 hours in a workday in some states).
If you are eligible for overtime, you are entitled to 1-1/2 times your regular hourly rate for each overtime hour worked. Check the Illinois Department of Labor for the overtime standards in Illinois.

For more information about overtime eligibility, see Am I Entitled to Overtime Pay in Illinois?
How Do I Calculate My Hourly Wage?

How Do I Calculate My Hourly Wage?

To calculate your hourly wage, take the total amount you are paid (whether by the hour, as a salary, by piece rate, or on commission) in a pay period, such as one workweek. Divide that total amount by the total number of regular time (not overtime) hours you worked to earn that money. Be sure to count every hour you worked, including time spent working from home (if allowed by your employer) and any break time for which you should be paid, including breaks that lasted 20 minutes or less and breaks during which you had to work. The hourly rate that you come up with must be at least the minimum wage in Illinois.

For more information about your pay rights, see What Are My Rights to Pay for Work in Illinois?
What Is a Tip Credit?

What Is a Tip Credit?

A tip credit is the amount of tips you earn that your employer can count towards its obligation to pay you the minimum wage.

An employer that is allowed to take a tip credit can pay you less than the regular minimum wage, as long as you earn enough in tips to bring your hourly compensation up to at least the minimum wage. Under federal law, for example, the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, but employers may pay tipped employees as little as $2.13 an hour, as long as the employee earns at least the rest in tips. An employer taking advantage of this lower minimum wage is taking a tip credit of $5.12 an hour.

Not all states allow employers to take a tip credit. Some states that allow a tip credit set the minimum tipped wage amount at $2.13 an hour, like federal law; others have established a higher tipped minimum wage.
In Illinois, your employer may pay you a minimum wage of no less than $8.40 an hour, as long as you earn enough in tips to bring your total hourly pay up to the full minimum wage, $14 an hour. If you don’t earn enough in tips to bring your compensation to the full minimum wage, your employer must make up the difference.
Are Tip Pools Legal?
Are Tip Pools Legal?
Does your employer require you to pool tips? Tip pooling, sometimes called tip sharing or tipping out, is a common practice in establishments where only some employees receive tips directly from customers, especially restaurants.

In a tip pool, tipped employees put a certain amount or percentage of their tips into a pot, which is then shared among a group of employees. Whether a tip pool is legal depends on who shares in the pool, among other things.

The general rule is that tips belong to the employee who received them. However, employees can be required to pay part of their tips into a tip sharing arrangement, as long as it meets these legal requirements:
- The employer may not share in the tip pool. This includes managers and supervisors. If managers and supervisors receive their own tips for services they directly and solely provide to customers, they may contribute a portion of those tips to the tip pool, but they may not take any money from the pool.
- If the employer takes a tip credit, then only employees who regularly and customarily receive tips may share in the tip pool. For example, wait staff, bussers, and bartenders may be part of the tip pool, but "back of the house" employees -- like cooks and dishwashers -- may not. (Employers that don't take a tip credit may allow back of the house employees to take a share of the tip pool, but only if state law allows it.)
- Only the amount of tips an employee actually takes home counts towards any employer tip credit. In other words, if an employee has to share tips, the employee's hourly wage includes only what the employee got back from the tip pool, not what the employee had to put into the pot.
Am I Entitled to Breaks?

Am I Entitled to Breaks?

Believe it or not, employers in many states have no legal obligation to give their employees any breaks during the work day. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require employers to provide any breaks, and many states follow the same rule. Other states require employers to provide rest breaks, meal breaks, or both.

A small number of states require employers to provide paid rest breaks during the work day.
Illinois employees who work at least seven and a half consecutive hours are entitled to a 20-minute meal break, unpaid. The break must take place no later than five hours after the employee's shift starts.

Hotel room attendants are entitled to a 30-minute unpaid meal break if they work at least seven consecutive hours.
If you work as a hotel room attendant in Illinois, your employer must give you at least two 15-minute paid rest breaks for every day in which you work at least seven hours.

Other employees are not entitled to rest breaks in Illinois. If your employer chooses to provide rest breaks, you must be paid for breaks that last 20 minutes or less.
How Can I Enforce My Wage and Hour Rights?
How Can I Enforce My Wage and Hour Rights?
If your employer hasn't paid you overtime, hasn't given you legally required breaks, didn't give you a final paycheck, or has otherwise not paid you everything you are owed, you should take steps to assert your rights. There are three things you can do:
- Complain within your company. Use your company's internal complaint process to raise your concerns. Ask the company to investigate and make the situation right. The law protects you from employer retaliation for asserting your wage and hour rights.
- File a wage claim. If your company doesn't resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, find out whether your state has an administrative wage claim procedure. In most states, you can file a claim with the state agency that enforces wage and hour laws. Your claim may be investigated, settled, or sent to an administrative hearing, where you can present evidence that you were not paid properly. It's a good idea to talk to an employment lawyer if you are considering filing a wage claim. A lawyer can help you word the complaint properly, present your best evidence persuasively, and reach the best possible outcome -- all while preserving your arguments for court, if things don't work out.
- File a lawsuit. If other avenues don't work, you can sue your employer in state or federal court for wage theft. At this point, you will definitely need legal representation to persuade a judge or jury to enter a judgment in your favor.
What Is a Wage Claim?

What Is a Wage Claim?

A wage claim is an administrative complaint you can make against your employer with your state department of labor. Most states have created a process for employees to file a wage claim with a government agency, so they can get their claims adjudicated and get the money they are owed, in less time and for less money than it would cost to file a lawsuit.

Not every state has a wage claim procedure, however.

Check the website of the Illinois Department of Labor to learn more.
Do I Need a Lawyer for My Overtime or Wage Case?

Do I Need a Lawyer for My Overtime or Wage Case?

In most cases, it makes sense to hire a lawyer to pursue your overtime or unpaid wage claim. This doesn’t mean you should hire a lawyer at the first sign of trouble, however. If you believe your employer hasn’t paid you fairly, start by raising the issue within your company. Ask your manager or your human resource representative about the problem, or file a complaint using your company’s internal complaint process. It is illegal for your employer to retaliate against you for making a wage and hour complaint, whether you make it within your company or to an outside agency or court.

If your company does nothing to address your concerns – or breaks the law by firing or disciplining you for asserting your rights – then it’s time to talk to a lawyer. At this point, your options are to negotiate a settlement of your claims with your employer, file a wage claim against your employer with your state’s labor department (if your state has this type of procedure), or file a lawsuit. Having a lawyer will greatly boost your chances of success in any of these endeavors. And, because most lawyers work on a contingency fee basis in these types of cases, you won’t have to pay the lawyer unless you win. Learn more about finding a wage and hour lawyer.
How Do Wage and Hour Lawyers Charge?

How Do Wage and Hour Lawyers Charge?

Most lawyers that represent employees charge a contingency fee. This means the lawyer gets paid only if the client wins, and only out of the money the client receives as a settlement or court award. When you meet with a lawyer, ask how the lawyer charges, including what percentage he or she will take as a contingency fee.

You will most likely have to pay the costs of litigation, including court fees, transcription costs, copying costs, and so on. Some attorneys will advance these costs for you, paying them out of pocket until the end of the case. If you win, you can use your award to pay the costs.
What Is a Class Action Lawsuit?

What Is a Class Action Lawsuit?

A class action lawsuit is a court case brought on behalf of a group of employees who have similar legal claims against their employer. In a class action case, one lawsuit decides the rights of all employees who are members of the class.

It’s not uncommon for overtime and unpaid wage cases to be brought as class action lawsuits, if the employer applied an illegal policy to a group of employees. For example, if a retail employer required all employees to arrive at 8:30 a.m., spend half an hour cleaning the store and restocking shelves, and then clock in (and start to get paid) at 9 a.m., an attorney might bring a class action lawsuit on behalf of all employees who were subjected to this policy.

Many wage and hour cases involve relatively small dollar amounts. Although every dollar you aren’t paid is undoubtedly very important to you, the overall value of your case might not be high enough to interest an attorney in representing you. When a number of employees combine in one lawsuit, the attorney can bring all of your claims at the same time and earn a higher fee.