Illinois' New Paid Leave Law - Effective Jan. 1 2024
Illinois employers will be required to offer 40 hours of paid leave to every employee
Beginning January 1, 2024, Illinois will be the third state in the nation to mandate 40 hours of paid time off to be used for any reason during a 12 month period.
Under existing law, workers are not guaranteed pay when taking time off for sick leave, childcare, mental health reasons, medical appointments, vacation, or any other reason. Starting on March 31st, 2024, or 90 days following commencement of employment, workers can begin using their earned time off for any reason without the requirement of providing documentation to their employer under the Paid Leave for Workers Act.
This new law applies to every employee working for an employer in Illinois, including domestic workers, but does exclude independent contractors. The City of Chicago and Cook County have an existing paid sick leave ordinance in place; employees and employers in those two geographic regions will be subject to those ordinances. The law will also exempt employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement in the construction industry and parcel delivery industry.
The legislation provides that paid leave shall accrue at the rate of one hour for every 40 hours worked. Employees will be paid their full wage while on leave and tipped workers will be paid the minimum wage in their respective locale. An employer cannot require an employee to find their replacement for the leave.
For more information and webinars explaining the new law, go to https://labor.illinois.gov/laws-rules/paidleave.html
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