Pay Stub Requirements in Illinois
At a glance
| Governing law and coverage | 820 ILCS 115/1-2, 10. Applies to Illinois employers/employees, including local government and school districts; State and federal employees excluded. Statutory employee definition applies |
|---|---|
| Must provide a statement and when | Employer must furnish each employee a pay stub for each pay period (§ 10(b)) |
| Pay period, employer, and employee identification | No pay-period dates, payment date, employer/employee name or address, employee number, or SSN field stated in the statutory pay-stub definition (§ 2) |
| Gross earnings, hours, rates, and pay basis | Hours worked, rate of pay, overtime pay and overtime hours worked, and gross wages earned. No piece units, salary, commission, or other pay-basis field stated (§ 2) |
| Deductions, net pay, allowances, and other required items | Deductions from wages plus total wages and deductions year to date. No net-pay, allowance, tip, leave-balance, or employer-contribution field stated (§ 2) |
| Electronic delivery, consent, printing, and storage | Paper or electronic furnishing recognized. No general consent or opt-out formula stated; requested former-worker electronic copies must be downloadable or permanently retainable (§ 10(c), (d)(2)) |
| Employee copy access and employer retention | Keep stub copies at least 3 years. Current/former copies due within 21 days, at most twice/12 months; former right ends 1 year after separation, with format choice and a separation-offer rule for inaccessible portals (§ 10(c)-(d)) |
| Enforcement, damages, penalties, and deadlines | IDOL civil penalty up to $500 per violation, payable to Department; amount considers business size and violation gravity (§ 14(d)). Department complaints generally due within 1 year after wages/final compensation/supplements were due (§ 11) |
Requirements one by one
A pay stub is due for every pay period
Section 10(b) requires an employer to furnish each employee a pay stub for each pay period. The Act reaches Illinois employers and employees, including local government and school-district employees, but § 1 excludes State and federal government employees. The employee definition in § 2 also controls whether a worker is within the Act.
The statutory list focuses on wage calculations
Section 2 defines the stub through seven categories: hours worked, rate of pay, overtime pay, overtime hours, gross wages, deductions, and year-to-date totals for wages and deductions. It does not list pay-period dates, party names or addresses, net pay, piece units, salary or commission basis, allowances, tips, employer contributions, or a leave balance.
Paper and electronic stubs are both recognized
Section 10(c) expressly addresses a stub furnished electronically or in paper form. The cited provisions state no general consent or paper-opt-out formula. For a former employee's requested copies, § 10(d)(2) lets the worker choose physical or electronic delivery; an electronic copy must be downloadable or permanently retainable.
Copies remain available during and after employment
Section 10(c) requires copies to be kept for at least three years after payment. Current-employee copies are due within 21 calendar days after a request, which the employer may require in writing, with no duty to grant more than two requests in 12 months.
A former employee has the same 21-day and twice-per-12-month rules, but the request right ends one year after separation. If an electronic system will not remain accessible for that full year, § 10(d)(3) requires an offer by the end of the final pay period to provide the preceding year's stubs, plus a written record of the offer and response.
IDOL may assess up to $500 per violation
Section 14(d) makes failure to furnish a required stub subject to a civil penalty of up to $500 per violation, payable to the Illinois Department of Labor. IDOL considers business size and violation gravity. Section 11 generally requires a Department complaint within one year after wages, final compensation, or wage supplements were due. The cited provisions state no separate employee damages amount or attorney-fee award for the current stub violation itself.
What trips people up
The retained payroll record and employee-facing stub are different lists. Section 10(b) mentions names, addresses, and payday wages in its recordkeeping clause, but § 2 defines the information reflected on the stub.
Three-year retention does not create an unlimited former-worker request right. Section 10(d)(2) ends the specified copy duty one year after separation.
Electronic delivery does not remove the separation safeguard. If portal access will end before one full year, the employer must make and document the offer in § 10(d)(3).
Common questions
Must an Illinois pay stub show net pay?
No net-pay field appears in § 2's definition. It requires gross wages, deductions, and year-to-date wage and deduction totals.
Can a former employee choose a paper copy?
Yes. Within the statutory request window, § 10(d)(2) lets the former employee choose physical or electronic format.
Is $500 automatically paid to the employee?
No. Section 14(d) sets an IDOL civil penalty of up to $500 per violation, payable to the Department.
Statutes and sources
- 820 ILCS 115/1-2. Coverage, employee definition, and stub categories. Official Act (accessed July 13, 2026).
- 820 ILCS 115/10(b)-(d). Delivery, form, retention, and copy rules. Official text (accessed July 13, 2026).
- 820 ILCS 115/14(d). IDOL civil penalty. Official text (accessed July 13, 2026).
- 820 ILCS 115/11. Department complaint and filing period. Official text (accessed July 13, 2026).
- IL SB 2460. Pending age-65 paper-stub, timekeeping, notice, and remedy proposal. Official bill text (checked September 9, 2026).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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