FAQs & Resources

Most employees who live in Illinois will now be eligible, including full- and part-time workers. However, some industries are excluded from the law, like school and park districts, as well as some college and university employees. And union employees covered by collective bargaining agreements are also excluded until their agreement expires.

If you work in Chicago or Cook County, you might be eligible for different paid leave rights. Check out our city and county information for more.

For every 40 hours you work, you can earn 1 hour of paid leave to be used in the future. Workers can earn up to 40 hours/5 paid days off a year. So, if you work 40 hours a week, you will earn 1 hour of paid leave each week. If you work 20 hours, it will take 2 weeks to earn 1 hour of paid leave.

Your employer can also choose to give you all 5 days/40 hours up front each year, so that you can use it right away.

You can use paid leave for any reason. Maybe you need to take care of yourself, a friend, a relative, or a chosen family member. Maybe you want to catch your child’s school play. Maybe you want to take a vacation. No matter the reason, you can use your earned paid leave!

Your employer cannot retaliate against you for taking your time off. They also cannot make you find a replacement.

Employers can only deny leave in limited circumstances, like to meet the employer’s operational needs. However, your employer has to give you the reason, in writing, that they are denying your request for leave. And they need to make sure that you can use the leave you earn each year.

If the reason you are taking your paid leave is foreseeable—like a vacation or planned appointment—your employer can require up to 7 days of notice. If you need to take leave suddenly or unexpectedly, your employer may require notice as soon as possible before the start of your shift. Make sure you know your employer’s policy on notice.

You do not have to provide any reason for your leave to your employer and they cannot require you to submit documentation, like a doctor’s note.

You can use as much as you’ve earned—up to the full 5 days or 40 hours—or as little as 2 hours at a time.

If your employer already had a paid leave policy in place before January 1, 2024, that provided 5 days/40 hours of paid leave for any reason, they can continue to follow that policy even if some of the policy conflicts with the law. So they may be able to require more notice or prior approval or require that workers use leave in larger increments, for example. However, your employer must communicate the policy to you and the policy must be the same for all employees.

If your employer put a policy in place after January 1, 2024, they need to have a policy that provides the same or better benefits and rights than the law.

The Illinois Department of Labor is responsible for investigating complaints and violations. You can find more information about the law—including frequently asked questions and a complaint form—on their website.

You can find additional information about your rights under the Paid Leave for All Workers Act at SickTimeIL.org.

If you work in Chicago or Cook County, you might be eligible for different paid leave rights. Download our fact sheet to learn which rights apply to you, and check out our city and county information for more.