820 ILCS 192/15

(820 ILCS 192/15)

Sec. 15. Provision of paid leave.

(a) An employee who works in Illinois is entitled to earn and use up to a minimum of 40 hours of paid leave during a 12-month period or a pro rata number of hours of paid leave under the provisions of subsection (b). The paid leave may be used by the employee for any purpose as long as the paid leave is taken in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

(b) Paid leave under this Act shall accrue at the rate of one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked up to a minimum of 40 hours of paid leave or such greater amount if the employer provides more than 40 hours. Employees who are exempt from the overtime requirements of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C. 213(a)(1)) shall be deemed to work 40 hours in each workweek for purposes of paid leave accrual unless their regular workweek is less than 40 hours, in which case paid leave accrues based on that regular workweek. Employees shall determine how much paid leave they need to use, however employers may set a reasonable minimum increment for the use of paid leave not to exceed 2 hours per day. If an employee's scheduled workday is less than 2 hours per day, the employee's scheduled workday shall be used to determine the amount of paid leave.

(c) An employer may make available the minimum number of hours of paid leave, subject to pro rata requirements provided in subsection (b), to an employee on the first day of employment or the first day of the 12-month period. Employers that provide the minimum number of hours of paid leave to an employee on the first day of employment or the first day of the 12-month period are not required to carryover paid leave from 12-month period to 12-month period and may require employees to use all paid leave prior to the end of the benefit period or forfeit the unused paid leave. However, under no circumstances shall an employee be credited with paid leave that is less than what the employee would have accrued under subsections (a) and (g) of this Section.

(d) The 12-month period may be any consecutive 12-month period designated by the employer in writing at the time of hire. Changes to the 12-month period may be made by the employer if notice is given to employees in writing prior to the change and the change does not reduce the eligible accrual rate and paid leave available to the employee. If the employer changes the designated 12-month period, the employer shall provide the employee with documentation of the balance of hours worked, paid leave accrued and taken, and the remaining paid leave balance.

(e) Paid leave under this Act may be taken by an employee for any reason of the employee's choosing. An employee is not required to provide an employer a reason for the leave and may not be required to provide documentation or certification as proof or in support of the leave. An employee may choose whether to use paid leave provided under this Act prior to using any other leave provided by the employer or State law.

(f) Employees shall be paid their hourly rate of pay for paid leave. However, employees engaged in an occupation in which gratuities or commissions have customarily and usually constituted and have been recognized as part of the remuneration for hire purposes shall be paid by their employer at least the full minimum wage in the jurisdiction in which they are employed when paid leave is taken. This wage shall be treated as the employee's regular rate of pay for purposes of this Act.

(g) Paid leave under this Act shall begin to accrue at the commencement of employment or on the effective date of this Act, whichever is later. Employees shall be entitled to begin using paid leave 90 days following commencement of their employment or 90 days following the effective date of this Act, whichever is later.

(h) Paid leave under this Act shall be provided upon the oral or written request of an employee in accordance with the employer's reasonable paid leave policy notification requirements which may include the following:

(1) If use of paid leave under this Act is foreseeable, the employer may require the employee to provide 7 calendar days' notice before the date the leave is to begin.

(2) If paid leave under this Act is not foreseeable, the employee shall provide such notice as soon as is practicable after the employee is aware of the necessity of the leave. An employer that requires notice of paid leave under this Act when the leave is not foreseeable shall provide a written policy that contains procedures for the employee to provide notice.

(3) Employers shall provide employees with written notice of the paid leave policy notification requirements in this Section in the manner provided in Section 20 for notice and posting and within 5 calendar days of any change to the employer's reasonable paid leave policy notification requirements.

(4) An employer may not require, as a condition of providing paid leave under this Act, that the employee search for or find a replacement worker to cover the hours during which the employee takes paid leave.

(i) Except as provided in subsection (c), paid leave under this Act shall carry over annually to the extent not used by the employee, provided that nothing in this Act shall be construed to require an employer to provide more than 40 hours of paid leave for an employee in the 12-month period unless the employer agrees to do so.

(j) Nothing in this Section or any other Illinois law or rule shall be construed as requiring financial or other payment to an employee from an employer upon the employee's termination, resignation, retirement, or other separation from employment for paid leave accrued under this Act that has not been used. Nothing in this Section or any other Illinois law or rule shall be construed as requiring financial or other reimbursements to an employee from an employer for unused paid leave under this Act at the end of the benefit year or any other time.

(k) If an employee is transferred to a separate division, entity, or location, but remains employed by the same employer, the employee is entitled to all paid leave accrued at the prior division, entity, or location and is entitled to use all paid leave as provided in this Section. If there is a separation from employment and the employee is rehired within 12 months of separation by the same employer, previously accrued paid leave that had not been used by the employee shall be reinstated. The employee shall be entitled to use accrued paid leave at the commencement of employment following a separation from employment of 12 months or less.

(l) Paid leave under this Act shall not be charged or otherwise credited to an employee's paid time off bank or employee account unless the employer's policy permits such a credit. If the paid leave under this Act is credited to an employee's paid time off bank or employee vacation account then any unused paid leave shall be paid to the employee upon the employee's termination, resignation, retirement, or other separation to the same extent as vacation time under existing Illinois law or rule. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to waive or otherwise limit an employee's right to final compensation for promised and earned, but unpaid vacation time or paid time off, as provided under the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act and rules. Employers shall provide employees with written notice of changes to the employer's vacation time, paid time off, or other paid leave policies that affect an employee's right to final compensation for such leave.

(m) During any period an employee takes leave under this Act, the employer shall maintain coverage for the employee and any family member under any group health plan for the duration of such leave at no less than the level and conditions of coverage that would have been provided if the employee had not taken the leave. The employer shall notify the employee that the employee is still responsible for paying the employee's share of the cost of the health care coverage, if any.

(n) Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to interfere with, impede, or in any way diminish the right of employees to bargain collectively with their employers through representatives of their own choosing in order to establish wages or other conditions of work in excess of the applicable minimum standards established in this Act. The paid leave requirements of this Act may be waived in a bona fide collective bargaining agreement, but only if the waiver is set forth explicitly in such agreement in clear and unambiguous terms.

Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to affect the validity or change the terms of bona fide collective bargaining agreements in effect on January 1, 2024. After that date, requirements of this Act may be waived in a bona fide collective bargaining agreement, but only if the waiver is set forth explicitly in such agreement in clear and unambiguous terms.

In no event shall this Act apply to any employee working in the construction industry who is covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement, nor shall this Act apply to any employee who is covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement with an employer that provides services nationally and internationally of delivery, pickup, and transportation of parcels, documents, and freight.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, nothing in this Act shall be deemed to affect the validity or change the terms of a bona fide collective bargaining agreement applying to an employee who is employed by a State agency that is in effect on July 1, 2024. After that date, requirements of this Act may be waived in a bona fide collective bargaining agreement, but only if the waiver is set forth explicitly in such agreement in clear and unambiguous terms. As used in this subsection, "State agency" has the same meaning as set forth in Section 4 of the Forms Notice Act.

(o) An agreement by an employee to waive his or her rights under this Act is void as against public policy.

(p) The provisions of this Act shall not apply to any employer that is covered by a municipal or county ordinance that is in effect on the effective date of this Act that requires employers to give any form of paid leave to their employees, including paid sick leave or paid leave. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, any employer that is not required to provide paid leave to its employees, including paid sick leave or paid leave, under a municipal or county ordinance that is in effect on the effective date of this Act shall be subject to the provisions of this Act if the employer would be required to provide paid leave under this Act to its employees.

Any local ordinance that provides paid leave, including paid sick leave or paid leave, enacted or amended after the effective date of this Act must comply with the requirements of this Act or provide benefits, rights, and remedies that are greater than or equal to the benefits, rights, and remedies afforded under this Act.

An employer in a municipality or county that enacts or amends a local ordinance that provides paid leave, including paid sick leave or paid leave, after the effective date of this Act shall only comply with the local ordinance or ordinances so long as the benefits, rights, and remedies are greater than or equal to the benefits, rights, and remedies afforded under this Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-1143, eff. 1-1-24; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.)