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Public Act 103-0953 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning employment. | ||||
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||
represented in the General Assembly: | ||||
Section 5. The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act is | ||||
amended by changing Sections 2, 10, and 14 as follows: | ||||
(820 ILCS 115/2) (from Ch. 48, par. 39m-2) | ||||
Sec. 2. Definitions. For all employees, other than | ||||
separated employees, "wages" shall be defined as any | ||||
compensation owed an employee by an employer pursuant to an | ||||
employment contract or agreement between the 2 parties, | ||||
whether the amount is determined on a time, task, piece, or any | ||||
other basis of calculation. Payments to separated employees | ||||
shall be termed "final compensation" and shall be defined as | ||||
wages, salaries, earned commissions, earned bonuses, and the | ||||
monetary equivalent of earned vacation and earned holidays, | ||||
and any other compensation owed the employee by the employer | ||||
pursuant to an employment contract or agreement between the 2 | ||||
parties. Where an employer is legally committed through a | ||||
collective bargaining agreement or otherwise to make | ||||
contributions to an employee benefit, trust or fund on the | ||||
basis of a certain amount per hour, day, week or other period | ||||
of time, the amount due from the employer to such employee | ||||
benefit, trust, or fund shall be defined as "wage |
supplements", subject to the wage collection provisions of | ||
this Act. | ||
As used in this Act, the term "employer" shall include any | ||
individual, partnership, association, corporation, limited | ||
liability company, business trust, employment and labor | ||
placement agencies where wage payments are made directly or | ||
indirectly by the agency or business for work undertaken by | ||
employees under hire to a third party pursuant to a contract | ||
between the business or agency with the third party, or any | ||
person or group of persons acting directly or indirectly in | ||
the interest of an employer in relation to an employee, for | ||
which one or more persons is gainfully employed. | ||
As used in this Act, the term "employee" shall include any | ||
individual permitted to work by an employer in an occupation, | ||
but shall not include any individual: | ||
(1) who has been and will continue to be free from | ||
control and direction over the performance of his work, | ||
both under his contract of service with his employer and | ||
in fact; and | ||
(2) who performs work which is either outside the | ||
usual course of business or is performed outside all of | ||
the places of business of the employer unless the employer | ||
is in the business of contracting with third parties for | ||
the placement of employees; and | ||
(3) who is in an independently established trade, | ||
occupation, profession or business. |
"Pay stub" means an itemized statement or statements | ||
reflecting an employee's hours worked, rate of pay, overtime | ||
pay and overtime hours worked, gross wages earned, deductions | ||
made from the employee's wages, and the total of wages and | ||
deductions year to date. | ||
The following terms apply to an employer's use of payroll | ||
cards to pay wages to an employee under the requirements of | ||
this Act: | ||
"Payroll card" means a card provided to an employee by an | ||
employer or other payroll card issuer as a means of accessing | ||
the employee's payroll card account. | ||
"Payroll card account" means an account that is directly | ||
or indirectly established through an employer and to which | ||
deposits of a participating employee's wages are made. | ||
"Payroll card issuer" means a bank, financial institution, | ||
or other entity that issues a payroll card to an employee under | ||
an employer payroll card program. | ||
(Source: P.A. 98-862, eff. 1-1-15 .) | ||
(820 ILCS 115/10) (from Ch. 48, par. 39m-10) | ||
Sec. 10. | ||
(a) Employers shall notify employees, at the time of | ||
hiring, of the rate of pay and of the time and place of | ||
payment. Whenever possible, such notification shall be in | ||
writing and shall be acknowledged by both parties. Employers | ||
shall also notify employees of any changes in the |
arrangements, specified above, prior to the time of change. | ||
(b) Employers shall keep records of names and addresses of | ||
all employees and of wages paid each payday, and shall furnish | ||
each employee with a pay stub an itemized statement of | ||
deductions made from his wages for each pay period. | ||
(c) An employer shall maintain a copy of an employee's pay | ||
stub for a period of not less than 3 years after the date of | ||
payment, regardless of whether the employee's employment ends | ||
during this period, whether the pay stub is furnished | ||
electronically or in paper form. | ||
(d) In addition to furnishing a pay stub for each pay | ||
period as required under subsection (b), an employer shall | ||
furnish copies of pay stubs to current and former employees as | ||
follows: | ||
(1) An employer shall provide an employee with a copy | ||
of the employee's pay stubs upon the employee's request. | ||
The employer may require that the employee submit the | ||
request in writing. The employer shall furnish the copy of | ||
the pay stubs to the employee within 21 calendar days of | ||
the employee's request. An employer is not required to | ||
grant an employee's request for a copy of pay stubs more | ||
than twice in a 12-month period. | ||
(2) An employer shall provide a former employee with a | ||
copy of the former employee's previous pay stubs upon the | ||
former employee's request. The employer shall furnish the | ||
copy of the pay stubs to the former employee within 21 |
calendar days of the former employee's request. An | ||
employer is not required to grant a former employee's | ||
request for a copy of pay stubs more than twice in a | ||
12-month period or more than one year after the date of | ||
separation. The employer shall provide the copy of the pay | ||
stubs in either a physical or electronic format, as chosen | ||
by the former employee, including a communication that is | ||
transmitted through electronic mail, text message, | ||
computer system, or is otherwise sent and stored | ||
electronically and is capable of being downloaded or | ||
permanently retained by the former employee. | ||
(3) An employer who furnishes electronic pay stubs in | ||
a manner that a former employee cannot access for at least | ||
a full year after separation shall, upon an employee's | ||
separation from employment, offer to provide the outgoing | ||
employee with a record of all of the outgoing employee's | ||
pay stubs from the year preceding the date of separation. | ||
The offer shall be made to the outgoing employee by the end | ||
of the outgoing employee's final pay period. An employer | ||
shall record in writing the date on which this offer was | ||
made to the outgoing employee and if and how the outgoing | ||
employee responded. | ||
(4) A request made by an employee or former employee | ||
under this Section shall be made to a person responsible | ||
for maintaining the employer's payroll, including the | ||
employer's human resources department or payroll |
department, the employee's supervisor or department | ||
manager, or an individual designated in the employer's | ||
written policy. | ||
(e) Every employer shall post and keep posted at each | ||
regular place of business in a position easily accessible to | ||
all employees one or more notices indicating the regular | ||
paydays and the place and time for payment of his employees, | ||
and on forms supplied from time to time by the Department of | ||
Labor containing a copy or summary of the provisions of this | ||
Act. | ||
(Source: P.A. 81-593.) | ||
(820 ILCS 115/14) (from Ch. 48, par. 39m-14) | ||
Sec. 14. Penalties. | ||
(a) Any employee not timely paid wages, final | ||
compensation, or wage supplements by his or her employer as | ||
required by this Act shall be entitled to recover through a | ||
claim filed with the Department of Labor or in a civil action, | ||
but not both, the amount of any such underpayments and damages | ||
of 5% of the amount of any such underpayments for each month | ||
following the date of payment during which such underpayments | ||
remain unpaid. In a civil action, such employee shall also | ||
recover costs and all reasonable attorney's fees. | ||
(a-5) In addition to the remedies provided in subsections | ||
(a), (b), and (c) of this Section, any employer or any agent of | ||
an employer, who, being able to pay wages, final compensation, |
or wage supplements and being under a duty to pay, willfully | ||
wilfully refuses to pay as provided in this Act, or falsely | ||
denies the amount or validity thereof or that the same is due, | ||
with intent to secure for himself or other person any | ||
underpayment of such indebtedness or with intent to annoy, | ||
harass, oppress, hinder, delay or defraud the person to whom | ||
such indebtedness is due, upon conviction, is guilty of: | ||
(1) for unpaid wages, final compensation or wage | ||
supplements in the amount of $5,000 or less, a Class B | ||
misdemeanor; or | ||
(2) for unpaid wages, final compensation or wage | ||
supplements in the amount of more than $5,000, a Class A | ||
misdemeanor. | ||
Each day during which any violation of this Act continues | ||
shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. | ||
Any employer or any agent of an employer who violates this | ||
Section of the Act a subsequent time within 2 years of a prior | ||
criminal conviction under this Section is guilty, upon | ||
conviction, of a Class 4 felony. | ||
(b) Any employer who has been demanded or ordered by the | ||
Department or ordered by the court to pay wages, final | ||
compensation, or wage supplements due an employee shall be | ||
required to pay a non-waivable administrative fee to the | ||
Department of Labor in the amount of $250 if the amount ordered | ||
by the Department as wages owed is $3,000 or less; $500 if the | ||
amount ordered by the Department as wages owed is more than |
$3,000, but less than $10,000; and $1,000 if the amount | ||
ordered by the Department as wages owed is $10,000 or more. Any | ||
employer who has been so demanded or ordered by the Department | ||
or ordered by a court to pay such wages, final compensation, or | ||
wage supplements and who fails to seek timely review of such a | ||
demand or order as provided for under this Act and who fails to | ||
comply within 15 calendar days after such demand or within 35 | ||
days of an administrative or court order is entered shall also | ||
be liable to pay a penalty to the Department of Labor of 20% of | ||
the amount found owing and a penalty to the employee of 1% per | ||
calendar day of the amount found owing for each day of delay in | ||
paying such wages to the employee. All moneys recovered as | ||
fees and civil penalties under this Act, except those owing to | ||
the affected employee, shall be deposited into the Wage Theft | ||
Enforcement Fund, a special fund which is hereby created in | ||
the State treasury. Moneys in the Fund may be used for | ||
enforcement of this Act and for outreach and educational | ||
activities of the Department related to the recovery of unpaid | ||
or underpaid compensation and the disbursement of moneys to | ||
affected parties. | ||
(b-5) Penalties and fees under this Section may be | ||
assessed by the Department and recovered in a civil action | ||
brought by the Department in any circuit court or in any | ||
administrative adjudicative proceeding under this Act. In any | ||
such civil action or administrative adjudicative proceeding | ||
under this Act, the Department shall be represented by the |
Attorney General. | ||
(c) Any employer, or any agent of an employer, who | ||
discharges or in any other manner discriminates against any | ||
employee because that employee has made a complaint to his or | ||
her employer, to the Director of Labor or his or her authorized | ||
representative, in a public hearing, or to a community | ||
organization that he or she has not been paid in accordance | ||
with the provisions of this Act, or because that employee has | ||
caused to be instituted any proceeding under or related to | ||
this Act, or because that employee has testified or is about to | ||
testify in an investigation or proceeding under this Act, is | ||
guilty, upon conviction, of a Class C misdemeanor. An employee | ||
who has been unlawfully retaliated against shall be entitled | ||
to recover through a claim filed with the Department of Labor | ||
or in a civil action, but not both, all legal and equitable | ||
relief as may be appropriate. In a civil action, such employee | ||
shall also recover costs and all reasonable attorney's fees. | ||
(d) Except as provided under subsections (a), (b), and | ||
(c), an employer who fails to furnish an employee or former | ||
employee with a pay stub as required by this Act or commits any | ||
other violation of this Act shall be subject to a civil penalty | ||
of up to $500 per violation payable to the Department. In | ||
determining the amount of the penalty under this subsection, | ||
the Department shall consider the appropriateness of the | ||
penalty to the size of the business of the employer charged and | ||
the gravity of the violation. |
(Source: P.A. 102-50, eff. 7-9-21; 103-182, eff. 6-30-23.) |