Illinois Pay Stub Generator with Requirements
Generate Illinois pay stubs with 2026 wage, withholding, and employee pay information. Review Illinois requirements for wage statements, along with current minimum wage, overtime, deductions, and other rules governing employee earnings.
Illinois paystub key highlights
Pay stubs required?
Yes — by law
Every payday · semimonthlyMinimum wage 2026
$15.00 / hr
Tipped $9.00 · Youth (under 18) $13.00State income tax (PIT)
Flat 4.95%
All filing statuses · no local taxesSUI / SUTA 2026
0.75%–7.05%
Wage base $14,250 · reduced rate at 5.4%Monthly wage reports
25+ employees
Months 1 & 2 of each quarter · MyTax ILIllinois paystub generator
Use the Illinois paystub generator to build a pay stub that accounts for every Illinois requirement — flat 4.95% PIT, YTD itemized deductions, overtime shown separately, and semi-monthly pay period dates pre-filled.
How the Illinois Paystub Generator Works
Enter Your Information
Add your employee, employer, salary, and pay period details.
Preview Your Pay Stub
Review your pay stub, verify earnings, taxes, and deductions, and make any changes if needed.
Download Your Pay Stub
Download your professional PDF pay stub or send it directly by email in minutes.
Why Choose SecurePayStubs:
Illinois pay stubs must show itemized deductions and YTD itemized deductions — not just net pay. The generator handles both automatically, along with the flat 4.95% PIT and separate overtime pay line, using current 2026 rates.
Illinois 2026 Pay Stub Requirements Explained
Illinois law requires employers to provide a pay stub every payday. Here is what the Illinois paystub regulation covers, in full.
1. Are pay stubs required by law in Illinois?
Employers in Illinois must provide their employees with pay stubs every payday.
2. How often do you need a pay stub in Illinois?
You will need to pay your employees semimonthly. As pay stubs are mandatory in Illinois, you will need to provide pay stubs every time you pay your employees.
3. What information must be on an Illinois pay stub?
Employee information: name, last 4 digits of SSN, and address
Employer information: name, EIN, and address
Number of regular and overtime hours worked during the pay cycle
Rate of pay
Overtime pay
Gross wages
Itemized deductions for the pay cycle
Year-to-date itemized deductions
Illinois uniquely requires both pay-cycle itemized deductions AND year-to-date itemized deductions — two separate line items. Many other states only require current-period deductions. Ensure your pay stubs include both.
4. Does Illinois have a state income tax?
Yes. Illinois imposes a flat state income tax rate of 4.95% applicable to all filing statuses for Taxable Year 2025.
5. Are there any other taxes applicable to Illinois?
No. There are no local taxes in addition to federal and state income taxes applicable to employees in the state of Illinois statewide. However, Chicago and Cook County have specific sick leave rules — see the leave section.
What You Need to Generate an Illinois Pay Stub
Employee's exemption status from state withholding
Basic allowances, additional state withholding, and additional allowances
Illinois Minimum Wage, Overtime, and Leave Rules
Illinois labor laws mandate that employers ensure non-exempt workers receive fair compensation — minimum wage, proper overtime, meal breaks, and paid time-off benefits.
Illinois 2026 minimum wage
Standard
$15.00 / hrWorkers aged 18 and older · effective January 1, 2026
Tipped workers
$9.00 / hr60% of minimum wage · employers who pay gratuities
Youth workers
$13.00 / hrUnder age 18 working fewer than 650 hours annually
Employers may also apply for licenses to pay sub-minimum wages to certain workers with physical or mental limitations, or to learners, as permitted under Illinois law.
Overtime pay
Illinois overtime rule: Employers must compensate employees at 1.5× their regular pay for all hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. This does not extend automatically to legal holidays or Sundays — only if total hours in that workweek exceed 40. If an employer has a policy offering time-and-a-half or double time for holidays/Sundays, they must honor that agreement.
Meal breaks
Illinois meal break requirement:
Employees working 7.5 hours must receive a meal break no later than 5 hours after the start of their shift.
An additional 20-minute meal break must be provided for shifts lasting 12 or more hours.
Employers cannot compel employees to work through meal breaks.
If an employee works through a meal break, they are entitled to compensation.
Rest breaks
Illinois does not require employers to provide rest breaks for their employees.
Paid time off and leave
Chicago & Cook County sick leave — Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act
Employers in Chicago and Cook County must provide paid sick leave to employees for medical purposes. Employees earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, up to an annual cap of 40 hours (unless the employer sets a higher limit). At the end of a 12-month period, employees can carry over up to 20 hours of accrued sick leave.
| Required Leave | Non-Required Leave |
|---|---|
| Voting leave — 2 hours paid time off | Vacation leave |
| Bereavement leave — up to 10 working days unpaid (employers with 50+ employees) | Sick leave (beyond Chicago/Cook County minimums) |
| Military and family military leave | Holiday leave |
| Jury duty leave | Paid leave (employers may need to offer unpaid under federal FMLA) |
| Blood donation — 1 hour per 56 days (50+ employee firms) | — |
| Children's school events — up to 8 hours (50+ employee firms) | — |
| Emergency response leave | — |
| Witness leave | — |
| Crime victim leave | — |
| Domestic violence or sexual assault leave | — |
Illinois 2026 Income Tax and Withholding Information
In Illinois, payroll taxes are divided into two categories: Illinois Personal Income Tax (PIT), withheld from employees, and Illinois State Unemployment Insurance (UI), an employer-only contribution. There are no local taxes statewide.
Illinois Personal Income Tax (PIT)
4.95%
Illinois flat income tax — Taxable Year 2025
A single flat rate applies to all income levels and all filing statuses: Single, Married Filing Separately, Married Filing Jointly, and Head of Household. No brackets. No phase-outs. One rate withheld from every dollar of taxable income.
Filing deadline: The initial deadline for submitting the 2025 individual income tax Form IL-1040 and settling any owed taxes is April 15, 2026. An extension to October 15, 2026 is available. Electronic filing is available via MyTax Illinois.
Illinois State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) 2026
Illinois enacted SUTA to support individuals facing unemployment. Employer contributions are experience-rated and paid on wages up to the taxable wage base.
$14,250
Taxable wage base per employee · 2026 · only first $14,250 subject to UI contributions
0.750%
Minimum contribution rate · 2026
7.050%
Maximum contribution rate · 2026
Reduced rate provision: Employers with a rate above 5.400% and quarterly wages below $50,000 will pay a reduced rate of 5.400% for that quarter. SUTA is an employer-only contribution — not deducted from employee wages.
Illinois Wage Records and Reporting Deadlines
Report of new hire employees
Employers must report all newly hired employees within 20 calendar days of their start date. "Newly hired" includes individuals not previously employed by the employer, or those who had a separation of at least 60 consecutive days from their previous employment with the same employer.
Late reporting penalty: Failure to report new hires may lead to a civil penalty of $15 for each unreported individual.
Report of independent contractors — New from January 1, 2026
Illinois now requires IC reporting — effective January 1, 2026
Beginning January 1, 2026, Illinois mandates that all employers report independent contractors using the same process as new or returning employees — within 20 calendar days from their start date. Employers must include a "Y" indicator to specifically identify the individual as an Independent Contractor.
How to report employee and IC new hires in Illinois:
| Online | Fax | |
|---|---|---|
| Employees and independent contractors New Hire Report | P.O. Box 19473 | 217-557-1947 |
Quarterly Employer's Contribution and Wage Report — UI-3/40
25 or more employees (prior year): Must file UI-3/40 electronically via MyTax Illinois, FSET, or FTP.
Fewer than 25 employees: May file paper Form UI-3/40.
Domestic employers (annual filers): Use Form UI-HA.
Quarterly due dates — Form UI-3/40:
| Reporting Period | Due Date |
|---|---|
| Q1 (January – March) | April 30 |
| Q2 (April – June) | July 31 |
| Q3 (July – September) | October 31 |
| Q4 (October – December) | January 31 |
Illinois monthly wage reports
Employers with a combined total of 25 or more employees in the previous calendar year must electronically submit monthly wage reports in addition to regular quarterly contributions. These are filed for the first and second months of each quarter — the third month is covered by the quarterly report.
Monthly reports are filed exclusively through MyTax Illinois. There is no paper option. Reports are required for: January, February, April, May, July, August, October, and November. No separate monthly report is filed for March, June, September, or December — those months are rolled into the quarterly report.
Monthly wage report schedule — upload and deadline dates:
Q1 — January & February
| Month | Upload from | Timely deadline | Late deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Jan 16 | Feb 28/29 | Mar 31 |
| February | Feb 16 | Mar 31 | Apr 30 |
Q2 — April & May
| Month | Upload from | Timely deadline | Late deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | Apr 16 | May 31 | Jun 30 |
| May | May 16 | Jun 30 | Jul 31 |
Q3 — July & August
| Month | Upload from | Timely deadline | Late deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| July | Jul 16 | Aug 31 | Sep 30 |
| August | Aug 16 | Sep 30 | Oct 31 |
Q4 — October & November
| Month | Upload from | Timely deadline | Late deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | Oct 16 | Nov 30 | Dec 31 |
| November | Nov 16 | Dec 31 | Jan 31 |
Failure to submit monthly or quarterly wage reports will result in a penalty. There is no manual entry option for monthly reports — MyTax Illinois is the only accepted filing method.
Processing payroll manually is complex
Skip the hassle of calculating Illinois taxes, deductions, overtime, and year-to-date amounts manually. Use a generator to produce accurate, compliant pay stubs in under 4 minutes.
Sources & references
Article last updated from its original publication date of September 25, 2026.
Illinois paystub FAQ
1. What is the difference between Illinois payroll taxes and Illinois unemployment taxes?
2. Does Chicago have different payroll or leave requirements from the rest of Illinois?
Yes. Chicago has local employment and leave requirements that can differ from statewide Illinois rules. Employers with employees working in Chicago should check applicable city requirements, including paid leave rules, rather than relying only on statewide requirements.