Illinois Offer Letter
Three Illinois statutes shape an offer letter. The Equal Pay Act requires employers with 15 or more employees to disclose the pay scale and benefits for a position, the Wage Payment and Collection Act requires notice of the pay rate and regular paydays at hiring, and the state minimum wage is $15.00 an hour with a higher rate in Chicago.
What Illinois law does to this document
Pay scale disclosure and salary history
An employer with 15 or more employees must include the pay scale and benefits in any specific job posting made after January 1, 2025. If no posting was made available to the applicant, the employer must disclose the pay scale and benefits before any offer or discussion of compensation and at the applicant's request. An employer may not request or require wage or salary history as a condition of being considered or of receiving an offer, although it may ask about salary expectations.
820 ILCS 112/10(b-5) and (b-25)Notice of pay rate and paydays
Employers must notify employees at the time of hiring of the rate of pay and of the time and place of payment. Whenever possible the notice must be in writing and acknowledged by both parties. Wages must be paid at least semi-monthly, and only executive, administrative and professional employees as defined under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act may be paid once a month.
820 ILCS 115/3 and 115/10(a)State minimum wage
The Illinois minimum wage for employees 18 and older has been $15.00 an hour since January 1, 2025. An hourly rate in an offer letter cannot go below it.
820 ILCS 105/4(a)(1)Chicago's higher minimum wage
Chicago sets its own rate, which adjusts every July 1. As of July 1, 2026, the Chicago minimum wage is $17.05 an hour for employers with 4 or more employees. An offer for work performed in Chicago has to meet the city rate.
Chicago Minimum Wage Ordinance, Municipal Code of Chicago ch. 6-105Background check contingencies
An employer with 15 or more employees may not ask about or consider criminal history until the applicant has been selected for an interview or, if there is no interview, until after a conditional offer. Under the Illinois Human Rights Act, a conviction record can be the basis for withdrawing an offer only if there is a substantial relationship to the job or an unreasonable risk to property or safety. The employer must first send written notice of its preliminary decision and give the applicant a chance to respond.
820 ILCS 75/15; 775 ILCS 5/2-103.1Signing bonus repayment and paycheck deductions
A repayment clause in an offer letter does not by itself authorize a deduction from wages. The Wage Payment and Collection Act prohibits deductions from wages or final compensation unless an exception applies, such as express written consent of the employee given freely at the time the deduction is made.
820 ILCS 115/9Where people go wrong in Illinois
- Selecting monthly pay for a non-exempt employee, which the generator allows without checking, when Illinois requires wages at least semi-monthly for everyone except executive, administrative and professional employees.
- Attaching a non-compete or non-solicit to the offer without advising the candidate in writing to consult an attorney and without allowing 14 calendar days to review it, which makes the covenant void under 820 ILCS 90/20.
- Running a criminal background check before the candidate is selected for an interview or given a conditional offer, which the Job Opportunities for Qualified Applicants Act prohibits for employers with 15 or more employees.
How the generator works
A clean, at-will employment offer letter that sets pay, role, start date, exempt/non-exempt status, equity, and contingencies without over-promising. Answer a short interview and the draft assembles as you go, with Illinois already set as the governing state. Download it as PDF or Word. No fee. No account.