Illinois Makes Posting Wages in Jobs Real for 2025

Starting January 1, 2025, Illinois employers with 15 or more employees must include pay ranges and benefits in job postings, as required by an amendment to the Illinois Equal Pay Act signed into law on August 11, 2023. This applies only when employers create job postings, and they are not obligated to post jobs. “Pay scale and benefits” must include the wage or salary range and a general description of benefits and other compensation, such as bonuses or stock options.

Employers can meet this requirement by providing a hyperlink to a webpage with the pay scale and benefits or by posting a general benefits description on their website. If using a third party to post jobs, employers must ensure the third party includes this information. If no job posting is made, employers must still provide pay scale and benefits information to applicants upon request before discussing compensation.

The amendment also requires that all promotion opportunities be announced to current employees within 14 days of an external job posting, except for certain state positions. Employers can still ask applicants about their salary expectations but cannot use salary history to screen applicants or set compensation.

Employers must keep records of pay scales, benefits, and job postings for at least five years. Retaliation against employees or applicants for exercising their rights under this amendment is prohibited, and the Illinois Department of Labor can investigate violations. Complaints must be filed within one year of the alleged violation.

Reference Date is Sept 1, 2023. [Open Source]