Overview of Paid Sick Time Laws in the United States:
Chicago, IL
Updated on August 14, 2026
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| Chicago, IL | |
| Who is covered? Note: City/county paid sick time laws cannot cover state government workers, and city, county, and state paid sick time laws cannot cover federal government workers. | Workers in Chicago who work at least 80 hours for an employer within any 120-day period are covered. Government employees other than those who work for the City of Chicago and certain City agencies, are exempt. |
| Can sick time be used to care for loved ones? | Yes: children; legal guardians or wards; spouses; domestic partners (including parties to a civil union); parents; parents of a spouse or domestic partner; grandparents; grandchildren; siblings; or any other individual related by blood or whose close association with the worker is the equivalent of a family relationship. |
| How is “child” defined? | Biological, foster, or adopted children, stepchildren, legal guardians or wards, or a child to whom the worker stands in loco parentis. |
| Can sick time be used for specific “safe time” purposes (related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking)? | Yes, when the worker or the worker’s family member is the victim. |
| Can sick time be used for additional purposes beyond medical and safe leave needs? | An employer is not required to allow use of paid sick time for additional purposes beyond medical or safe leave. There is a separate entitlement under the law to accrued paid time off that can be used for broader purposes. |
| Can sick time be used when a worker’s place of work or child’s school/place of care is closed by public health officials for a public health emergency? | Yes, sick time can be used for an unscheduled closure of a family member’s school, class, or place of care. It can also be used when a worker’s place of business or a family member’s school, class, or place of care has been closed by order of a public official. Additionally, sick time can be used if a worker is obeying an order by the Mayor of Chicago, the Governor of Illinois, the Chicago Department of Public Health, or a treating healthcare provider requiring the worker to: (i) stay at home to minimize the transmission of a communicable disease; (ii) remain at home while experiencing symptoms or sick with a communicable disease; (iii) obey a quarantine order that has been issued to the worker; or (iv) obey an isolation order that has been issued to the worker. |
| Rate at which workers earn paid sick time? | 1 hour for every 35 hours worked. |
| Do workers have different sick time-related rights based on the size of their employer? If so, based on what employer-size threshold(s)? | No. |
| Amount of paid sick time that can be earned under the law per year? (Note: All of these paid sick time laws make it clear that these laws establish a minimum requirement, and employers can provide greater or more generous paid sick time benefits to their workers.) | Up to 40 hours a year. |
| When do workers begin to earn paid sick time? | On the first calendar day after the worker commences employment, but workers can be required to wait to use accrued paid sick time for up to 30 calendar days after commencement of employment. |
| Does unused sick time carry forward to the subsequent year? | Workers are entitled to carry forward up to 80 hours of paid sick time a year, but employers aren’t required to allow use of more than 40 hours of paid sick time a year. |
| Private Right of Action to go to Court? | Yes. |
| Are there waivers/ exemptions for workers covered by a valid Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)? | The law does not apply to construction industry workers covered by a CBA. Any part of the law doesn’t apply to workers covered by a CBA to the extent that the CBA explicitly waives the requirements in clear and unambiguous terms. |
| What Agency or Official Enforces the Law? | Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection |
| For the statewide paid sick time laws: can cities in the state pass paid sick time laws that are broader than the state law? | N/A |
| Statutory Citation(s) | Chicago Code § 1-24-010 et seq. |
| Additional Notes | Under the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave ordinance, workers may be entitled to additional paid leave beyond what is provided as paid sick and safe leave. For more information on the paid time off provisions, please visit the City’s Paid Leave and Paid Sick Leave page. |