Illinois Paystub Generator for 2026

Create an Illinois Pay Stub Without Building Payroll by Hand

A pay stub brings several payroll details together in one place. It shows what an employee earned, what was deducted, and how much remained as net pay. Preparing those figures manually can take time, especially when overtime, reported tips, benefits, or year to date totals are involved.

The ePaystubs generator gives you a guided way to enter the information. You can review the document before downloading it, which makes it easier to catch a spelling mistake, an incorrect pay date, or a deduction entered in the wrong field.

Illinois Payroll Facts for 2026

Illinois has a flat individual income tax rate, a statewide minimum wage, specific wage statement duties, and rules covering how often many employees must be paid. Local wage ordinances can add another layer for employers in Chicago and Cook County.

The figures above cover common payroll situations. Collective bargaining agreements, public contracts, prevailing wage projects, exempt employee classifications, local ordinances, and industry rules may require different treatment.

The Workplace Address Can Change the Wage Rate

The employee's home address does not always decide which minimum wage applies. Local wage coverage often depends on where the employee performs the work. That distinction matters for businesses with remote staff, delivery workers, temporary assignments, and employees who move between Illinois locations.

A Chicago employee may be covered by the Chicago minimum wage even when the employer's main office is outside the city. Cook County has its own ordinance, though some municipalities may use another local rule or may not follow the county ordinance. Work performed elsewhere in Illinois is generally subject to the statewide wage floor unless another law requires a higher rate.

When one employee works in more than one location during the same pay period, keep records that show the dates, hours, and applicable wage rate for each location.

How Illinois Income Tax Is Taken From a Paycheck

Illinois uses a flat income tax rate of 4.95 percent. That does not always mean an employer simply multiplies every gross paycheck by 4.95 percent. The withholding calculation can also reflect the employee's Illinois withholding certificate, pay frequency, exemption allowances, taxable wages, and any extra amount requested by the employee.

Employees generally provide Form IL W 4 to tell the employer how many Illinois allowances to use. The 2026 Illinois withholding exemption allowance is $2,925. The annual allowance is divided by the number of payroll periods when the employer calculates withholding for each paycheck.

An employee claiming no Illinois allowances may see an amount close to 4.95 percent of Illinois taxable wages. An employee with valid allowances may have a lower withholding amount. Payroll records should follow the current IL W 4 and the official Illinois withholding tables rather than guessing the deduction.

Employers can check the current method through the 2026 Illinois withholding tables .

What May Come Out of an Illinois Paycheck

A pay stub should make each deduction easy to identify. Combining unrelated amounts under a vague label can make the statement difficult to check. Clear labels also help an employee compare the current check with earlier payments.

Illinois restricts deductions from wages and final compensation. A deduction generally needs to be required by law, benefit the employee, follow a valid order, or have the employee's proper consent. Employers should not treat the pay stub as permission to remove an unexplained amount from wages.

Federal payroll rates and wage limits can be checked through IRS Publication 15 and the Social Security wage base information.

Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago Wage Rates

The statewide wage remains $15.00 per hour in 2026 for covered workers age 18 and older. Chicago and Cook County change their local rates on July 1, so employers should check the work date before entering wages.

Local coverage can depend on the employer, municipality, employee classification, and work performed. Some Cook County municipalities do not follow the county ordinance. Employers should confirm the local rule rather than applying the county amount to every address within Cook County.

How the tip credit works

A tipped cash wage is not the employee's final guaranteed hourly wage. When a lawful tip credit is used, the employee's cash wage and qualifying tips must reach the full applicable minimum wage. The employer must make up a shortfall when the employee's tips do not bring total compensation to that wage floor.

Keep cash wages and reported tips separate on the pay stub. That makes it easier to see what the employer paid directly, what the employee reported as tips, and whether the full minimum wage requirement was met.

How Overtime Appears on an Illinois Pay Stub

Most covered hourly employees must receive overtime after working more than 40 hours in a workweek. The usual overtime rate is one and one half times the employee's regular rate. Daily overtime is not a general Illinois requirement, so working more than eight hours in one day does not automatically create overtime when the weekly total stays at 40 hours or less.

Bonuses, commissions, shift premiums, piece rate earnings, and other compensation may affect the employee's regular rate for overtime purposes. Employers with those pay arrangements should calculate overtime from the correct regular rate rather than using the base hourly rate without review.

What Illinois Requires on a Pay Stub

Illinois requires an employer to furnish a pay stub for each pay period. State law defines a pay stub as an itemized statement showing several parts of the employee's wage record.

Employers must keep pay stub copies

Illinois employers must retain a copy of an employee's pay stub for at least three years after the payment date. The duty applies whether the document was provided electronically or on paper. Ending the employment relationship does not remove the retention requirement.

Employees can request copies

Current and former employees may request copies of qualifying pay stubs. An employer may require the request to be submitted in writing. The employer generally has 21 calendar days to furnish the requested copies.

Former employee requests have limits under the statute, so employers should maintain a clear process for receiving, documenting, and answering requests.

Penalties may apply

Failing to furnish a required pay stub or violating the related requirements may expose an employer to a civil penalty of up to $500 for each violation payable to the Illinois Department of Labor.

The statutory wording can be reviewed through 820 ILCS 115 Section 2 and 820 ILCS 115 Section 10 .

When Illinois Employees Must Be Paid

Most Illinois employees must be paid at least twice each month. Executive, administrative, and professional employees covered by the statutory exception may be paid once each month.

Wages earned during a semimonthly or biweekly pay period generally must be paid no later than 13 days after that pay period ends. Weekly wages generally have a shorter payment window.

Final compensation

When employment ends, final compensation is generally due by the next regularly scheduled payday. Final compensation can include wages, earned commissions, bonuses, and the cash value of earned vacation when payment is required by the employer's policy or agreement.

Illinois does not provide a general rule allowing an employer to hold the last paycheck until equipment is returned. Any deduction from final compensation must comply with the wage deduction rules.

Employers can review timing rules through the Illinois Department of Labor Wage Payment FAQ .

Two Illinois Payroll Examples

These examples show how information can be organized on a pay stub. They are illustrations rather than a substitute for payroll software, tax advice, or a calculation based on the employee's actual tax forms.

Paid Leave Can Affect Payroll Records

The Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act generally allows covered employees to earn up to 40 hours of paid leave during a 12 month period. Under the usual accrual method, an employee earns one hour of leave for every 40 hours worked.

Paid leave wages should be recorded consistently with the employer's timekeeping and leave records. A pay stub can identify paid leave earnings separately when the employer wants the employee to see how much of the payment relates to leave.

Local rules may differ. Chicago and Cook County have their own paid leave requirements, so employers should check the rule covering the employee's work location.

State information is available through the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act page .

A Practical Illinois Payroll Check Before Payday

A short payroll review can catch errors before the pay stub reaches the employee. This is especially useful when a pay period includes overtime, tips, more than one work location, or a midyear local wage change.

Who Can Use the Illinois Paystub Generator

Related Payroll Forms and State Pages

A pay stub records an individual payment. It does not replace annual wage forms, employee withholding certificates, contractor tax forms, or employer payroll returns.