Earlier this year, the Governor and General Assembly enacted changes to the Equal Pay Act of 2003 (820 ILCS 112) with enforcement powers conferred to the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL). Under the new law Public Acts 101-656 and 102-036), all private sector employers with 100 or more employees in the state of Illinois are required to report certain payroll information to IDOL and obtain an Equal Pay Act Certificate. This is an aggregate number of employees meaning that if you have three facilities with 40 employees each for a total of 120 employees, you are covered under the new law.
Businesses must start submitting applications for Equal Pay Certificates between March 24, 2002, and March 23, 2024, and must recertify every two years. The Department must issue an Equal Pay Registration Certificate within 45 calendar days or provide a statement as to why the application was rejected. Applicants with deficiencies shall have 30 calendar days to revise the application. The information provided is considered confidential and not subject to the Freedom of Information Act although the Department may release aggregate data using job category and wages by county for gender, race, and ethnicity. Employers who violate the Act shall be fined up to $10,000 per employee affected.
If you have 100 or more employees, IDOL is asking that you please provide your contact information no later than November 3, 2021, but it is not required.
In order to provide timely information so that employers can remain in compliance, the Department of Labor is seeking to collect contact information for businesses that are subject to these reporting requirements. Employers registered with the Department will receive direct communications with additional information about the law.
If you choose to provide your information to the Department, please use this link. IDOL is requesting three email contacts to ensure that their communication will reach someone within your business.
The Department will send you additional instructions via email after receiving your contact information.