Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Illinois program

Paid hours for clinic days (Paid Leave for All Workers Act)

Illinois paid-leave rules can give you paid time for clinic visits or caring for your child.

What it is

Illinois paid-leave rules can give you paid time for clinic visits or caring for your child.

Short paid absences can help cover appointments without losing every hour’s wages. The statewide law earns one paid hour for every 40 hours worked. Your work location and employer determine which state or local rule applies.

Eligibility rules
  • The statewide Paid Leave for All Workers Act took effect January 1, 2024 and covers employers of all sizes, subject to the law’s coverage rules.
  • Chicago accrues one hour in each bank for every 35 hours worked.
  • You earn one paid hour for every 40 worked, up to 40 hours a year, and can start using them after 90 days. The employer can ask for seven days' notice for a planned absence but cannot ask why or for a doctor's note.
  • Chicago coverage generally requires at least 80 hours physically worked in the city within 120 days. Since July 1, 2024, each bank earns one hour per 35 worked, up to 40 yearly. Use generally begins after 90 days for paid leave and 30 days for sick leave.
  • Jobs in suburban Cook County earn the same 40 hours a year under the county's own rule; payroll can say whether your worksite is covered.
What you get
  • Up to 40 paid hours yearly under the statewide law, for any reason.
  • In Chicago, up to 40 paid-leave hours plus 40 paid sick hours yearly.
  • Use of at least half your available personal sick-leave benefits for covered family care under the Employee Sick Leave Act.
What the help includes
  • Statewide paid leave can be used for any reason without giving a medical reason.
  • The Employee Sick Leave Act permits family use of existing sick leave; it does not itself create a sick-leave bank.
  • The Paid Leave for All Workers Act protects covered employees against retaliation for using its rights. That protection differs from FMLA’s longer leave and health-plan rules.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask HR or payroll for your paid-leave and sick-leave balances and the rule for your work location.
  2. Ask how a requested absence would be recorded alongside FMLA. Have the dates or reduced schedule you want to discuss ready.

Your HR or payroll office; Illinois Department of Labor · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • Payroll can state which balance pays each absence and whether the same absence also counts as FMLA leave.
Good to know

Illinois has no state paid family leave insurance program. These earned hours can help with short absences, but do not replace months of wages.

Other details
  • The worksite and employer determine whether a Chicago, Cook County or statewide rule applies. A local coverage gap does not establish that the statewide Act covers your job.
  • FMLA can run at the same time as paid hours when its separate requirements are met.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“How much paid time could cover our clinic days, and which absences could also have job protection? What are the tradeoffs, and could you help me work through the request with HR?”

Why I’m asking: I need to know how long my pay can last and how the different leave balances work together.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

HR can identify the law for your worksite, available accrued hours, notice rules and whether combining paid hours with another leave benefit fits your absence.

Your social worker

The social worker writes a letter about the treatment schedule if HR asks.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
Your employer applies the law; the Department of Labor enforces it.
Ask HR
“How many paid-leave hours do I have under the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (or the Chicago ordinance), and can I use half my sick leave for my child under the Employee Sick Leave Act?”

How to apply

First step: Ask HR in writing for your paid-leave balance and whether the Chicago or Cook County ordinance covers your worksite.

  1. Ask HR for the paid-leave balance and whether the Chicago or Cook County ordinance applies to your worksite.
  2. Ask which leave (this, sick leave, FMLA) is charged for each absence.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: HR can identify the law for your worksite, available accrued hours, notice rules and whether combining paid hours with another leave benefit fits your absence.

What to gather

  • Your pay stub or leave balance
  • The treatment calendar

How long: PLAWA generally permits use after 90 days. Chicago generally permits paid leave after 90 days and paid sick leave after 30 days. The applicable ordinance, accrual balance and permitted employer policy control.

What a yes looks like

Paid clinic days without a doctor's note.

What a no looks like, and the next move

File a complaint with the Illinois Department of Labor (or Chicago's Office of Labor Standards).

Watch out

  • Accrued paid hours and FMLA serve different purposes. When both apply, the same qualifying absence may use paid hours and FMLA together; HR confirms the policy and your eligibility.
  • Accrued paid hours are not state paid-family-leave insurance. Other employer benefits or narrow statutory leave rights may apply separately.
  • A Cook County municipality opting out does not automatically prove the state 40-hour rule applies. Worksite, local ordinance, employer and statutory exclusions decide the applicable law.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 8, 2026.

What it is worth

Covered workers can accrue paid hours under the applicable state or local law. PLAWA generally provides up to 40 hours; worksite, worker and employer exclusions matter. Chicago has separate paid-leave and sick-leave banks.

  • $40/year — Paid leave a year (statewide)
  • $40 — Hours worked per hour of leave earned (statewide)
  • $40/year — Chicago paid sick leave a year
  • $40/year — Chicago paid leave a year (in addition to sick leave)
  • $35 — Chicago: hours worked per hour of each leave earned

Legal protection: Covered workers can accrue paid hours under the applicable state or local law. PLAWA generally provides up to 40 hours; worksite, worker and employer exclusions matter. Chicago has separate paid-leave and sick-leave banks. · At least half of existing personal sick leave usable to care for a child (Employee Sick Leave Act) · Cook County ordinance: 40 hours, one per 40 worked, where the municipality has not opted out

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Employer size
No general employer-size threshold under PLAWA, but statutory worker, employer and collective-bargaining exclusions apply; the worksite determines whether a local ordinance applies.
Accrual
one hour per 40 worked (state); one per 35 (Chicago)
Concurrency
can run concurrently with FMLA
Kin care
at least half of personal sick-leave benefits usable for a covered family member; the Act creates no sick leave itself
Paid family leave
none in Illinois

Expect friction on: Local ordinance coverage depends on where the job is and municipal opt-outs

The trap: Accrued paid hours and FMLA serve different purposes. When both apply, the same qualifying absence may use paid hours and FMLA together; HR confirms the policy and your eligibility.

Where I read this

← Back to your options