Last verified October 25, 2026 · How we verify
Illinois break laws
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Illinois, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Illinois, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Illinois requires a 20-minute meal break for shifts of 7.5 hours or more, but no rest breaks. Short breaks your employer gives must be paid under federal law. Overtime is due after 40 hours in a workweek; there is no daily overtime.
At least 20 minutes for a 7.5-hour shift, starting no later than 5 hours into the shift, plus another 20 minutes for every additional 4.5 continuous hours.
“a meal period of at least 20 minutes for every 7.5-hour shift beginning no later than 5 hours after the start of the shift”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Illinois Department of Labor, One Day Rest In Seven Act
No general paid rest break. Hotel room attendants in counties over 3 million people who work at least 7 hours get two paid 15-minute breaks.
“States not listed do not require paid rest periods.”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: U.S. DOL, Minimum Paid Rest Period Requirements under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (table last revised January 1, 2023)
You are owed 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Illinois has no daily overtime rule.
“You are entitled to pay at time and one-half your regular rate of pay if you worked over 40 hours in a workweek.”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Illinois Department of Labor, Minimum Wage and Overtime FAQ
Federal law does not require meal or rest breaks. Short breaks (about 5 to 20 minutes) that an employer gives count as paid work time; meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid if the employee is completely relieved of duty. More on the federal rules.
Nursing employees also have a federal right to reasonable unpaid break time and a private place, not a bathroom, to pump breast milk for one year after the birth. What the federal pump-break rule covers.
How the rules above apply to four typical shifts. Hours worked exclude the unpaid lunch.
| Shift | Meal break | Rest breaks | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-hour shift, no break | Not required for this shift | Not required by Illinois law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 8-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 20 min (7.5-hour shift, starting no later than 5 hours in) | Not required by Illinois law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 10-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 20 min (7.5-hour shift, starting no later than 5 hours in) | Not required by Illinois law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 12-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 20 min (7.5-hour shift, starting no later than 5 hours in); 20 min (another 20 minutes for each additional 4.5 hours) | Not required by Illinois law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
Rules for adult, non-exempt private-sector workers. Industry orders, union contracts, local laws and exemptions can change the answer. General reference, not legal advice.
Teen workers in Illinois have limits on how long and how late they can work. Where the Illinois and federal limits differ, the stricter one applies. Illinois is also one of 33 states with a separate meal-break rule for minors; when a teen is covered by both the adult and the minor rule, the employer must follow the higher standard (U.S. DOL). Ask the Illinois labor department for its details.
| Age | Hour limits | Can't work between |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 (Illinois) | Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week School days and weeks: up to 3 hours a day and 18 a week | 7 p.m. (9 p.m. June 1 through Labor Day) to 7 a.m. |
| 16 and 17 (Illinois) | No state limit listed | No state limit listed |
| Under 16 (federal) | Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week School days and weeks: up to 3 hours a day and 18 a week | 7 p.m. (9 p.m. June 1 through Labor Day) to 7 a.m. |
| 16 and 17 (federal) | No hour limits | No night limits |
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment, as of July 15, 2025. School-day limits usually apply only to students.
If you are denied breaks that Illinois law requires, or not paid for time you worked, you can complain to the state. File a wage claim online with the Illinois Department of Labor using an Illinois Public ID account. You must file within one year after the wages were due. Official page ↗ Verified October 26, 2026
You can also call the federal Wage and Hour Division free at 1-866-487-9243. Firing or punishing you for a wage complaint is illegal.
Each pay period you must get a pay stub showing hours worked, rate of pay, overtime hours and pay, gross wages, deductions and year-to-date totals. You can request copies of past stubs, which must be provided within 21 days. Source ↗ Verified October 25, 2026
Paid break time counts as hours worked, at no less than Illinois's minimum wage of $15.00 an hour. Illinois minimum wage details ↗ Keep your own record to compare: the time card calculator totals your week with Illinois's rules and saves a PDF.
| State | Meal break | Rest breaks | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | A 20-minute meal break for shifts of 7.5 hours or more | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Indiana | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Iowa | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Kentucky | A reasonable lunch period, starting between the 3rd and 5th hour of the shift | A paid 10-minute rest break in each 4 hours | Weekly, 40 h |
| Missouri | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Wisconsin | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
See all 50 states and DC.
Every rule on this page was checked against the official source below; the quotes are verbatim and were found in the source on the date shown next to each rule. This page was last verified on October 25, 2026, the oldest of those dates. How we verify.