In Illinois, the Equal Pay Act of 2003 mandates that covered employers apply to obtain an Equal Pay Registration Certificate (EPRC) by providing certain pay, demographic, and other data to the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) every two years.
Illinois Pay Gap Reporting: What You Need to Know
LAST MODIFIED: January 10, 2025
At a glance
Who:
Employers with 100+ Illinois employees
What:
Pay Gap Report
When:
Rolling deadline for initial submission; every two years on the anniversary of initial submission
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2025 pay gap reporting requirements in Illinois
When is Illinois’s pay gap report due?
The first application to obtain an Equal Pay Registration Certificate (EPRC) was rolling, with a final deadline of March 24, 2024.
Subsequent reports are due every two years on the anniversary of the employer’s Equal Pay Registration Certificate (EPRC) date.
Employers who became subject to Act after the initial reporting period are required to register. The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) will then provide the employer a due date. Once a new business has received an EPRC, it is required to recertify every two years.
Who needs to report on pay gaps in Illinois?
The Illinois Equal Pay Act applies to employers with 100 Illinois employees (working in Illinois or reporting into managers based in Illinois) that are required to file an EEO-1 with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (or their holding company is required to file an EEO-1).
What pay gap metrics do I need to report in Illinois?
To obtain an Equal Pay Registration Certificate (EPRC) in Illinois, employers must submit an application to the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL), which includes the following.
- Detailed employee wage data: This includes a list of all Illinois employees for the prior calendar year, categorized by gender, race, and ethnicity (using EEO-1 categories). Employers must include the hours worked by each employee.
- Equal pay compliance statement: A signed statement from a company officer, legal counsel, or authorized agent, certifying the following:
- The company complies with equal pay and anti-discrimination laws.
- The average pay for female and minority employees is not consistently lower than that of male and non-minority employees within each major EEO-1 job category, considering factors like job duties, experience, skills, and other relevant factors.
- Additional certifications that show the company does not limit job opportunities based on sex and makes fair decisions regarding promotions and retention.
To ensure the EPRC is accurate, the application process typically requires a thorough analysis of employee compensation data. Syndio can assist you with completing the pay equity analysis so you can complete this certification.
Where do I need to share the pay gap report in Illinois?
Employers must file the Illinois Equal Pay Registration Certificate with the State of Illinois, which can be accessed after creating an account in the “Public Account” section of the EPRC Portal.
Syndio’s Global Pay Reports help you centralize and automate reporting for 48 jurisdictions across 43 countries. Our software makes reporting easy, fast, and accurate so you can report with confidence, even as requirements change. And our services team can answer all your detailed questions — we’re experts so you don’t have to be.
Request a demo of Syndio's Global Pay Reports software.
Employers in Illinois and the EU Pay Transparency Directive
The most significant piece of pay equity, pay transparency, and pay reporting legislation was recently adopted in the European Union: the EU Pay Transparency Directive.
While this Directive will not directly impact employees in Illinois, employers headquartered in Illinois will be impacted if they have employees in any EU Member State. Many of the Directive’s pay equity and pay transparency obligations will apply to employers with any employees in the EU. Some obligations, like pay gap reporting, will apply to employers with more employees in the EU.
There’s also a growing trend of countries learning from and adopting elements of pay gap reporting laws from around the world so the EU Pay Transparency Directive may be a roadmap for future developments in the U.S.
Syndio provides a comprehensive solution for the EU Pay Transparency Directive with everything you need to plan, prepare, and comply. Learn more ->
How Syndio helps with global pay equity, pay reporting, and pay transparency
Syndio provides the technology and expert partnership you need to comply with the growing pay equity, pay reporting, and pay transparency demands around the globe.
- Report your pay data and pay gaps — with Syndio’s Global Pay Reports. Our software supports fast, easy, and accurate compliance with pay reporting in 48 jurisdictions across 43 countries, including Illinois and for the EU Pay Transparency Directive. Syndio also supports the EU’s CSRD reporting.
- Identify, explain, and fix pay gaps — with Syndio’s PayEQ and OppEQ. Our suite of solutions give you the tools and legally compliant methodologies to analyze, explain, and make progress to close pay and career advancement gaps.
- Keep your pay gaps closed — with Syndio’s Pay Finder. On-demand pay recommendations help managers and recruiters make equitable, explainable pay decisions that don’t exacerbate pay gaps.
- Create a customized action plan — with Syndio’s EU Readiness Strategy Package. Syndio’s team of experts help you build a custom strategy and support project management. This includes a change management strategy session for senior leaders, communications strategy session on pay gap and Right to Information, and ongoing support on best practices and trends.
- Craft tailored communications strategies — with Syndio’s Communications Package. Leverage best practices to build a communications plan that builds your brand while aligning to your values and objectives.
Syndio takes data privacy and security seriously. Syndio is GDPR compliant, SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 2022 certified, and has completed the Cloud Security Alliance CAIQv.4.02 security self-assessment for STAR Level One. Learn more in our Trust Center under “Security Reports.”
The most asked questions about Illinois gender pay gap reporting
Syndio helps customers all over the world with their global pay reporting needs. Here are some common questions we get about the reporting requirements under Illinois's pay gap law.
The information provided on this resource does not and is not intended to be legal advice. All information, content, and materials are provided for general informational purposes only. The links to third-party or government websites are offered for the convenience of the reader; Syndio is not responsible for the contents on linked pages.
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