Under Chicago’s Paid Leave and Paid Sick Leave ordinance, a medium employer (i.e., anyone with 51 – 100 eligible employees) has only had to pay out a maximum of 16 hours of unused, accrued paid leave upon an employee’s termination, resignation, retirement, or other separation from employment.
On and after July 1, 2025, medium employers will be required to pay out all unused, accrued paid leave as part of the an employee’s final compensation.
The pay out of all unused, accrued paid leave will continue to be required for employers with at least 101 eligible employees. Small employers (i.e., those with 50 or fewer eligible employees) are not required to pay out any unused, accrued paid leave.