Illinois Contract Templates

Illinois Independent Contractor Agreement

Updated for 820 ILCS 193

Worker-classification test

ABC test for unemployment insurance and wage payment claims: free from control, outside the usual course or places of business, and an independently established business. Construction uses the Employee Classification Act.

State freelancer-protection law

Freelance Worker Protection Act, effective July 1, 2024, covering contracts taking effect after that date.

Written contract required?

Yes, for $500 or more, alone or combined with all contracts between the same parties over the prior 120 days. The freelancer gets a copy; the hiring party keeps it at least two years.

Illinois Non-Compete Agreement

Are employee non-competes enforceable?

Yes, for employees earning above the pay thresholds, if the employer meets the Act's consideration, attorney-advice and 14-day review rules and the covenant is reasonable.

Governing law

Illinois Freedom to Work Act, 820 ILCS 90, as amended effective Jan. 1, 2022, which codifies a three-prong rule of reason based on the totality of the circumstances.

Salary or wage threshold

Non-competes: earnings above $75,000 a year; non-solicits: above $45,000. Rising to $80,000 and $47,500 on Jan. 1, 2027, with further increases in 2032 and 2037.

Illinois Employment Offer Letter

Updated for IL Equal Pay Act

At-will employment

Yes, by common law. Courts recognize a retaliatory-discharge claim when a firing violates clearly mandated public policy, such as filing a workers' compensation claim.

Pay-range disclosure

Employers with 15+ employees (counting those outside Illinois) must include the pay scale and benefits in any specific job posting made or republished after Jan. 1, 2025.

Salary-history ban

Yes, for all employers. No screening on wage history, requiring it as a condition of an interview or offer, or seeking it from current or former employers.

Illinois Residential Lease Agreement

Security deposit cap

No statewide cap. Illinois law sets no limit on the deposit amount; Chicago and suburban Cook County ordinances add their own deposit rules.

Deposit return deadline

Itemized damage statement with paid receipts (or estimates, with receipts within 30 days after) due within 30 days after move-out; otherwise full refund within 45 days. Applies to all landlords since January 1, 2024.

Required disclosures

Since 2026, the state Summary of Rights for Safer Homes goes at the front of the lease, signed by tenants. A written FEMA flood-zone and flood-history disclosure is due before signing and must appear in the lease.

Illinois LLC Operating Agreement

Updated for 805 ILCS 180

Governing statute

Illinois Limited Liability Company Act.

Operating agreement required?

Not required. The operating agreement may be oral, in a record, implied, or any combination, and can be signed before, at, or after the articles are filed.

Filing fee to form the LLC

$150 for Articles of Organization ($400 if the LLC can establish series).