2021 EQUAL PAY ACT CERTIFICATION FINAL DEADLINE LESS THAN 6 MONTHS AWAY

By Nicole Martin | October 23, 2023

Have you filed your application for an equal pay certificate from the Illinois Department of Labor? This Illinois law applies to private employers with 100+ employees. If you have not been contacted by IDOL and have not provided IDOL with your contact information, please send an email to DOL.EPRC@Illinois.gov for further instructions.

Final deadline is March 23, 2024, and then you’ll need to recertify every two years after that.

You must apply for an “equal pay registration certificate” from the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL). This is a comprehensive certification of legal compliance, non-discriminatory practices, non-discriminatory results, and efforts to ensure equal pay. This includes the submission of your most recent EEO-1 and very detailed demographic and wage information.

The IDOL is supposed to provide each employer with a deadline for initial submission (between 3/24/2022 and 3/24/2024), then every two years. YOU MUST SUBMIT BY MARCH 23RD IF YOU DON’T RECEIVE NOTICE. Failure to receive date from IDOL isn’t a defense, but there is a 30-day cure opportunity after notice from DOL if you fail to submit.

This law also enables employees to request anonymized information about their role.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING RIGHT NOW TO PREPARE?

Make sure you know how you’ll respond to the equal pay registration certificate certifications.

What steps are you taking to ensure equal pay?
How is pay set? Start mapping pay by role so you will be able to report.
Confirm proper eeo-1 submissions and that you have the data you’ll be required to submit.

Keep an eye out for your submission notice, if you don’t get the notice, submit by March 24th!
Consider an internal audit to confirm equity. Yes, at HRBoost, we conduct compensation benchmarks, pay audits and recommendations to improve your strategy to comply with the Act. Book a free Consultation today via hrboost.com/consultation
Consider internal move toward pay transparency.
Audit pay across business to avoid employee relations issues when information becomes available.
Confirm/establish process for establishing pay ranges and sharing of information.

New in 2023 Civil penalties of up to $10,000 may occur for falsification or misrepresentation of information. The IDOL will require employers to submit the total hours worked by each employee during the payroll year. This will provide the IDOL with further context and information with which to evaluate pay equity between employees.

The EPAC allows companies to verify and communicate that they provide equal pay for the same job or jobs of the same value. When you get certified, it’s a chance to put your values into action. To prove your commitment to equal pay for all. That means added value for your company, better employee recruitment and retention, more diversity in your team, a stronger reputation and much more. Plus you get the bonus of knowing that you’re doing the right thing.