Living on minimum wage · Illinois
Living on Minimum Wage in Illinois
A full-time job at Illinois’s $15.00 minimum wage pays $31,200 a year. After federal taxes that is about $2,263 a month, the 13th-highest take-home of the 51 states and DC (tied).
- Take-home a month $2,263 single, after federal tax
- Take-home a year $27,159 87% of $31,200
- Real hourly pay $13.06 after tax, of $15.00
- Work for $100 of goods 8.4 hrs incl. 10.25% sales tax
From gross pay to take-home
| Year | Month | Every 2 weeks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $31,200 | $2,600 | $1,200 |
| Federal income tax | −$1,654 | −$138 | −$64 |
| Social Security & Medicare | −$2,387 | −$199 | −$92 |
| Take-home | $27,159 | $2,263 | $1,045 |
Figures assume 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, a single filer and the 2026 standard deduction. Illinois state income tax is not included, so an actual paycheck here will be somewhat lower. For a different situation, use the take-home pay calculator.
Compared with the federal minimum
A full-time worker in Illinois takes home about $13,233 more a year than someone paid the $7.25 federal minimum, who keeps $13,926. The highest take-home is in District of Columbia, at $32,842. See this state’s rate history and rank on minimum wage in Illinois.
What spending costs in hours of work
The combined sales tax in Chicago is 10.25%, so $100 of taxable goods costs $110.25 at the register. At $13.06 of take-home pay an hour, that takes about 8.4 hours of work, the 18th-shortest of the 51 states and DC.
Rates differ across the state; see sales tax in Illinois for other cities.
Two earners
A couple who both work full-time at minimum wage and file jointly earn $62,400 and take home about $4,527 a month after federal taxes.
How big a mortgage minimum wage supports
Lenders commonly cap housing costs at 28% of gross pay. At this week’s 6.76% 30-year rate, that lets one full-time earner here borrow about $112,127 and a two-earner couple about $224,254, before property tax and insurance. See what a $200,000 mortgage costs month to month.
Minimum wage in Illinois: take-home FAQ
What is take-home pay on minimum wage in Illinois?
Full-time at $15.00 an hour, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, earns $31,200 a year. After $1,654 of federal income tax and $2,387 of Social Security and Medicare, a single filer takes home about $27,159, or $2,263 a month. Illinois state income tax is not included, so an actual paycheck here will be somewhat lower.
How much federal tax does a minimum wage worker pay in Illinois?
About $1,654 of federal income tax and $2,387 of Social Security and Medicare, using 2026 brackets and the standard deduction for a single filer. Together that is 13% of gross pay.
How long does a minimum wage worker in Illinois work to buy $100 of goods?
The combined sales tax in Chicago is 10.25%, so $100 of taxable goods costs $110.25 at the register. At a take-home rate of $13.06 an hour, that is about 8.4 hours of work, the 18th-shortest of the 51 states and DC.
Can you afford a mortgage on minimum wage in Illinois?
Keeping principal and interest to 28% of gross pay at this week’s 6.76% 30-year rate, one full-time minimum wage earner could borrow about $112,127. Two full-time earners could borrow about $224,254, before property tax and insurance.
2026 state minimum wage, 2026 federal brackets for a single filer with the standard deduction, and Social Security and Medicare at 7.65%. State and local income taxes are not included . Sales tax is the combined rate for one downtown ZIP code in Chicago.
Data: U.S. Department of Labor; Internal Revenue Service; State departments of revenue, via APIVerve. Our tables, charts and text are licensed CC BY-NC 4.0: share and adapt them for non-commercial use as long as you credit us. For commercial use or bulk data, use the APIVerve API. See the data terms. Cite as: Digest Your Finances, “Living on Minimum Wage by State”, https://digestyourfinances.com/studies/living-on-minimum-wage/illinois/ — based on U.S. Department of Labor; Internal Revenue Service; State departments of revenue. CC BY-NC 4.0.
