Project Manager Salary Transparency Requirements in Illinois

What Does Illinois Law Require?

Under Illinois Equal Pay Act (amended by HB 3129), effective January 1, 2025, employers posting Project Manager positions in Illinois must include specific compensation disclosures. Here is exactly what the law mandates:

Why Project Manager Roles Are Especially at Risk

Project Manager postings are among the most syndicated job titles on major boards. When posted as "hybrid" or "flexible location," they often inadvertently trigger compliance in states the employer did not intend to hire from.

The typical salary range for a Project Manager is $85,000 - $145,000, though this varies significantly by seniority, location, and company size. Illinois law requires that your posted range reflect a good-faith estimate of what you actually expect to pay - not an artificially wide band designed to technically comply.

Benefits Disclosure: Illinois's Extra Requirement

Unlike many states, Illinois requires that you go beyond just salary. Your Project Manager posting must also include a general description of all benefits and other compensation. This includes:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Retirement plans (401k, pension, etc.)
• Paid time off (PTO, sick leave, holidays)
• Equity, stock options, or profit sharing
• Any other form of compensation (bonuses, commissions, signing bonuses)

A posting that includes the salary range but omits benefits information is still considered non-compliant in Illinois.

Penalties and Enforcement

Non-compliance carries real financial consequences. Illinois penalties for failing to include required salary information in your Project Manager posting include:

Illinois is one of the newest states to require salary posting (effective 2025), meaning many employers are still unaware of the requirement. First-year enforcement is expected to be particularly active as the state establishes precedent.

Remote Project Manager Roles and Illinois Compliance

If your Project Manager position is listed as "Remote" or "Remote - US" and you do not explicitly exclude Illinois from the job listing, you must comply with Illinois salary transparency law. This is true even if your company has no physical presence in Illinois.

Operations roles like Project Manager are frequently posted as remote-eligible, which means many employers unknowingly trigger Illinois compliance requirements. The safest approach is to include Illinois-compliant salary disclosures in all remote postings, or to explicitly restrict hiring to states where you are not subject to transparency mandates.

How to Make Your Project Manager Posting Compliant

Compliance is straightforward when you know what to include. Follow these steps:

1. Determine your pay range. Set a realistic minimum and maximum for the Project Manager role based on market data and internal pay bands.
2. Include the range in the posting. State the range clearly - such as "$X - $Y annually" or "$X - $Y per hour." Avoid vague language like "competitive salary."
3. List benefits and other compensation. Include health insurance, retirement plans, PTO, equity, and any other benefits. Illinois requires this alongside the salary range.
4. Run a compliance check. Use our free compliance checker to verify your posting meets Illinois requirements before publishing.

Helpful Resources