What "headquartered in Illinois" actually means for your paycheck
Pay frequency is governed primarily by the state where the employee physically works, not where the employer is incorporated. A company headquartered in Illinois may run separate payroll calendars for staff in California, New York, or Massachusetts to comply with state-specific cadence floors. That said, the largest multi-state employers — including those listed below — typically adopt a single uniform payroll cadence across all locations to simplify administration. The most common simplification is to default to whichever cadence satisfies the strictest state minimum.
For the official state-by-state payday-requirement reference, see the U.S. Department of Labor's payday-requirements table and the NCSL summary of state payday laws. These are the canonical references HR teams use when designing multi-state payroll calendars.
Why a semimonthly schedule appears here
A semimonthly payroll schedule pays employees twice per month on fixed calendar dates, usually the 15th and the last business day, producing exactly 24 paychecks per year. Semimonthly is favored by banks, insurance carriers, technology companies, utilities, and consulting firms because it aligns naturally with monthly accounting closes.
Among the Illinois-headquartered employers in PayPeriod Hub, the semimonthly cadence appears most often at companies whose workforces concentrate in salaried corporate, technology, finance, and professional-services roles. The pattern reflects industry structure more than state law.
All 18 Illinois employers paying semimonthly
| Company | Industry | Payday | City | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allstate | Insurance | the 15th and last day of the month | Northbrook | 54,000 |
| Aon | Insurance | the 15th and last day of the month | Chicago | 50,000 |
| Arthur J. Gallagher | Insurance | the 15th and last day of the month | Rolling Meadows | 49,500 |
| CBOE Global Markets | Financial Services | the 15th and last day of the month | Chicago | 1,500 |
| CME Group | Financial Services | the 15th and last day of the month | Chicago | 3,490 |
| CyberArk Software | Technology | the 15th and last day of the month | Petach Tikva | 3,000 |
| Discover Financial Services | Financial Services | the 15th and last day of the month | Riverwoods | 21,000 |
| Exelon | Utilities | the 15th and last day of the month | Chicago | 19,251 |
| Huron Consulting Group | Consulting & IT Services | the 15th and last day of the month | Chicago | 5,800 |
| Navigant Consulting | Consulting & IT Services | the 15th and last day of the month | Chicago | 6,000 |
| Northern Trust | Financial Services | the 15th and last day of the month | Chicago | 22,200 |
| Old Republic International | Insurance | the 15th and last day of the month | Chicago | 8,400 |
| State Farm Insurance Cos. | Insurance | the 15th and last day of the month | Bloomington | 60,000 |
| Thoughtworks Holding | Consulting & IT Services | the 15th and last day of the month | Chicago | 11,500 |
| TransUnion | Financial Services | the 15th and last day of the month | Chicago | 12,500 |
| United Airlines Holdings | Airlines | the 1st and 16th of the month | Chicago | 103,300 |
| Wix.com | Technology | the 15th and last day of the month | Tel Aviv | 5,200 |
| Zebra Technologies | Technology | the 15th and last day of the month | Lincolnshire | 9,700 |
Related views
- All Illinois employers regardless of cadence
- All companies that pay Semimonthly across every state
- The Semimonthly primer