Independent payroll-schedule reference · Updated July 2026 Methodology · Submit a correction

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

CompanyIndustryPaydayCityEmployees
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