Business & Work

If you think that you have experienced employment discrimination in hiring, promotions, firing, or other work-related actions, you can speak with a member of the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) and file a charge. You have 300 days from the last incident to file with the IDHR. Starting on January 1, 2025, you will have 2 years to file a charge with IDHR.

To file a charge with IDHR, you will complete an employment "Complainant Another word for plaintiff or a person that files a lawsuit Information Sheet" (CIS). You can get the CIS on IDHR's website by clicking on "File an Employment Charge of Discrimination." Make sure that you give a complete description of the discrimination. After you complete your CIS, you can submit the form to IDHR by email at IDHR.Intake The screening process children who are arrested go through before seeing a judge. Intake procedures are often conducted by intake officers, probation staff, case and social workers, or police. @illinois.gov. You can also submit your form by mail, fax, or in person.

There are 2 IDHR offices where you can file a complaint A written statement to start a lawsuit that says what the defendant did in person:

555 West Monroe Street
7th Floor
Intake unit
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 814-6200
(866) 740-3953 (TTY)
(312) 814-6251 (fax - charge processing)

524 S. 2nd Street
Suite 300
Springfield, IL 62702
(217) 785-5100
(866) 740-3953 (TTY)
(217) 785-5106 (fax)

If you mail your complaint, send it to the IDHR location closest to you. 

If IDHR accepts your claim, they will send you a formal charge document to sign.

There are several government organizations that protect workers from workplace discrimination. You may also be able to file an employment discrimination claim with the EEOC or a local agency. Learn more about where to report workplace discrimination.

Your employer will receive a copy of the charge within 10 days of the date IDHR receives your signed charge. The company must respond to IDHR's questionnaire by a set date, usually 60 days. IDHR can require you to file a formal response A formal written answer to the plaintiff or petitioner's written statement . If you fail to respond, there may be a default finding against you.

When IDHR investigates your claim, they will collect documents from you and your employer and interview witnesses.

Part of the investigation might also include a fact-finding conference. You and your employer can show evidence Anything used to show that something is true to the IDHR to help them decide if discrimination occurred. Each side will get a chance to present its facts. The investigator will question both you and your employer's representative. You can respond to your employer’s statements. If you fail to attend the hearing When the parties in a case present their sides of a case to a judge or other officer , your charge could be dismissed Cases dismissed with no further action anticipated. . 

You could also go to mediation When a neutral person, called a mediator, works to help the parties in a case reach an agreement . You can only mediate if both sides agree to mediate. The goal of the mediation is to settle To resolve a case before finishing a trial . If you do not settle, the investigation will continue.

The Illinois Human Rights Act requires that the IDHR conclude all proceedings and make a finding within 365 days of the date you filed your charge.

The investigator will write a report on whether there is enough proof of discrimination for IDHR to go forward with your complaint A written statement to start a lawsuit that says what the defendant did . If there is enough proof, you will be given a "Notice of Right to Sue" letter. Then, you will have 2 options: 

• File a lawsuit in civil court A court where people or businesses bring problems in front of a judge. Civil courts are different from criminal courts, where a defendant is accused of a crime by the state. , or
• Request that IDHR file a complaint with the Illinois Human Rights Commission. 

The letter will tell you the deadline for filing a lawsuit or requesting a complaint, but it is generally 90 days after you get the notice. 

If you start a civil suit, you must notify the chief legal counsel Another name for a lawyer of the Department within 21 days by serving them with a copy of the complaint. The complaint is a document created when you or your attorney begin a lawsuit that claims your employer discriminated against you.

Learn more about the Illinois Human Rights Commission.

The IDHR will dismiss your charge. You will be sent a "Notice of Dismissal," which gives you 2 options if you disagree with the decision:

• Request a review of the dismissal before the Illinois Human Rights Commission (IHRC), or
• File a lawsuit in state court. 

The letter will tell you the deadline for filing or seeking review, but it is generally 90 days after you receive the Notice of Dismissal.

Learn more about the Request for Review process with the IHRC.