Illinois Will Require Retailers to Accept Cash and Employers to Pay for Jury Duty

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a package of bills on August 3, 2026 that will require most retailers to accept cash for in-person purchases under $500 starting in 2028, and require employers to pay workers their full rate of pay during jury duty beginning January 1, 2027, NPR Illinois reported.

House Bill 4592 covers retailers that employ someone to process in-person transactions, requiring them to accept cash on purchases under $500 in bills no larger than $20. NPR Illinois reported exemptions for self-checkout machines, overnight sales, businesses that have run out of cash, membership-only businesses, and phone or internet purchases.

House Bill 4844 requires employers to pay employees their full rate of pay while serving jury duty, effective January 1, 2027, exempting businesses with 25 or fewer employees.

Other bills in the same package: House Bill 4788 requires schools to provide both breasted and non-breasted manikins for CPR practice by the 2028-29 school year; Senate Bill 3314 requires higher education institutions to report annual credit hours by faculty type from September 2028; House Bill 4654 directs the Illinois Department of Transportation to install human trafficking resource signs in rest area bathrooms, effective immediately; Senate Bill 4041 requires O’Hare and Midway to conduct noise studies at least every five years; and House Bill 5193 allows ambulance transport to mental health facilities rather than hospitals in appropriate cases, effective immediately.

Not established by this report: how compliance with the cash-acceptance requirement will be enforced, or what penalties apply.

Story Details

Sources

• NPR Illinois — Pritzker signs new laws requiring businesses to accept cash, pay employees for jury duty (Aug 3, 2026)
• State of Illinois Newsroom — Governor Pritzker bill action

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