An additional 20-minute meal break must be permitted if working a 12-hour shift or longer. If an employee works through a meal break, they must be paid.Illinois employers must provide a meal break to employees who work at least seven and a half continuous hours. This break must be at least 20 minutes long. For every 7.5 hours worked, Illinois state law allows one meal break to be taken no later than 5 hours from the start of the shift. In Illinois, employees are entitled to a 10minute paid rest break for every 4 hours of work they complete. Workers have a right to at least a 30minute meal break or each 6 hours worked in a calendar day. Federal law doesn't require meal breaks, but Illinois law does. Any extra 15 minute rest breaks are paid, but they're optional from the employers' standpoint. The law requires employers to provide one hour of paid time off, which can be used for any reason, including vacation and sick leave, for every 40 hours worked.