small business compliance

May 3, 2026

Illinois Employment Law Changes 2026: What Small Business Owners Must Fix Now

What changed? Illinois strengthened pay transparency mandates, expanded personnel file access rights, tightened pay stub requirements, broadened anti-discrimination protections to cover family responsibilities and reproductive health decisions, added restrictions on AI used in hiring, tightened severance and confidentiality agreement rules, and extended employee rights regarding employer-issued devices under VESSA, all effective in 2025–2026.

Who is affected? Most Illinois employers, particularly those with 15 or more employees, and any business that uses third-party recruiting tools, applicant tracking software, or staffing agencies.

What should you do now? Conduct a focused employment law audit covering job postings, payroll stubs, personnel file procedures, employee handbooks, AI-enabled vendor contracts, severance templates, and company-device policies.

December 17, 2025

Corporate Transparency Act Update for Illinois Businesses

by Bellas & Wachowski - Attorneys at Law

Illinois business owners have been closely following developments under the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”), particularly given the uncertainty created by conflicting court decisions and shifting enforcement positions. A recent federal appellate ruling provides important legal clarity, although practical compliance obligations for Illinois entities remain limited for now.

Federal Appellate Court Upholds the CTA

On December 16, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued a unanimous decision in National Small Business United v. U.S. Department of the Treasury, holding that the CTA is constitutional. This ruling overturned a March 2024 federal district court decision that had invalidated the statute.

December 9, 2025

Is Your Business Compliant? New Sexual Harassment Training Laws in Illinois and Chicago

by Bellas & Wachowski - Attorneys at Law

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Bellas and Wachowski attorneys chicago illinois suburbs to help you with your business compliance

Illinois and the City of Chicago continue to take a firm stance on workplace harassment prevention. For business owners, this means that annual sexual-harassment training is mandatory, and Chicago employers face additional, more extensive requirements each year.

Many companies remain unaware of how these obligations overlap, and the consequences for noncompliance can be expensive. Here is a straightforward reminder of what you must provide and where to find free, compliant training materials.