Illinois workers now have a new way to recover unpaid wages and penalties, thanks to a collaboration between the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office and the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL).

A recent change in state law allows IDOL to transfer unclaimed wages to the Treasurer’s Office after three years if workers cannot be located. These funds are added to the Treasurer’s Unclaimed Property Trust Fund, enabling workers to search for their money on the I-CASH website.

Wage theft investigations conducted by IDOL often take time, during which workers may move or lose contact, complicating the distribution of recovered wages. Site-wide audits can also uncover back wages owed to workers who were unaware of underpayment. The new process addresses these challenges by extending the timeframe for workers to claim their money and providing additional resources.