Server in Illinois: licence, certification and what employers require (2026)

Illinois does not license servers: no licence; an alcohol server permit is required in many states. This page says what a server licensed or working in another state has to do to work in Illinois, in the order to do it, and what goes wrong when the order is reversed.

How the transfer works

Nothing is licensed. Many states require an alcohol server permit (a short course such as TIPS or the state's own) within a set time of hire, and it does not transfer between states. A food handler card is also required in most states.

What to have ready before you move

• Food handler and alcohol server certificates, to redo in ${STATE} if required

Start the paperwork before you give notice. There is no Illinois licence to wait for, so the only clock is the employer's.

What people get wrong

• Comparing wages without the tip credit; the tipped minimum wage differs enormously between states

Who hires servers in Illinois

Servers in Illinois are hired by restaurants, bars, hotels, resorts and event venues. The metros with the most of that work are Chicago, Aurora, Naperville, Rockford and Springfield. Employers who could not hire locally and have filed with the Department of Labor are on the Illinois openings page.

For the money side: the median server in Illinois earned $29,120 a year ($14 an hour) in May 2024 across 84,550 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Illinois has a flat 4.95% state income tax. What that leaves you after tax is its own page.

Everything about Illinois, on one page

The Illinois page has the registries and boards, the income tax table, the programs that pay you to come and the openings filed this month. If you know which state you are leaving, the move pages compare the two directly. Creating a free Workmerica profile with your trade and your destination puts you in front of Illinois employers hiring from out of state.