Freelance workers receive new protections under new July 1 law

Starting this week freelance workers are receiving more protections when it comes to making sure they get paid.

On July 1 the Freelance Worker Protection Act went into effect that requires clients who hire freelance workers to pay on or before the payment due date on a written contract.

If workers say they were not paid, they can file a complaint with the department of labor which will send a warning letter to the client.

If there is no response, the freelancer can go to court.

“If the court finds in favor of the freelance worker that they are owed money, that freelance worker is now entitled to receive double the amount of the underpayment,” said Anna Koeppel, legislative and policy director for the Illinois Department of Labor.

If no date is specified then they will have 30 days to pay them after the freelancer’s completion of work.

The new law only applies to contracts written after July 1.