Illinois · Updated Oct 2026
Mandatory BASSET certification required by the state to bartend here
Illinois bartenders need BASSET certification, but that won't teach you the job. Here's your path from zero experience to your first shift, plus the rules and pay to know.
Quick answer
Illinois doesn't issue a bartender license; the venue holds state and local liquor licenses. But anyone who serves or sells drinks must earn BASSET certification from a state-licensed trainer within 120 days of starting the job. State rules set the minimum age at 18, but your city can set a higher one; in Chicago it's 21 to bartend. Learn the job first, then get your BASSET certification.
Your path
Take Bar Ready online: tools, pours, spirits, cocktails, service and how to get hired.
Watch every lesson in full to unlock each course's certificate of completion in your dashboard. It shows employers you trained. It isn't a license.
Complete a state-licensed BASSET course within 120 days of starting the job. Some towns set shorter deadlines. It lasts 3 years.
See local rules ↓Put your training and certificates on your resume and apply to bars and restaurants near you.
Pour, serve and earn tips. In Illinois, tipped staff get at least $9/hr, and tips must bring them to $15/hr.
Illinois rules
State rules set 18 as the minimum age to serve or bartend in Illinois, and your city or county can set a higher age. In Chicago, you must be 21 to bartend or work in a bar, and 18- to 20-year-olds can serve drinks only in restaurants, after alcohol training.
Chicago Municipal Code § 4-60-140 Chicago Municipal Code § 4-60-143 11 Ill. Adm. Code 100.20 (Employment of Minors) 11 Ill. Adm. Code 100.10 (Definitions)
Illinois doesn't issue a bartender license; the venue holds state and local liquor licenses. But anyone who serves or sells drinks must earn BASSET certification from a state-licensed trainer within 120 days of starting the job.
235 ILCS 5/6-27.1 (BASSET) ILCC: BASSET ILCC: Retailer license application instructions
Anyone who sells or serves drinks at a bar or restaurant, or checks IDs at the door, must complete a state-licensed BASSET course within 120 days of starting the job. The certificate lasts 3 years and moves with you to a new employer, and some towns set shorter deadlines.
235 ILCS 5/6-27.1 (BASSET) ILCC: BASSET ILCC: Statutes and rules Prospect Heights City Code § 2-3-22 (example)
Statewide, employers can pay tipped staff $9.00 an hour if tips bring them to at least $15.00 an hour, or else make up the difference; Chicago and parts of Cook County set higher local minimums.
Illinois DOL: Minimum Wage Law U.S. DOL state tipped wage table (July 1, 2026) City of Chicago: Minimum wage information
Rules change and can vary by city or county. Last checked October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) and your employer before you apply.
Local rules
Your city, village or county liquor commissioner can add rules, such as a higher minimum age or a shorter BASSET deadline. Ask your employer or local liquor commissioner what applies.
Chicago Municipal Code § 4-60-140 Chicago Municipal Code § 4-60-143 Prospect Heights City Code § 2-3-22 (example)
State alcohol agency
The agency that licenses and regulates alcohol sales in Illinois.
Open the official websiteYour employer can also tell you which rules apply where you'll work.
Pay
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (Illinois, Bartenders 35-3011) and Illinois DOL: Minimum Wage Law. BLS wages include tips reported by employers. What you earn depends on the venue, your shifts and your location, and isn't guaranteed.
Jobs
Open bartender listings near you on Indeed. Barback and server openings are worth a look too: they're a common way behind the bar.
The question we hear most
Questions people ask
Illinois doesn't issue a bartender license; the venue holds state and local liquor licenses. But anyone who serves or sells drinks must earn BASSET certification from a state-licensed trainer within 120 days of starting the job.
235 ILCS 5/6-27.1 (BASSET) ILCC: BASSET ILCC: Retailer license application instructions
State rules set 18 as the minimum age to serve or bartend in Illinois, and your city or county can set a higher age. In Chicago, you must be 21 to bartend or work in a bar, and 18- to 20-year-olds can serve drinks only in restaurants, after alcohol training. Employers can set a higher minimum age, so check with the bar.
Chicago Municipal Code § 4-60-140 Chicago Municipal Code § 4-60-143 11 Ill. Adm. Code 100.20 (Employment of Minors) 11 Ill. Adm. Code 100.10 (Definitions)
Anyone who sells or serves drinks at a bar or restaurant, or checks IDs at the door, must complete a state-licensed BASSET course within 120 days of starting the job. The certificate lasts 3 years and moves with you to a new employer, and some towns set shorter deadlines.
235 ILCS 5/6-27.1 (BASSET) ILCC: BASSET ILCC: Statutes and rules Prospect Heights City Code § 2-3-22 (example)
Your city, village or county liquor commissioner can add rules, such as a higher minimum age or a shorter BASSET deadline. Ask your employer or local liquor commissioner what applies.
See local rules ↑ Chicago Municipal Code § 4-60-140 Chicago Municipal Code § 4-60-143 Prospect Heights City Code § 2-3-22 (example)
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025), Illinois bartenders earned a median of $15.00 an hour and a mean of $17.09 an hour ($35,550 a year), including tips reported by employers. The top 10% earned more than $22.37 an hour. Statewide, employers can pay tipped staff $9.00 an hour if tips bring them to at least $15.00 an hour, or else make up the difference; Chicago and parts of Cook County set higher local minimums. Pay varies by venue, shifts and location.
Experience is up to each employer, but you'll need your BASSET certification too. Learning the fundamentals first, and being able to show you finished training, helps you stand out when you apply. That's what step 1 is for.
Search job boards like Indeed for bartender, barback and server openings in your city, check the websites and social pages of bars you'd like to work at, and drop off a resume in person when it's quiet. Barback and server jobs are a common way in.
No. Illinois doesn't require bartending school. The BASSET certification is about serving alcohol safely and legally; it doesn't teach you to make drinks or work a bar. An online course lets you learn the tools, pours, cocktails and service at your own pace.
No. We don't place students in jobs. Bar Ready shows you what the job involves and how to get hired, with a resume guide and template and what to expect when you apply. Then you apply to bars and restaurants near you.
Bar Ready is self-paced, so you go as fast as your schedule allows. After that, timing depends on how long it takes to get your BASSET certification and the jobs near you.
No. Your Bar School certificates of completion, one for each Bar Ready course, show employers you finished our training. They aren't a government license or permit, and they don't replace your BASSET certification or any state or local requirement.
Step 1 is learning the job. Start Bar Ready online today, at your own pace.
Bar Ready · 100% online · $197 one-time · Certificates of completion
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