How many CLE hours are required every reporting cycle in Illinois?

Illinois attorneys may begin reporting CLE compliance after the end of their two-year reporting period. Credits must be completed by 11:59 PM Central Time on June 30 of the reporting year, and the reporting window remains open until July 31 to confirm compliance on your transcript.

The Illinois MCLE Board no longer requires attorneys to file a separate compliance report; instead, your online transcript functions as the official record. Once all required credits are posted by providers and appear on your transcript, the system automatically registers compliance.

Key Details

• Illinois operates on a two-year reporting period.
• Attorneys must complete 30 CLE hours, including 6 in professional responsibility (with 1 hour each in diversity/inclusion and mental health/substance abuse).
• All credits must be earned by June 30 of the reporting year.
• Providers report your attendance by the 15th of the following month; your transcript must reflect compliance by July 31.
• Attorneys cannot report compliance earlier than the end of the June 30 completion deadline.
• Sprout Education ensures that earned credits are promptly reported so they appear on your transcript before the July 31 compliance cutoff.

Key Takeaway
In Illinois, you can report CLE compliance only after the two-year period ends on June 30, with compliance confirmed through your transcript no later than July 31.

Illinois attorneys are required to complete 30 CLE credit hours every two years, including at least 6 hours in professional responsibility (PR).

Those 6 PR hours must include at least 1 hour in diversity/inclusion and 1 hour in mental health/substance abuse.

Details

• Compliance period: 2 years (July 1 → June 30) based on last name grouping.
• Carryover: Up to 10 excess credits (including PR hours) from prior period may carry over.
• Newly admitted attorneys: Must complete 15 credit hours in their first year (including a 6-hour Basic Skills or mentoring requirement) which counts toward the 30.
• Course reporting: Providers report credit by the 15th day of month after course.
• Categories: PR includes ethics, diversity/inclusion, mental health/addiction, and professionalism.

Key Takeaway: Illinois requires 30 CLE hours every two years, with 6 in professional responsibility (including diversity and mental health), up to 10 hours carryover, and a special first-year requirement for new admittees.

Illinois offers a grace period extension if you miss the June 30 credit deadline: request and pay a $100 extension by July 31, which gives until October 31 to complete credits and until November 30 to report compliance. Without that grace extension, noncompliance actions may begin.

Illinois Grace Process & Deadlines

• June 30: Deadline to complete CLE credits.
• July 31: Deadline to request grace period extension and pay the $100 late-fee.
• October 31: Final date to complete credits under the grace extension.
• November 30: Deadline to report compliance (or exemption) and pay any late fees.

Consequences & Risks

• If no grace extension is requested by July 31, a higher $250 late fee may be assessed.
• If compliance is not reflected by October 31 or the report is not filed by November 30, your name may be removed from the Illinois attorney roll under Rule 796(e).

Key Takeaway: In Illinois, the “grace period” is a grace extension — if you request it and pay $100 by July 31, you gain until October 31 to finish CLE and until November 30 to report; missing those steps risks fees or removal from the roll.

You report CLE credits in Illinois by checking that your MCLE Board transcript reflects sufficient credits by the June 30 compliance date and by July 31, compliance is confirmed automatically without separate reporting.
Under Illinois’s new transcript-based system, once your transcript shows you are in compliance, no additional submission is required.

Overview of Illinois MCLE Reporting

Attorneys in Illinois are divided into two compliance groups (A–M and N–Z) and have alternating two-year reporting periods.
Each reporting period requires 30 hours of MCLE credit, including at least 6 hours of Professional Responsibility (PMCLE) — among which must be credits in diversity/inclusion and mental health/substance abuse.
Providers are obligated to report attorney attendance to the MCLE Board by the 15th of the following month after a course.
Illinois’s online transcript system serves as the compliance report: once your transcript shows you have met the requirement, the Board notifies you and no separate filing is necessary.
Attorneys may add qualifying out-of-state or nontraditional credits via the MCLE Board’s website (e.g. for teaching, authorship) and pay required fees.
Newly admitted attorneys have special requirements and deadlines under the NAA rules, which must be reported online via the MCLE Board system.

How to Ensure Reporting in Illinois

• Monitor your “My MCLE” transcript to verify credit entries and compliance status.
• Confirm that all Illinois-approved courses you completed are reported by the provider within the 15-day reporting window.
• If a course or credit is missing, submit a claim (for out-of-state or qualifying activity) through the MCLE Board’s “Add Credits” function and pay required fees.
• After June 30, check by July 31 whether your transcript records compliance — if so, the Board will register you as compliant and notify you.
• If you earned credits through Sprout Education, verify that those credits appear in your transcript (we submit attendance where permitted), but your compliance is validated only by your transcript status.

Key Takeaway: In Illinois, your MCLE transcript is your report — no separate form is required. Just ensure your credits appear in “My MCLE” by the July 31 deadline after June 30. Sprout Education supports your record with provider reporting where allowed, but your compliance depends on your transcript’s status.

No — Illinois’s MCLE rules do not reduce or change CLE obligations based on whether an attorney practices part-time or full-time.

Illinois attorneys must complete 30 credit hours during each two-year reporting period, including (among those) 6 hours of professional responsibility (PR) credit (which in turn must include one hour in diversity/inclusion and one hour in mental health/addiction).

Details:

• The reporting cycle is July 1 through June 30 for each two-year period (Group A/M vs Group N/Z) and compliance must be reported by July 31 after the cycle end.
• Attorneys may carry over up to 10 credits (including PR credits) into the next reporting period.
• Newly admitted attorneys have special requirements (e.g. basic skills or mentoring plus added hours) for their first reporting period.
• Nontraditional credit options include part-time teaching of law courses (at law schools or colleges) subject to specific rules.

Key Takeaway: Illinois applies uniform MCLE requirements to all active attorneys — your status as part-time vs full-time does not alter the 30-credit, two-year obligation.

If you miss Illinois’s MCLE deadline, you’ll incur a late fee or grace-period fee and face potential removal from the Master Roll if noncompliance persists. Illinois attorneys must complete required CLE credits by June 30 and report compliance or request a grace extension by July 31 (or November 30 if using the extension).

Grace Period & Late Fees

• If you miss June 30 for credit completion, you may request a grace period extension by July 31 and pay a $100 late fee, which extends your deadline to October 31.
• If you fail to request the grace extension by July 31 or fail to report by November 30, a higher late fee of $250 applies.

Removal from Master Roll & Reinstatement

• After the grace period and reporting deadline pass, the MCLE Board refers your name to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) for removal from the Master Roll.
• Removed attorneys lose the legal authority to practice until reinstated.
• Reinstatement requires completing missing credits, paying the required fee (e.g. a $500 reinstatement fee minus any timely extension fee already paid) and having your name restored to the roll.

Key Takeaway: In Illinois, missing the June 30 CLE deadline triggers a grace extension option with a $100 fee; if you still fail to report by November 30, a $250 fee and removal from the Master Roll may follow unless you cure and reinstate.