Do servers need BASSET certification in Illinois?

Yes. Illinois requires everyone who sells or serves alcohol in open containers, or checks ID for alcohol or entry, to complete BASSET training from a licensed provider within 120 days of starting. It lasts 3 years. Restaurant servers who handle food also need food handler training within 30 days.

What Illinois requires

BASSET training is required statewide for alcohol servers: people who sell or serve open containers, deliver mixed drinks or check ID. Source
You have 120 days from starting the job to complete it. Source
BASSET certification is valid for 3 years. Source
Restaurant food handlers need accredited food handler training within 30 days, repeated every 3 years. Source

How to list it on your resume

Put these lines under a Certifications and licenses heading near the top, with dates. The employer looks for them first.

Before

Alcohol trained

After

BASSET certified, Illinois (expires 2028)

Before

Food safety

After

Illinois Food Handler Training, ANSI accredited (2025)

Check your server resume for Illinois

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Common questions

Do door staff need BASSET in Illinois?

Yes, if they check ID for alcohol purchases or for entry to a bar.

Do store clerks need BASSET?

This rule covers open containers, such as drinks at a bar or restaurant. Clerks selling sealed bottles are not covered by it.

Which course counts as BASSET?

BASSET is the Illinois name for alcohol training from a state-licensed provider. Whatever course you take, make sure the provider is BASSET licensed.

Pay for servers in Illinois

See the Illinois minimum wage and work out your take-home pay with the Illinois paycheck calculator.

The full server checklist

The rules above are only for Illinois. For everything else a server resume needs, with a full example, see the server resume checklist.

Sources

Last updated November 15, 2026. Rules change, so check the source before you rely on it.

Illinois Liquor Control Act, 235 ILCS 5/6-27.1 (BASSET training) (checked November 15, 2026) Last amended effective June 2, 2020.
Illinois Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act, 410 ILCS 625/3.06 (checked November 15, 2026) Last amended by Public Act 104-480, effective July 1, 2026.