How to Start an LLC in Illinois
Our formation package is $199 plus the $150 Illinois filing fee and covers the full Articles of Organization process. Every Illinois LLC also needs a registered agent on file — that's a separate $99/year line item, billed annually after formation.
Spinning up an Illinois LLC is straightforward when you understand the filing, the agent rule, and the recurring obligations the state expects. The state's filing fee is $150, the usual processing time is several business days, and after that you're into the annual maintenance phase. Below is the full process, the actual cost breakdown, and how our service fits in.
Start Your Illinois LLC — $199
$199 gets you a complete filing service through Illinois Secretary of State. Approval timelines run about several business days.
Start Your Illinois LLC — $199
Illinois LLCs: What They Are and Why People Use Them
A LLC-style liability company creates a legal distinction between the business and the owner — that distinction is what protects personal property. Among Illinois small companies, the LLC is popular with consultants, e-commerce operators, real estate investors, and freelancers thanks to its low formality and clear liability shield.
Illinois LLC Costs at a Glance
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Our LLC formation service | $199 one-time |
| State filing fee (Illinois Secretary of State) | $150 one-time |
| Registered agent (required for every Illinois LLC) | $99/year |
| State annual report fee | $75/year |
We bill $199 for our filing service. State fees are paid to Illinois Secretary of State separately. The agent product is $99 annually.
Important Illinois-specific notes: yearly report due before the first day of LLC anniversary month. $100 penalty for late filing. Illinois has a 1.5% replacement tax on partnership income for LLCs taxed as partnerships.
Illinois LLC Formation: Each Step
1. Name Your Illinois LLC
Pick a name that includes 'Limited Liability Company,' 'LLC,' or 'L.L.C.' and that is genuinely unique among entities already on record with Illinois Secretary of State. Before you settle on a name, run it through Illinois Secretary of State's online entity search to confirm nothing similar already exists.
Names that imply your business is a bank, insurance company, trust company, or state agency get rejected unless you have separate authorization. Skip those words.
2. Select Your Registered Agent
The designated agent requirement extends to all LLCs in Illinois: a real Illinois address (not a P.O. Box alone) and presence during normal weekday business hours. The agent details appear in Illinois Secretary of State's public entity records, which means anyone can look them up.
$99 annually is what our agent service costs. Our office handles the public-record exposure so yours doesn't get any.
3. Lodge Your Articles of Organization at Illinois Secretary of State
This is the filing that creates the entity: hand off the Articles of Organization to Illinois Secretary of State alongside the $150 fee. What goes on the form: the entity's legal name, the main business address, the designated agent's name and address, manager- or member-managed designation, and the organizer(s) initiating the filing.
Use the Illinois Secretary of State website for Online submission. Mail submissions to Illinois Secretary of State take longer to process.
Expect about several business days for state processing. Rush processing is offered for added state fees.
4. Put Together an Operating Agreement
While Illinois doesn't make you file an operating agreement, you'll need one nearly every time the LLC interacts with a bank or a courtroom. Standard contents include ownership stakes, distribution priorities, management structure, voting requirements, and exit/buyout rules. Skip the agreement and Illinois's default statutory rules take over. They're often a poor fit for the specifics of your LLC.
5. Register for the LLC's EIN
Your LLC's EIN is the federal ID the IRS uses to track the LLC. It's required for business banking, payroll, and federal taxes. Visit IRS.gov and apply at no cost. The form is brief — about ten minutes; the EIN issues at the end.
There's no upside to paid EIN services: the form is short and the IRS hands out EINs for free.
6. Stay on Top of Ongoing Compliance
After Illinois Secretary of State approves your formation, the maintenance work begins:
- Carry the agent appointment at a physical Illinois address without interruption
- Deliver Illinois's annual filing annually, by the state's deadline
- Carry out an absolute split between business cash flow and personal cash flow (distinct accounts, distinct ledgers)
- Stay current with tax obligations at the federal and state tier throughout the year
If any of these are neglected, Illinois Secretary of State can dissolve the entity. A dissolved LLC offers no asset protection.
Rather skip the paperwork? $199 buys our complete filing service for Illinois LLCs.
The Registered Agent Piece
The Illinois agent requirement is unconditional: every LLC, every day, agent on file. The agent's job is to:
- Maintain Illinois street-address coverage (PO box-only setups don't work)
- Be available across business hours to take legal correspondence and lawsuits
- Pass along incoming legal and state correspondence swiftly so deadlines stay intact
Many people launch an LLC partly for privacy. It joins the Illinois Secretary of State public filings and is searchable from day one.
We act as the agent in Illinois for $99/year. The agent on the public filings is us, not you.
FAQs
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Illinois?
Filing costs $150 at the state level. That's in the upper-middle of the national range. The recurring annual report sits at $75/year.
How long does it take to form an LLC in Illinois?
From submission to approval, expect around several business days.
Does Illinois require an annual report?
Yes. The annual report fee is $75/year.
Do I need a registered agent for my Illinois LLC?
Yes. Every Illinois LLC needs an agent with an actual Illinois address on file. The rule applies continuously from formation forward.
Can I form an LLC in Illinois if I live in another state?
Yes — There's no Illinois residency requirement to form an LLC here. An in-state agent is the one requirement; our $99/year plan handles it.
Launch Your Illinois LLC
You can file your Illinois LLC directly with Illinois Secretary of State via the Illinois Secretary of State website. An agent is still mandatory — the state's filing fee is $150.
We're the agent you list on the form. For $99 annually, your filing carries our Illinois address, mail is scanned and emailed to you the day it arrives, and we ping you before every compliance date.
Build Your Illinois LLC — $199
Want the agent product without the LLC filing? Our registered agent service is $99 annually.
More questions about forming an LLC in Illinois or how the agent role works? See our FAQ or contact us while the office is open.
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