Start an Illinois LLC
Forming an Illinois LLC takes more than just filing Articles of Organization. You’ll need to appoint a registered agent, create an operating agreement, and register for taxes.
Your LLC formation service should do more too. That’s why our LLC service includes registered agent service for $49/year, a free domain name for one year, and a free phone number, email, and web hosting for 90 days.
Want to set up your LLC on your own? Skip to our Guide to Registering Your Illinois LLC.
Our LLC Formation Service
When you hire Illinois Registered Office, we give you everything you need to start, maintain, and grow your business, including:
- Accurate, fast LLC registration guaranteed
- Illinois registered agent service (Just $49/year).
- FREE attorney-drafted operating agreement, initial resolutions, and more.
- Enrollment in Annual Report Compliance Service at no upfront cost.
- A secure online account for document storage.
- Same-day mail scans and instant notifications.
- FREE web domain name for one year.
- FREE website, email and phone service for 90 days.
- Online access to additional services, such as DBA and trademark service.
- Lifetime customer support from friendly Illinoisans.
How to Register an LLC in Illinois
To start an LLC in Illinois, you need to file Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State and appoint a registered agent. We break down the steps you need to take.
1. Select a name for your LLC
2. Appoint a legal registered agent
3. File Articles of Organization
4. Create an operating agreement
5. Obtain an EIN for your Illinois LLC
6. Open a business bank account
7. Register for taxes and licenses
1. Select a name for your LLC
Choose a name for your LLC that represents your company well and is unique among registered business names in Illinois. If your business name is too similar to one that’s already registered, your filing will be rejected.
To avoid rejection, look up your preferred name in the Department of Business Services database before filing.
You can check the full guidelines for naming an LLC in Illinois in the State Guide for Organizing Domestic LLCs, but the main takeaways are to keep the name unique, include a designator such as “LLC,” and don’t include anything deemed “offensive to good taste.”
Plan to use an assumed business name? Check out our Illinois DBA guide.
2. Appoint a legal registered agent
All Illinois LLCs must appoint an Illinois registered agent to accept state and legal mail on behalf of your company. Your registered agent must have a physical Illinois address and be available during regular business hours.
At Illinois Registered Office, we scan your mail to your online account same day so that you never miss a notice, no matter where you are. And we process everything in house, here in our own building. No shipping it off to third-party facilities like many national companies.
Get Reliable Illinois Registered Agent Service for Just $49/Year
3. File Articles of Organization
Once you’ve chosen a business name and appointed a local registered agent, you can file the Illinois Articles of Organization online, in person, or by mail. Paper filings must be submitted in duplicate. The filing fee is $150 (paper) or $154 (online).
Articles of Organization filing options
| Filing Method | Approx. Processing Time | Filing Fee |
| Standard Paper | 30+ Days | $150 |
| Standard Online | 10 Business Days | $154 |
| Expedited Online or In Person | 1-2 Business Days | $256 |
Required information on Articles of Organization
Company Name
Make sure to include your preferred designator, like “LLC” or “L.L.C.”
Company Address
Must be a physical address. A P.O. Box will be rejected.
Effective Date
The date your LLC will become active. Most companies choose the filing date, but you can choose a date up to 60 days in the future.
Registered Agent and Registered Office Information
The full legal name of the individual or commercial registered agent and their physical address in Illinois.
Business Purpose
This may be a generic business purpose such as “any legal business dealings,” or you may refine it to your industry such as “real estate.”
Business Duration
By default, all Illinois LLCs will be defined as “perpetual,” but if you need your business to be dissolved after a set date, you can list that date here.
Member(s) and/or Manager Names and Addresses
The members are the owners of an LLC. Addresses don’t need to be in Illinois but will be made public.
Organizer Name and Address
The Organizer is the person filing the articles. This person may be a member of the company or a hired third party.
4. Create an LLC operating agreement
An LLC operating agreement serves as a legally binding contract between the members of your LLC, outlining how the company will function, who owns what, and what each member’s rights and responsibilities are.
While there is no legal requirement to have an operating agreement, companies that don’t have one are more likely to face confusion or even legal trouble in the future.
When you hire Illinois Registered Office to start your new LLC, we automatically create a tailored operating agreement template for you that will be provided as soon as your LLC is approved by the state.
5. Obtain an EIN
Once your LLC is approved, you’re ready to apply for a tax ID called an Employer Identification Number (EIN) with the IRS. Most LLCs need an EIN to file taxes and apply for a bank account.
The EIN application—whether you do the fast online option, or much longer paper version—is free when you apply directly with the IRS.
6. Open a business bank account
It’s important to open a bank account for your LLC to keep business and personal assets separate. If you mix LLC and personal finances, a court could rule that you are “piercing the corporate veil,” and your LLC could lose its limited liability protection.
Each bank has different requirements for opening a business bank account, so call ahead to see what documents you’ll need.
7. Register for taxes, licenses, and permits
To register for state business taxes, you’ll need to set up an account with the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR).
Illinois doesn’t have a general state business license, but many cities and counties in Illinois have local licensing requirements. Reach out to your local city and county government for more information.
Certain industries also require professional licenses. You can learn more about state licensing requirements on the Illinois government website.
Want to learn more? Check out our Guide to Starting a Business in Illinois.
The Illinois Registered Agent Difference
We believe an LLC filing company should offer EVERYTHING a new business needs to get established and start reaching customers. That’s why we offer a free web domain for one year and free web hosting, email, and phone service for 90 days to every LLC client. But that’s just the beginning:
Stability & Expertise for Your LLC
Illinois Registered Office is a team of local professionals who have been specializing in Illinois small business for almost a decade. After steady and consistent growth, we purchased our own building to be able to offer a permanent Illinois business address to our clients.
Most companies that offer virtual mail services simply rent out a P.O. box and outsource the mail sorting to third-party processing hubs. That’s not how we do things.
Whether you rely on us for legal registered agent mail or for a complete virtual office, you can rest assured that your important mail will be securely scanned by our local employees, right here at our Springfield office.
Committed Compliance Support
We’re committed to helping you not only form your company but maintain it for many years to come. That’s why we make it our goal to ensure that none of our clients miss their annual report deadline and risk being administratively dissolved by the state.
When you hire us for LLC registration, you’ll be enrolled in our Annual Report Compliance Service at no upfront cost. We’ll send real-time reminders before your annual report due date and then file on your behalf ahead of the deadline ($100 + state fee). If you prefer to file on your own, you can easily cancel the service in your account.
Services that Grow with Your Business
With Illinois Registered Office, you get personalized support from real humans at every stage of your business journey.
Need help setting up a business website? Or web team will take you step by step through the process.
Want to host an investor meeting in Springfield? Ask about renting a conference room in our building.
Whether you’re starting your first LLC or your tenth, you deserve a formation service that does it all. From virtual office service to web hosting. From annual reports to trademarks. All for reasonable, transparent prices. All with support from real people who truly care.
Illinois Limited Liability Company FAQs
The filing fee for Articles of Organization, the document that forms your LLC, is $150 (plus a $4 credit card processing fee). Expedited processing is $100 extra.
Illinois LLCs are required to file an annual report with the IL Secretary of State each year. This report is due the month prior to the business’s anniversary month. So, if an LLC was formed on October 4th, their report would be due in September of the following year (and every year after that). If you miss the deadline, you’ll be charged a late fee and eventually have your company administratively dissolved by the state.
To help prevent you from missing a report, we include enrollment in our Annual Report Compliance Service with LLC formation. The service costs nothing upfront. You’ll receive reminders about your report as the deadline nears and can choose to keep the service or cancel and file on your own. Compliance service is $100 plus the $75 state fee, charged only at the time of filing.
LLCs with default tax status are “pass through entities,” which means the business itself doesn’t pay taxes. Instead, the tax responsibility passes through to the individual members who will file individual income taxes. Some LLCs may have other taxes to consider such as sales tax, or industry specific taxes, so check the Illinois Department of Revenue business page for more information.
Illinois does allow DBAs, also called assumed business names. Your DBA is any name your company uses to conduct business that is not listed on your Articles of Organization.
The process to adopt an assumed business name for your LLC is a little weird in Illinois. Assumed business name registrations are based on 5 year increments and pro-rated accordingly. You can find more information on the IL Secretary of State website, or take the easier route and hire us to obtain your trade name(s) after your LLC is formed through your online account with us. Our fee is always $125 plus the state’s filing fee. Check out the chart below for detailed pricing:
| Years Ending in… | State Fee |
| 0 or 5 | $150 |
| 1 or 6 | $120 |
| 2 or 7 | $90 |
| 3 or 8 | $60 |
| 4 or 9 | $30 |
- Online or in person (non-expedited): Up to 10 business days.
- Online or in person (expedited): 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.
- By mail: Around 30 days.
If you choose the 24-hour expedited processing, you’ll need to pay a $100 expediting fee.
There isn’t a general state business license in Illinois, but some cities and counties require a local business license. For example, if you want to do business in Chicago, you’ll need a Chicago business license. Reach out to your city and county government office to learn about their business licensing requirements.
Illinois allows PLLCs (professional limited liability companies) for professions licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). If you’re providing professional services licensed by the IDFPR, you may be required to form a PLLC rather than a regular LLC.
A sole proprietorship is an informal business owned by one person that isn’t required to register with the Secretary of State. In the eyes of the law, a sole proprietor IS their business, so if the sole proprietorship is sued, the business owner is personally liable for all damages.
An LLC is a formal business structure registered with the state. LLCs are legally separate from their owners, which protects the owners if the company is sued or goes into debt. However, LLCs need to maintain this separation by following the policies in their operating agreement and keeping personal and business finances separate.
An LLC can be owned by one person or multiple people. An LLC owned by one person is called a single-member LLC.
Hire Local Business Experts to Start Your LLC
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