Start an Illinois LLC

We offer simple solutions for forming an Illinois LLC, plus all the tools to establish an online business presence.
Let Us Form Your Illinois LLC - $149 plus state fees
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How to Start an Illinois LLC

To start an Illinois LLC, you must file Articles of Organization and appoint a registered agent. Sound like a lot? When you hire us, we handle the formation process for you.

At Illinois Registered Office, we offer more than just basic formation service. We provide you with everything you need to start, maintain, and grow your business. This includes the use of our secure and stable Springfield commercial address.

  • A real, stable Illinois business address.
  • Local registered agent service.
  • A FREE attorney-drafted operating agreement, initial resolutions, and more.
  • Enrollment in Annual Report Compliance Service at no upfront cost.
  • A secure online account.
  • Same-day mail scans.
  • A FREE trial of our Illinois business presence.
  • Online access to additional services such as trade name service.
  • Lifetime customer support.
FORM YOUR ILLINOIS LLC TODAY

6 Steps to Form an Illinois LLC

If you’d rather form your Illinois LLC yourself, you can follow the 6 steps outlined below.

Or, for just $149 plus state fees, you can hire us to form your LLC! We’ll file your Articles of Organization, provide a year of local registered agent service, and include a ton of FREE services like an attorney-drafted operating agreement and a 90-day trial of Illinois business presence.

  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
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Name Your Illinois LLC

1. Select a Name for Your LLC

Choose a name for your LLC that represents your company well and keeps it distinguishable from other businesses in Illinois. Ultimately, it’s at the state’s discretion on whether the name you select is “distinguishable,” so save yourself the disappointment of rejection by checking your desired name on state record 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.”

2. Appoint a Legal Registered Agent

All Illinois LLCs must appoint a 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.

Help to Start an LLC in Illinois Today
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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).

The Illinois Secretary of State offers several filing options:

Filing Method Appx. Processing Time Filing Fee
Standard Paper 30+ days processing $150
Standard Online 10 business days processing $154
Expedited Online 1-2 business days processing $256

 

Or for $303 ($405 expedited) we’ll form your LLC for you.

Our price includes the state fee ($154) and one year of registered agent service ($49), plus an operating agreement, business address, and the support you need to get started on the right foot — all free.

Regardless of the filing method you choose, your articles will need to list:

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

Typically businesses elect to have the company active immediately upon filing, but it is possible to set a future date up to 60 days.

 Registered Agent and Registered Office Information

The full legal name of the individual or commercial registered agent, and 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

Members are the owners of an LLC. Addresses do not have to be in Illinois but will be listed publicly.

 Organizer Name and Address

The Organizer is the person filing the articles. This person may be a representative of the company, or may be a hired third party. If you file your own articles, you will list yourself. If you hire us, we’ll list ourselves.
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4. Create Operating Agreement

An operating agreement is an internal company document that is not submitted to the Secretary of State. While there is no legal requirement to have an operating agreement for your company, you will most likely still need one. Banks and other financial institutions typically require an operating agreement to start a business account. The operating agreement will outline details on how the business operates. Expect to include the members’ names, who owns what percentages, and who has what responsibilities.

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 for your Illinois LLC

Once your LLC is approved by the state, you’re set to apply for a tax ID called an Employer Identification Number (EIN) with the IRS. We recommend waiting until your LLC is approved so that you can confidently apply knowing that you LLC’s name and formation date are accurate. Your company will need an EIN to file taxes, apply for a bank account, and handle business in general.

If you search for the EIN application online, you’ll likely get hit with ads to file an EIN costing you $100s, but that’s not how we do business. The EIN application—whether you do the fast online option, or much longer paper version—is completely free directly with the IRS. If IRS paperwork isn’t your thing, you can hire our team to file for you. We charge $50 for the online, same day filing (available for business owners with an SSN), or $200 to complete the SS4 paper application for international clients without a US Social Security Number.
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The Illinois Registered Agent Difference

We’re proud to be able to offer our customers perks and services our competition can’t. With Illinois Registered Office, you can count on a stable Illinois business address. Our team does everything in-house in our Springfield office, and because we own our building, you can rest assured that your mail is being delivered to and processed in the same, secure location.

Sign up today, and you’ll get:
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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 in Springfield to ensure address stability to all of our clients. We never have to worry about being pushed out of a rental, which means our clients can confidently take advantage of any our business address services without worrying about unexpected changes.

Committed Compliance Support

Our small but capable team of Illinois business professionals work with Illinois businesses like yours, and our Secretary of State all day, every day. We may not know anything about how things work in California, but we know all the ins and outs of business here.

We’re here to share our years of expertise and keep your business in good standing. When you hire us to form your LLC, we give you enrollment in our Annual Report Compliance Service at no additional upfront cost. It’s our goal that none of our clients miss their annual report deadline and face the negative consequences of failing to file, such as late fees or administrative issues with the state. We send a reminder about your annual report prior to the due date and then file on your behalf ahead of the deadline ($100 + state fee). To file by yourself, just cancel the service in your online account.
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Reasonable, Transparent Rates

National business filing and legal companies offer great brand recognition whereas you’ve probably never heard of us unless you have a savvy, small business owner friend who shared our services.

Our almost non-existing marketing keeps our budget low so we maintain modest annual rates, with full transparency on all of our costs and services. No price hikes, no surprises, and no complicated contracts—just professional, Illinois-focused services at sensible rates.

Hire Local Illinois LLC Business Experts

Let the local registered agents at Illinois Registered Office form your LLC and get a free business address, operating agreement, mail forwarding and more.

Illinois Limited Liability Company FAQs

How much does it cost to set up an LLC in Illinois?

The least expensive route possible to start an LLC in Illinois is $150. However, that is the 1 month+ processing time, DIY filing option. If you hire someone to start your LLC for you, who you hire, and the state processing method you select will all contribute to the total cost to start your LLC in Illinois. Illinois Registered Office charges $254 for standard, 10 day processing, or $356 for expedited processing.

Are there ongoing costs or requirements?

Yes. Illinois LLC are required to file an annual 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, depending on how overdue your filing is, possibly face administrative consequences.

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 state fee, charged only at filing.

Do LLCs pay taxes in Illinois?

Just like at the federal level with the IRS, the LLC itself will not pay a general, company-level state tax. 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.

Do I need a website for my Illinois LLC?

It’s not a requirement to have a business website, just as there’s no requirement to have a brick-and-mortar store. However, having a website is one of the easiest and most important marketing strategies for small businesses.

Similar to having a storefront, having a website gives you your very own slice of the internet, where customers and clients will find you, make purchases, and learn more about what you do as a company. Not only will you have the ability to connect to way more people than you would at a single physical location, but you’ll be able to do so for a fraction of the cost.

Can I get a DBA for my Illinois LLC?

Yes. Well, kind of. Here in Illinois, our “DBA names” are called trade names. But either way it’s the same thing: a name your company uses to conduct business that is not listed on your Articles of Organization.

The process to adopt a tradename for your LLC is a little weird in Illinois. Tradename 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 tradename(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 + Processing fee

Our fee

Total

0 or 5

$150 + $3

$125

$278

1 or 6

$120 + $3

$125

$248

2 or 7

$90 + $3

$125

$218

3 or 8

$60 + $3

$125

$188

4 or 9

$30 + $3

$125

$158

 

START YOUR ILLINOIS LLC TODAY