A limited liability company, or LLC, is a business entity that sits apart from its owners. The company can sign contracts, hold a bank account, and take on obligations in its own name, while the owners' personal assets stay separate from the company's debts in the ordinary course of business. For founders who want that separation without the formal meeting and share structure of a corporation, the LLC is a practical middle path, and Illinois is a state where the formation steps are clearly laid out by the Secretary of State.
This page covers what Illinois charges, what Illinois requires, and what Sams Business handles when forming an Illinois LLC.
What it costs to form an Illinois LLC
The Illinois Secretary of State charges $150 to file the Articles of Organization, Form LLC-5.5. That figure is the Secretary of State's published filing fee for the form. The state filing fee is paid by you at cost, with zero markup, and you see the full total before you pay anything. Sams Business package fees sit on top of the state fee: Basic at $0, Standard at $199, and Premium at $299.
Two smaller Illinois costs are worth knowing before you file. An available name can be reserved with the Secretary of State for $25. Expedited processing is available for an additional $100, bringing the filing total to $250, with processing in about one business day instead of the standard 5 to 10 business days online.
Illinois has no flat franchise tax like California's. Its recurring state cost is the annual report, covered below, and a separate Personal Property Replacement Tax can apply to an LLC's net income depending on how the LLC is taxed — that tax is handled through the Department of Revenue, not the formation filing.
What Illinois requires
The Articles of Organization ask for a small set of facts. The LLC name must include a designator such as "Limited Liability Company" or "LLC," and it must be distinguishable from other business names already on file with the Secretary of State. That is why checking the name before filing matters: a name that is too close to an existing entity can be rejected.
Every Illinois LLC must name a registered agent with a physical Illinois street address — a post office box is not accepted — available during normal business hours to receive legal documents and official correspondence. The filing also states the LLC's principal place of business, its purpose, and whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed. The filing is made with the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, online or by mail.
An operating agreement records ownership percentages, voting, profit and loss splits, and what happens when a member joins or leaves. Standard and Premium packages include an operating agreement.
After formation: the anniversary-month annual report
Illinois's ongoing duty is tied to the month the LLC was formed, not to a fixed calendar date. Every Illinois LLC files an annual report, Form LLC-50.1, with the Secretary of State, for a $75 fee. The report is due before the first day of the anniversary month — the month the Articles of Organization were filed — and the filing window opens 60 days before that date. The first report is due in the year after formation, not in the formation year itself.
The anniversary-month timing trips people up: an LLC formed in June files before June 1 each year, not at the end of June. Filing late can bring a $100 penalty and, if it stays unfiled, loss of good standing and eventual administrative dissolution. Standard includes compliance alerts, which help keep the anniversary-month date from slipping.
Sams Business pricing for an Illinois LLC
Basic ($0 plus the state fee) covers the filing and state registration, with registered agent service free for the first year and virtual mail free for the first month. Standard ($199 plus the state fee) adds EIN assistance, an operating agreement, S-corp election filing where applicable, and compliance alerts. Premium ($299 plus the state fee) adds expedited filing where the state offers it, ready-to-use business contracts, a domain name and business email, and a US business phone number free for the first year.
Dissolution assistance is a separate service with a custom quote, and it is never part of a formation package. Start from the contact page to begin an Illinois LLC filing.
Related Illinois pages
- Illinois S Corporation Formation (not live yet — no link)
- Illinois C Corporation Formation (not live yet — no link)
- Illinois Nonprofit Formation (not live yet — no link)
- Illinois Registered Agent Service (not live yet — no link)
- Illinois Annual Report Filing (not live yet — no link)
- Illinois Assumed Business Name (DBA) (not live yet — no link)
- Illinois Foreign Qualification (not live yet — no link)
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Sams Business is an independent private service and is not affiliated with any government agency, including the Illinois Secretary of State's office.
Not legal or tax advice.