LLC Formation in Illinois (2026): 7 Moves and the 3 Best LLC Services
Our 2026 marks for starting an LLC in Illinois: Mainstay Filing ($199), Illinois Registered Agent.co ($199) and IL Registered Agent.org ($199), highest first. To start the LLC: 7 moves and $150 paid to Illinois; the Limited Liability Company Annual Report follows every year.
Posted prices, read November 13, 2026. The $150 state fee is not in these figures.
How a Illinois LLC gets formed
Move 1
Check the name is free
A taken name can get the Illinois filing bounced. Run the business search at the Illinois Secretary of State before you do anything else.
Keep a runner-up name in reserve.
Move 2
Choose a registered agent
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. An Illinois resident, or a business authorized to do business in Illinois. The LLC cannot act as its own agent.
The address has to be a registered office in Illinois that matches the agent's business office. A P.O. box alone is not accepted.
Any service we rank here can serve as your registered agent.
Where this comes from: Per ilga.gov, as of October 2026
Move 3
File yourself or pay a service
File it yourself for $150, or add $199 and let a service do it. The picks are above.
Move 4
Send in the Articles of Organization
This is the filing that creates the company: the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5), sent to the Illinois Secretary of State with $150 (805 ILCS 180/5-5).
Where this comes from: Per ilsos.gov, as of October 2026
Move 5
Apply for an EIN with the IRS
With the state's approval in hand, request an EIN so the LLC can open accounts of its own. Mainstay Filing files the EIN application inside the package.
Move 6
Draft the operating agreement
Owners sign it to settle shares, votes and what happens when someone leaves. It is private and never filed.
Move 7
Plan for year two
Calendar the Limited Liability Company Annual Report: $75, every year, due before the first day of the entity's anniversary month. Miss it and it is $100 more.
Where this comes from: Per ilsos.gov, as of October 2026
Costs, move by move
Item
Paid to
Figure
Filing the LLC
The state
$150
Limited Liability Company Annual Report
The state
$75 every year
Late fee
The state
$100
Optional service
Service
$199 in the first year
State fees for three years
The state
$300
These are the official Illinois fees, cited below. The three-year line adds the filing fee, the year-two and year-three reports and any minimum tax.
How the marks came out
edged out on to-dos the price takes off you, worth 38%.
A price that takes care of the Limited Liability Company Annual Report outweighed Illinois Registered Agent.co's smaller three-year cost.
What founders ask
How big is the Illinois formation fee?
$150 goes to the state. Service fees on this list run $199.
Which form creates the LLC?
The destination for the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5) is the Illinois Secretary of State.
Is a registered agent required?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
What does Illinois require each year?
The repeating item is the Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($75, every year, due before the first day of the entity's anniversary month).
Can I form the LLC without a service?
Allowed. File yourself for $150 and arrange a registered agent.
Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?
Mainstay Filing first, then Illinois Registered Agent.co and IL Registered Agent.org; Mainstay Filing wins on to-dos the price takes off you.