Illinois LLC Filing Fees and Requirements
The standard Illinois LLC filing fee is $150 for Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5). See all state fees, annual report requirements, registered agent rules, and expedited filing options.
Bizee Editorial Staff
Editorial Team
Illinois LLC fees at a glance
Filing fee: $150 (standard LLC, Form LLC-5.5); $400 (Series LLC, Form LLC-5.25)
Processing time: Standard: 5–10 business days; Expedited: ~24 hours (additional $100 state fee)
State agency: Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services
Annual report due: Before the first day of the LLC's anniversary month each year; $75 filing fee; $100 late penalty if filed more than 60 days after due date
State tax rate: Illinois personal income tax rate: 4.95% flat; Illinois corporate income tax rate: 9.5% (for LLCs taxed as C Corps)
Illinois LLC filing fees and requirements overview
Forming an LLC in Illinois requires filing Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5) with the Illinois Secretary of State and paying a $150 state filing fee. You'll also need a registered agent with a physical Illinois address, and you'll file an annual report each year for $75 to stay in good standing.
Illinois reduced its LLC formation fee from $500 to $150 a few years ago, which makes it one of the more affordable states to form in — though the annual report requirement and potential late penalties are worth knowing upfront.
- Formation fee: $150 (standard LLC) or $400 (Series LLC)
- Filing form: Form LLC-5.5 (standard) or Form LLC-5.25 (Series LLC)
- Filing agency: Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services
- Registered agent: required — must have a physical Illinois street address
- Annual report fee: $75 per year, due before the LLC's anniversary month
- Late penalty: $100 if the annual report is filed more than 60 days after the due date
- Expedited processing: available for an additional $100 state fee (~24-hour turnaround)
- Foreign LLC registration fee: $150
Articles of Organization and formation fee
To form a standard Illinois LLC, you file Articles of Organization on Form LLC-5.5 with the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services. The state filing fee is $150. You can file online through the Secretary of State's website or by mailing the paper form.
The Articles of Organization need to include your LLC's name, the principal place of business address, your registered agent's name and registered office address, whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed, and the effective date if it's not effective upon filing.
Registered agent requirement
Every Illinois LLC must designate and continuously maintain a registered agent in the state. The registered agent receives official state correspondence and service of process on behalf of your business.
The registered agent can be an individual or a business entity. If it's an individual, they need to be at least 18 years old, be an Illinois resident, and have a physical street address in Illinois — P.O. boxes aren't acceptable. If it's a business entity, it must be authorized to do business in Illinois and maintain a physical Illinois address.
Annual report requirement and fee
Illinois LLCs must file an annual report with the Secretary of State each year to stay in good standing. The filing fee is $75. The report is due before the first day of the LLC's anniversary month — the month the state originally approved your LLC.
You can file up to 45 days before the due date. If you miss the deadline by more than 60 days, Illinois adds a $100 late penalty on top of the $75 fee. Missing the annual report entirely can put your LLC out of good standing with the state — something that's easier to avoid than to fix.
Expedited filing option
Illinois offers a single expedited processing tier for LLC formation filings. Pay an additional $100 state fee on top of the standard $150 filing fee, and the Secretary of State aims to process your Articles of Organization within approximately 24 hours on regular business days.
Expedited processing is available for both online and mail filings, and you can also request it in person at the Secretary of State offices in Chicago or Springfield. Without expedited processing, standard turnaround is typically 5–10 business days.
Series LLC filing fee
Illinois authorizes Series LLCs — a specialized structure that lets you create separate series or cells under one master LLC, each with its own assets and liabilities. Forming a Series LLC requires filing Articles of Organization on Form LLC-5.25 with a $400 state filing fee, compared to $150 for a standard LLC.
The Articles of Organization for a Series LLC must include a statement that the LLC is authorized to establish one or more designated series under Section 37-40 of the Illinois Limited Liability Company Act. Illinois does not require a separate state filing or fee for each individual series once the master Series LLC is formed.
Foreign LLC registration fee
If your LLC was formed in another state but you want to do business in Illinois, you need to register as a foreign LLC with the Illinois Secretary of State. The registration fee is $150 — the same as the domestic formation fee.
A foreign LLC registered in Illinois must also maintain a registered agent with a physical Illinois address and file the annual report each year for $75, just like a domestic LLC.
Employer Identification Number
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a federal tax ID issued by the IRS. Most Illinois LLCs need one — you'll use it to open a business bank account, file taxes, and hire employees. Applying for an EIN is free and can be done online at irs.gov.
Single-member LLCs with no employees can sometimes use a Social Security number instead, but an EIN keeps your personal number off business documents and is worth getting regardless.
FAQ
The standard state filing fee to form an Illinois LLC is $150. You file Articles of Organization on Form LLC-5.5 with the Illinois Secretary of State. If you want expedited 24-hour processing, add another $100 state fee. A Series LLC costs $400 to form using Form LLC-5.25.
The Illinois LLC annual report fee is $75 per year. The report is due before the first day of your LLC's anniversary month. If you file more than 60 days late, Illinois adds a $100 penalty on top of the $75 fee. You can file up to 45 days before the due date.
Yes. Illinois allows you to reserve an LLC name before filing your Articles of Organization. The name reservation fee is $25 and holds the name for 90 days. This is optional — you don't need to reserve a name before forming your LLC, but it can protect your chosen name while you prepare your filing.
Illinois charges an additional $100 state fee for expedited LLC processing. That's on top of the standard $150 formation fee, bringing the total to $250 for an expedited standard LLC filing. With the expedited option, the Secretary of State aims to process your Articles of Organization within approximately 24 hours on regular business days.
The Illinois foreign LLC registration fee is $150. If your LLC was formed in another state and you want to do business in Illinois, you register with the Illinois Secretary of State and pay this fee. Foreign LLCs also need a registered agent with a physical Illinois address and must file the $75 annual report each year.
Yes. Every Illinois LLC must maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in Illinois — P.O. boxes aren't acceptable. The registered agent can be an individual Illinois resident who is at least 18 years old, or a business entity authorized to do business in the state. You list the registered agent's name and address on your Articles of Organization.
The Illinois Secretary of State charges $150 to form a standard LLC (Form LLC-5.5), $400 to form a Series LLC (Form LLC-5.25), $150 to register a foreign LLC, $75 for the annual report, $100 for expedited processing, $25 for a name reservation, and $100 as a late penalty if the annual report is filed more than 60 days after the due date.
We collect the state fee from you at cost and pay it directly to the Illinois Secretary of State on your behalf when filing your LLC formation documents. The state fee goes entirely to the state — we don't mark it up. You'll see the exact state fee amount broken out separately from any Bizee plan fee during checkout.
