Illinois LLC Cost: Average Fees Explained

Illinois charges one flat fee to create an LLC, and every other cost is optional or recurring. The part that catches owners off guard is the annual report, which comes due every year and carries a penalty when it is late.

Fees on this page come from the sources named in each table and were checked on Oct 11, 2026. Confirm current amounts with the Illinois Secretary of State before you pay.

Articles of Organization are the required filing. Series LLCs, which let one entity hold separate groups of assets, cost more to form than a standard LLC.

A standard filing costs $150. Articles for a series LLC cost $400. Reserving a name for 90 days costs $25, and it makes sense only if you cannot file right away.

An Illinois LLC files an annual report every year. The fee is $75/yr, per LLC University.

Missing the deadline costs more. Inc Authority lists a late penalty of $100 on top of the report fee, and an LLC that stays delinquent can lose good standing. Put the due date on a calendar and confirm it on the Secretary of State's site, since the date depends on when your LLC was formed.

Yes, for an added fee. Expedited processing costs $100 on top of the filing fee.

Most owners can skip it. A standard filing creates the same LLC, and rushing only helps when a bank account, lease, or contract is waiting.

An Illinois LLC needs a registered agent with an Illinois street address. You can serve as your own agent if you live in the state and can receive documents during business hours. Otherwise a commercial agent typically runs $50 – $250/yr, per Inc Authority.

Because the annual report requires current agent information, a reliable agent also helps you avoid missed notices, which is how late penalties often start.

Sources agree closely on the base fee, so the differences are small.

The formation service figure is slightly higher than the state fee. That may reflect a processing charge or a service fee layered on the filing. Treat the lowest figure as the state's price and anything above it as someone's added charge.

Two items come up now and then. A Certificate of Good Standing costs $25, and banks or out-of-state regulators may ask for one. Registering an LLC formed elsewhere to do business in Illinois costs $150.

If you are choosing between the two ways to form, remember that the total is mostly decided by the add-ons you pick, not the base fee.

The first year usually combines the filing fee, the first annual report, and a registered agent if you hire one. Budget for that total. Illinois also has its own business tax rules, and federal obligations apply wherever you form. A guide to filing fees cannot tell you what your LLC owes, so talk to a licensed CPA or attorney about your situation.

A series LLC lets one entity set up separate groups of assets or liabilities under a single filing. The higher filing fee only pays off if you actually plan to use that structure, for example to hold several properties or product lines separately.

If you run one business, a standard LLC covers it at the base fee. Whether a series structure suits your situation, and how it is treated for tax purposes, is a question for a licensed attorney or CPA. Do not choose it just because the filing is available.

Ask any formation service whether its price includes the state filing fee, whether a registered agent is bundled, and what the agent costs after the first year. Also ask whether the service will file your annual report or remind you of the date. Those details decide the real yearly cost more than the base fee does.

The annual report is the main upkeep task, and it is easy to miss because the state sets the due date by the month your LLC was formed. Put it on a calendar the day you form. Keep your registered agent's contact details current too, since notices from the state go through that agent.

If you ever need proof of standing for a bank or another state, order the Certificate of Good Standing at that point. There is no reason to buy one ahead of time, and the document reflects the LLC's status only on the day it is issued.