how much to start an llc in illinois [Expert-Advice]

Last updated : Sept 10, 2022

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hi guys welcome to the simplify llc channel in this video we're going to explain how much it costs to start an llc in illinois this state is great for entrepreneurs who don't want to spend too much but it also has some nice add-ons depending on your business's needs if you're new to the channel don't forget to hit the like button and press the bell icon to subscribe and be notified when we publish a new video alright let's get started if you're planning to do business in illinois you'll need to register your llc in this state so you're likely trying to plan the cost good news you can get away with forming an llc in illinois for as little as 150 the basic cost is for your articles of organization and that's the same for both domestic and foreign llcs in illinois you pay the formation fee to the secretary of state in most cases this is all you need to establish your llc in illinois simply submit form llc 5.5 and pay the 150 and you should be in business literally in about 10 business days need to move more quickly illinois allows you to expedite your filing at the chicago and springfield offices for just 100 more and you'll get results within 24 hours as with any llc you'll need a registered agent that might be you if you reside in illinois or a designated person for your foreign llc either way choosing a registered agent is included in your articles of incorporation but here's where it gets tricky if you need to inform the secretary of state that your registered agent has resigned it's five dollars now that's not too bad but it costs 25 dollars to change your registered agent and if you don't report a resignation within 60 days you'll be hit with a 100 late fee so select the right person for the role and be sure to alert the state asap of any changes so now that you know the budget let's see about registering your business's name in many states it can be a race to get your documents in order so you can claim your name but illinois has a nice feature if you have that perfect name in mind but your articles of incorporation aren't ready you can reserve it with the state for just 25 which is a fair price for the convenience of a little extra time now what if your llc includes a sub brand or you'd like to use a different name for your illinois llc well you'll need to request a dva name dba is short for doing business as and it's essentially a registered alias for your illinois llc many states charge a flat fee for a dba but in illinois it's a bit different if you file the dba in a year ending in zero or five your fee is 150 in addition to the hundred and fifty dollars for the articles of incorporation if you file it during a year ending in one or six it's a hundred and twenty dollars two or seven it's ninety dollars three or eight it's sixty dollars and if the year ends in four or nine it's just 30 to register a dpa the idea is to spread out your costs over a five-year period so if it's not urgent to register your dba in illinois wait for a year that ends in four or nine just remember you'll need to renew your dba every five years and be sure to do it at least 60 days before it expires or the state will fine you one hundred dollars but wait that's not all you must stick with your dba name during that five years or else it's 25 to change it once your business is up and running you'll need to file an annual report which carries a filing fee of just 75 this is due on the first day of the month following your registration anniversary so if you registered on august 15th your annual report due date is september 1st be sure to get it on time because as with all other parts of illinois llcs the late fee is 100 and that's it illinois is overall quite affordable to register and maintain an llc as long as you time it right and hit your deadlines this state also has no minimal annual franchise taxes although you do have personal income taxes overall though it's fairly simple to register your llc in illinois and there are some nice benefits for entrepreneurs who want to expedite the process or get first dibs on a name well that's it for today thanks for watching if you want to know more about what an llc is its benefits and disadvantages you'll find the link to those videos in the description box below also don't forget to like and subscribe feel free to write in the comments if you have any further questions and we will see you next time

Thanks for your comment Lavenia Lamberth, have a nice day.
- Quincy Caporali, Staff Member

are you wondering how to start an LLC in Illinois today you will learn about the most common ways to start your business including the correct forms you'll need how to register your LLC critical naming requirements and all other vital tips and tricks then as a bonus later in the video I will reveal a trustworthy registered agent who will help set up your LLC for free so make sure to stick with me until the end the state of Illinois like other states has several specific LLC requirements there are three main ways you can start an LLC in Illinois first is the DIY or do-it-yourself process where you mostly depend on Illinois State's website the second way is hiring a professional service that practically offers more efficiency and Security in the process of creating your LLC while the third one is hiring an attorney we will skip the attorney hiring portion because that's expensive and most business owners won't need that service first let's take a look at the steps required for starting an LLC on your own Step 1 choose a name for your Illinois LLC your llc's name must be recognizably different from the names of other business entities already on file with the Illinois Secretary of State you can check to see if a name is available by searching the Secretary of State Business Services name database you can reserve a name for up to 90 days by filing an application to reserve a name form LLC 1.15 the filing fee is 25 dollars under Illinois Law an LLC name must contain as the last words limited liability company LLC or LLC the abbreviations limited and Company are not allowed in Illinois the name must also not include the words Corporation Corp Incorporated and limited company limited partnership or LP Step 2 Illinois requires LLC to have a registered agent every Illinois LLC must have an agent for service of process in the state this is an individual or business entity that agrees to accept legal papers on the llc's behalf if someone sues the company a registered agent can be an individual who resides in Illinois or a domestic or foreign corporation authorized to do business in Illinois if it's a corporation its articles must authorize it to act as an agent the registered agent must have a physical street address in Illinois step 3 file articles of organization with the Illinois Secretary of State after that you must file the certificate of formation with the Illinois Secretary of State's business entities Division and the office of the judge of probate to officially incorporate a domestic Illinois limited liability company the Illinois State filing cost for LLCs is one hundred and fifty dollars for both domestic llc's and for foreign LLCs basically a domestic LLC means that you are already a resident of Illinois and you want to build a business in Illinois foreign LLC on the other hand is for people living outside Illinois but wanting to start a business or a franchise of their business in Illinois with that said most businesses would be applying for a domestic LLC you can file the certificate of formation online or by mailing it to the Secretary of State expect the LLC certification process to take approximately two weeks this is three to four days for the judge of probate and 10 days for the Secretary of State step 4 prepare an operating agreement now an operating agreement is a good idea to have in place with the other members if your LLC has more than one member although a limited liability company operating agreement is not necessary for Illinois your operating agreement should clarify how your company or business will handle big picture issues such as allocating earnings and losses and dissolving the company your operating agreement should also cover the transfer of membership interest profits or losses and distributions initial Investments decision-making Powers voting rights and management and lastly dissolving the business step 5 of file annual reports with the Illinois Secretary of State all llc's doing business in Illinois must file an annual report with the secretary of state the report is due each year prior to the first day of the llc's anniversary month the month in which it was organized for example if your LLC was created on July 15th then your report would be due by July 1st you can file the report online or by mail with form LLC to 50.1 the filing fee is 75 dollars filing a report late more than 60 days after the due date incurs an additional 100 penalty step 6 obtain an EIN an EIN or employer identification number is a federal tax ID issued by the IRS your EIN is used by them to readily identify your firm and tax filings all Illinois firms pay a business privilege tax and the state requires you to have an EIN to file you may also be required to provide your EIN when opening a bank account or applying for municipal permits or licenses obtaining an EIN is a slightly longer process compared to their previous steps I'm sure you know anything to do with the IRS is confusing first you have to have complete knowledge of your LLC such as your company information managing member information business address business information company details and even critical information regarding vehicular assets and federal excise taxes this is another reason why getting a professional registered agent is way more convenient as they can do this for you as part of their service now let's talk about the second option to form an LLC and that is hiring a professional formation service professional formation services do all the steps you should be doing on your own from filing necessary forms to acting as your registered agent you usually have to allocate a specific budget for this option as I already mentioned earlier Inc file is one of the best companies out there to help you form your LLC you can click on the link in the description to get access to this deal Inc file is one of a kind as it offers a free package with services such as preparing and filing your articles of organization well you still have to pay 237 dollars for the state fees which you would have to do anyway if you chose the DIY option but looking at the bigger picture all other companies will still charge their service fee on top of State filing fees Inc file does not collect this fee this plan already includes a free registered agent for your first year of subscription and 119 annually moving forward if you decide to continue the service after the first year Inc file's next packages are the gold and platinum packages which both have package fees already on top of the 237 dollar State fee each package has its own set of services which are all worthy of the subscription you are paying for the gold package offers you the benefits of filing reports and taxes for your LLC every year USA LLCs are required to file a state annual report this report is essentially an information update of your file so that the state knows who is now in charge and how to contact your company USA LLCs are also required to file state tax returns to make matters even more complicated your annual report and business privilege tax share a document and are due at the same time each year with the ink files

Thanks u2q1lM your participation is very much appreciated
- Quincy Caporali

About the author

Quincy Caporali

I've studied mythology at York College, City University of New York in Jamaica and I am an expert in data structures. I usually feel discontent. My previous job was gluing machine operators I held this position for 20 years, I love talking about exhibition drill and coffee. Huge fan of Neymar I practice mountain biking and collect insert cards.