How to File Illinois's Articles of Organization
What goes on Illinois's Articles of Organization, what is filed with it and what it costs, read from Illinois government sources.
The short answer. To form an LLC in Illinois, you file the Articles of Organization with the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division. The state filing fee is $150. Of the 15 items this page tracks, the form requires 6, asks for 3 only in some cases, makes 1 optional and leaves out 5.
The Illinois Articles of Organization at a Glance
| What Illinois calls it | Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5) |
| State filing fee | $150 |
| Processing time | Check with the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division |
| Where to file | Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division |
| File online | Yes, online, open the filing portal |
| Blank form | Download it from the state |
| Law that sets its contents | 805 ILCS 180/5-5 |
| Filed with it or right after | 1 filing, listed below |
Read from Illinois government sources, some of them archived copies of the state's own pages, last checked September 23, 2026. The filing fee and processing time come from our Illinois cost record. See the sources.
What Goes on Illinois's Articles of Organization
Each row is one of the 15 items this page tracks, with what Illinois's Articles of Organization asks for. "Not on the form" means we checked and found no place for it on the Articles of Organization. "Not checked" means we have not confirmed it either way.
| Item | On the form |
|---|---|
| LLC name | Required |
| Registered agent's name | Required |
| Registered office address | Required |
| Principal office address | Required |
| Mailing address | Not on the form |
| Organizer's name | Required |
| Members' names | Only members who have the authority of a manager are listed, with their business addresses. |
| Managers' names | Only in some cases. Required when the LLC has managers. |
| Member-managed or manager-managed | Not on the form |
| Business purpose | Only for a professional LLC, which must state its specific professional service, or an LLC that chooses to limit its business to stated purposes. Otherwise the form already prints the general purpose of any lawful business, so nothing needs to be written. |
| Duration | Optional |
| Effective date | Required |
| County | Not on the form |
| Email address | Not on the form |
| Registered agent's consent | Not on the form |
The registered agent rows are covered in more depth in Illinois's registered agent requirements, and the steps before and after this filing are in how to start an LLC in Illinois.
What the LLC's Name Must Include
The LLC's name must include an LLC ending. Accepted endings include "Limited Liability Company", "L.L.C." and "LLC", and the law allows others as well.
Rule: 805 ILCS 180/1-10(a).
File These With It or Right After
Illinois has one more filing that goes with it or follows it.
| Filing | Required? | When |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of registration from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation | Only for a professional LLC. | Must be obtained before the company opens or operates an office for its licensed profession. |
Draft Your Articles of Organization
The generator below starts with Illinois selected and drafts the document from what you enter. Compare the draft with the state's current form before you file.
MyStateLLC.com is not a law firm, not an attorney, and not a document preparation service. This is a self-service tool: it formats information you enter into a state template, and no one at MyStateLLC reviews, corrects, or files it for you. This tool and the document it generates are informational and are not legal, financial, or tax advice, and are not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney. MyStateLLC cannot give legal advice, does not prepare or file documents itself, and communications with MyStateLLC are not privileged. Using this tool does not create an attorney-client relationship. LLC laws vary by state and this document is not reviewed by anyone before you file it. Consult a licensed attorney or CPA in your state before you sign or file it.
Where are you forming your LLC?
After It Is Approved
| Certified copy of the filed Articles of Organization | $25 |
| Changing it later (Articles of Amendment) | $50 |
Where these fees come from: the sources.
Professional LLCs in Illinois
In Illinois, a professional LLC is formed with the same Articles of Organization. Also required: The articles must state the specific professional service to be rendered and use a name ending such as "PLLC". A professional LLC files on paper, because online filing is limited to LLCs that do not need a specific purpose. Your profession's licensing board may have requirements of its own, so check with it before you file.
Worth Knowing in Illinois
The paper form must be submitted in duplicate, and payment by mail must be a certified check, cashier's check, Illinois attorney's or C.P.A.'s check, or money order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- ilsos.gov/publications/pdf_publications/llc55.pdfForm LLC-5.5 Articles of Organization
- ilsos.gov/publications/pdf_publications/llc525.pdfForm LLC-5.25 Articles of Amendment
- ilga.gov/legislation/ILCS/details?ActName=Limited+Liability+Company+Act.&ActID=2290&ChapterID=65&ChapAct=805+ILCS+180%2F&SeqStart=0&SeqEnd=15800000805 ILCS 180 Limited Liability Company Act (sections 1-10, 1-25, 1-28, 1-35, 5-5, 50-10)
- ilsos.gov/departments/business_services/organization/llc_instructions.htmlIllinois SOS, Information for Forming an LLC Online (archived copy of the state's page)
- ilga.gov/legislation/ILCS/details?ActName=Limited+Liability+Company+Act.&ActID=2290&ChapterID=65&ChapAct=805+ILCS+180%2F&SeqStart=14450000&SeqEnd=15800000Behind the state filing fee on this page
The rows and fees on this page were read from the Illinois government sources above, not from a formation service, and anything we could not confirm there is marked Not checked. See our editorial policy for how these are verified and corrected.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's filing office publishes about the document that forms an LLC, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own filing needs: fees and forms change between our reviews, several occupations cannot use an ordinary LLC at all and must use a professional entity or a separate professional form, and your city or county may require a registration of its own. Confirm the current fee and form with the filing office named on this page before you send anything.
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.