State Guide · IL

Illinois LLC Guide (2026)

Everything you need to form and maintain an LLC in Illinois, state-specific fees, deadlines, and step-by-step instructions.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 25, 2026

This hub indexes all Illinois LLC guides in one place, formation, compliance, registered agents, and business structure comparisons. Quick reference: state filing fee $150, standard processing not published by the state, annual report due Before 1st of anniversary month. For the complete step-by-step formation walkthrough, see the Full Formation Guide below.

Key LLC facts for Illinois: $225 minimum first-year cost, $75 each year after, an annual state report, and a personal income tax.
First-year cost is the unavoidable minimum to form and stay compliant; the second figure is what recurs annually. Source: Illinois's published filing fee schedule, verified July 2026, with anonymity and income-tax status from MyStateLLC's 50-state datasets.
Filing fee$150#17 cheapest of 50 states
ProcessingNot publishedIllinois publishes no standard turnaround
Annual reportBefore 1st of anniversary month
Key Finding

118,108 new business applications were filed in Illinois in the 2026 YTD (Jan to Jul) vs 2025 YTD (same months) window, up 7.7% year over year

Illinois ranks #7 of 51 jurisdictions by application volume and #33 per capita. For scale, the state counted 322,415 active business establishments as of 2023 (Census County Business Patterns). This monthly BFS series is a leading indicator of formation activity, ahead of the Census's annual establishment counts.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (BFS), Jul 2026

Illinois Small Business Landscape

Small businesses in Illinois1,353,957 (99.6% of all Illinois businesses)
Small business employment2,420,971 workers (43.7% of private-sector employment)

Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Small Business Profile

Illinois Business Survival

5-year survival rate55.6% of new Illinois businesses survive five years, #3 of 51 nationally

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics

See how Illinois’s 5-year survival rate compares nationally in our full state-by-state ranking.

Enterprise LLCs Formed in Illinois

Entity NameWhy They Chose Illinois
United Airlines, LLCIllinois home-state formation gives Chicago-headquartered United Airlines a consolidated structure for its O'Hare hub operations, with Illinois law governing its ground service and cargo handling subsidiary agreements.
McDonald's USA, LLCIllinois's robust franchise law requires in-state registration for franchise disclosure documents, and McDonald's Chicago headquarters uses Illinois LLCs to standardize domestic franchisee licensing agreements.

Why Illinois attracts enterprise LLCs: Illinois is the Midwest's financial and logistics capital. Its Illinois LLC Act provides flexible operating agreements and its Cook County commercial court system offers sophisticated dispute resolution for multi-state franchise and supply chain operating entities.

Entity examples are illustrative and based on publicly available corporate registrations. Reasons reflect general state-level legal and tax advantages, not verified statements of each company's formation rationale. For educational purposes only; consult a licensed attorney before making formation decisions.

Check your business name

See if your domain and social handles are available before you file.

How Do You Start an LLC in Illinois?

Filing in Illinois costs $150 in state fees. Illinois publishes no standard processing time, so plan around the filing itself rather than a promised turnaround. You'll file Articles of Organization, appoint a registered agent, and complete any state-specific requirements before opening for business.

That is the filing fee alone. For the first-year and five-year totals, see Illinois LLC cost.

Full Formation Guide for IllinoisExact forms, fees & filing instructions

What Are the Ongoing Requirements for a Illinois LLC?

Illinois LLCs must file an annual report due Before 1st of anniversary month and keep a registered agent on file year-round. Missing deadlines triggers late fees and risks administrative dissolution.

Full Compliance OverviewAnnual report, fees & deadlinesAnnual Report GuideDue dates, forms & filing steps

How Do You Register a Foreign LLC in Illinois?

If your LLC was formed in another state (Delaware, Wyoming, etc.) but conducts business in Illinois, you must register as a foreign LLC. This requires a separate filing fee and a registered agent in Illinois.

Illinois Foreign LLC Registration GuideForms, fees & registered agent requirements

Does a Illinois LLC Need a Registered Agent?

Other Illinois LLC Compliance & Tax Guides

How Does a Illinois LLC Compare to Other Structures?

Illinois LLC Operating Agreement Templates

Illinois LLC Guides by Industry

How Do You Dissolve an LLC in Illinois?

Does Illinois Waive LLC Fees for Veterans?

What Does Moving a Rental Into an LLC Cost in Illinois?

Do You Need an LLC to Sell on eBay in Illinois?

How Does Illinois Compare to Other States for LLC Formation?

Side-by-side breakdowns of filing fees, annual costs, taxes and privacy rules, each written for a business owner already operating in Illinois.

Compare from a different home state →

More Illinois LLC Resources

Best Bank AccountsBest business bank accounts for a Illinois LLC →Grants & IncentivesSmall business grants & incentives in Illinois →Anonymous LLCHow to form an anonymous LLC in Illinois →
Edmond Hui

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.

Compare Illinois with Other States

Rhode Island LLC guideFiling fee $150 · See costs and requirements →South Dakota LLC guideFiling fee $150 · See costs and requirements →Minnesota LLC guideFiling fee $155 · See costs and requirements →How to form an LLCGeneral step-by-step formation guide →Annual report complianceDeadlines and fees for all 50 states →
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