Start an LLC in Illinois
Start an Illinois LLC by filing the Articles of Organization with the Illinois Secretary of State for $150. You can use our free tool to fill out the paperwork right here yourself. Or hire Northwest to do it for you and we’ll provide one year of registered agent service and a free business identity—all for $39.
Illinois Articles of Organization
Use our free tool to fill out your Illinois Articles of Organization. Submitting this form to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Department of Business Services officially creates your LLC. Save your progress, download, and print at any time. Or let us do it for you.
How to Start an LLC in Illinois
A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a permanent public record. Starting one requires sharing personal information with the government, banks, landlords, vendors, and of course, customers. We provide a free business identity to anyone who needs it—that’s a domain name, website, phone line, email address, and brand protection. This helps protect your privacy and keep you in control of your intellectual property.
Want to register an out-of-state LLC in Illinois? Check out our Illinois Foreign Registration Guide.
1. Name Your LLC
Choosing a name for your Illinois LLC is more than a legal requirement—it’s a marketing decision that determines how people will recognize your business. A good company name should be easy to read, memorable, and flexible enough to grow with you over time. It’s also smart to check that your preferred name is available as a domain so you can secure a matching website and build a consistent online presence from the start. Before deciding on your name, make sure it meets Illinois state guidelines and is available. You can verify availability using the Illinois Business Entity Search.
Your LLC name should:
- Include “Limited Liability Company” or an abbreviation like “LLC”
- Avoid terms reserved for other entity types, like “Corporation,” “Inc.,” or “Limited Partnership”
- Be distinguishable from other active businesses registered in Illinois
2. Register Your Domain Name
After choosing your LLC’s name, a good next step is locking down a domain name for your business website. A professional domain should be easy to remember—and ideally, match or complement your business name. When you register your domain name early, you’re more likely to get a name that meets those standards. You’ll need to claim a business domain name through a registrar. When you hire Northwest to form your LLC, domain registration is one of many in-house services we provide, along with a customizable business website, a professional email address, and brand protection. With over 25 years of experience serving business owners, we’ve built our products to grow with your business, so you won’t need to switch providers when your business expands.
3. Appoint a Registered Agent
An Illinois registered agent is a person or business who accepts legal mail (called service of process) on behalf of your business. All LLCs in Illinois are required to have a designated registered agent based in the state. You’ll have to include your registered agent’s name and address on your Articles of Organization. The registered agent you use is also a key part of your business identity. What’s a business identity? It’s the way you present yourself to the world, including potential customers and clients. You start building a business identity as soon as you form a business, and at Northwest, our Registered Agent Service can help strengthen that identity.
4. File Articles of Organization
Illinois allows you to file online through the Illinois Secretary of State website or by submitting paper form LLC-5.5 by mail or in person. You’ll need to pay a $150 filing fee. Standard processing time is around 10 business days. Once your Articles of Organization have been processed, your LLC is officially in business.
5. Create an Operating Agreement
Now that your LLC has been formed, it should have an operating agreement. Per 805 ILCS 180/15-5, an LLC is not required to write an Illinois operating agreement, but you should still have one for your LLC. If you don’t have an operating agreement, your business will be governed by Illinois’s default LLC statutes. Your operating agreement should plan for every major situation that your LLC is likely to deal with.
6. Get an EIN
An LLC operating in Illinois—or anywhere else in the USA—will probably need an EIN (Employer Identification Number) to do business as well. An EIN is the number the IRS uses to identify your business on tax forms. It works more or less like a Social Security number, but specifically for your business. The IRS lets you apply for an EIN for free online and by mail. Or you can skip the paperwork and hire Northwest to file for you.
Learn how to get an EIN for your LLC.
7. File Your Annual Report
Illinois requires all domestic LLCs to file an annual report with the Illinois Secretary of State. This report keeps the state up to date on your LLC’s current address and member or manager information.
The fee to file the report is $75.
Illinois LLC FAQs
Illinois allows you to reserve a business name for up to 90 days. To reserve your business name, you’ll need to submit an Application for Reservation of Name to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Department of Business Services and pay a $25 filing fee. Need to renew that reserved name? You can do so by filing the same form and paying the fee again.
Create Your Illinois LLC
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