Illinois in brief
33rd
in the three-year state fee comparison
Fee the state takes at filing
$150
Limited Liability Company Annual Report
$75 / yr
Deadline, as the state states it: before the first day of the entity's anniversary month.
ilsos.gov; we confirmed it in October 2026
Cost of missing the deadline
$100
What the state collects in 3 years
$300
Filing in year 1, reports in years 2 and 3
What we would pick in Illinois
Every criterion and weight is on the
method page.
Our #1
1. IL Registered Agent.org: best for a no-frills Illinois formation
$199 to form, then $99 a year
IL Registered Agent.org earns the top spot because formation costs $199 above the state fee, and the agent is $99 from year 2.
Mainstay Filing costs more over three years, and that criterion is worth 33% of the score.
The Limited Liability Company Annual Report is not in the price, so you file it yourself every year.
What your money gets you
- Takes care of the formation paperwork
- First year of agent service
What works
- No agent fee in year 1
- $99 a year from year 2
- $199 and the state fee
What to weigh
- Filing the Limited Liability Company Annual Report is something you do yourself
- $99 more for the EIN
Works anywhere
2. Mainstay Filing: best for having someone else track the deadlines
$199 yearly, and you also pay the $150 state fee
Mainstay Filing takes second place because $199 a year gets you filed, gets you a registered agent and gets your annual report sent in.
IL Registered Agent.org wins on three-year fees by $200.
When the Limited Liability Company Annual Report comes due it is handled for you, with the $75 state fee added at cost.
What your money gets you
- Prepares your formation papers and files them
- Acts as your registered agent all year
- Prepares and files your annual report
- Applies for your EIN
- You pay the state fee at cost
What works
- A yearly bundle at $199
- Your EIN application is included
- Still $199 next year
What to weigh
- You pay $100 more a year than IL Registered Agent.org's agent renewal
Local option
3. Illinois Registered Agent.co: best for owners who are happy to write the reports themselves
$199 to form, then $99 a year
In third place we put Illinois Registered Agent.co. Formation costs $199 above the state fee, and the agent is $99 from year 2.
The Limited Liability Company Annual Report is not in the price, so you file it yourself every year.
On price it is exactly level with IL Registered Agent.org.
What your money gets you
- Takes care of the formation paperwork
- First year of agent service
What works
- No agent fee in year 1
- $199 and the state fee
- $99 a year from year 2
What to weigh
- Filing the Limited Liability Company Annual Report is something you do yourself
- $99 more for the EIN
Prices side by side
Every price here was taken from the company's website on November 13, 2026. The state's $150 is not counted in the figures above.
Work out your total
Pick how many years you want to total and which provider you would use. What the state takes is built from its own schedule: $150 when you form, then the Limited Liability Company Annual Report from year 2.
How Illinois compares with the states near it in the ranking
What the state charges to form a Illinois LLC (official source)
You will pay $150, and you file the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5) with the Illinois Secretary of State, as 805 ILCS 180/5-5 provides. None of the providers below charges extra for it.
The Limited Liability Company Annual Report in Illinois, 2026
The Limited Liability Company Annual Report comes up once a year and costs $75; the state sets the deadline as before the first day of the entity's anniversary month. A late filing adds $100.
Our reasoning
IL Registered Agent.org wins on price over three years, which counts 33%, and Mainstay Filing is next.
With IL Registered Agent.org, three years of provider fees come to $397, $200 less than Mainstay Filing.
Quick answers
How much will Illinois charge me to form an LLC?
The state fee is $150. The picks bill $199 on top of the state fee.
What will I pay for the Illinois Limited Liability Company Annual Report?
You pay $75, every year, and the deadline reads before the first day of the entity's anniversary month. Filing late costs $100.
Is Illinois a low-cost state for LLCs?
Illinois ranks 33rd of 50 on three-year state fees, tied with other states, at $300. Rank 1 is the lowest total.
Will I need a registered agent in Illinois?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Which LLC services does this page rank?
IL Registered Agent.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Illinois Registered Agent.co ($199), in the order we would choose them.
Which LLC service should I choose?
Start with IL Registered Agent.org: you pay $199 plus the state fee, with your first agent year included, then $99 a year. Then look at Mainstay Filing and Illinois Registered Agent.co.
Where this briefing comes from
- Everything in this briefing about Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services rests on ilsos.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services rests on ilsos.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about 805 ILCS 180/5-5 rests on ilga.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Illinois formation fee: Filing fee, official source rests on ilga.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Illinois formation fee: Filing fee, official source rests on ilsos.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Illinois registered agent statute rests on ilga.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about SDCL 47-34A-203 rests on sdlegislature.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source rests on sdsos.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about South Dakota formation fee: Filing fee, official source rests on sdlegislature.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services / rests on sdsos.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about South Dakota Secretary of State, Business Services / rests on sosenterprise.sd.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about South Dakota yearly filing: Annual report: fee and rests on sdlegislature.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Conn rests on cga.ct.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Connecticut formation fee: Filing fee, official source rests on business.ct.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Connecticut formation fee: Filing fee, official source rests on business.ct.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Connecticut Secretary of the State, Business Services Division rests on business.ct.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Connecticut Secretary of the State, Business Services Division rests on business.ct.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Connecticut yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source rests on business.ct.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about N.H rests on gc.nh.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about New Hampshire formation fee: Filing fee, official source rests on sos.nh.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about New Hampshire formation fee: Filing fee, official source rests on gc.nh.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporations Division rests on sos.nh.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about ORS 63.044 and ORS 63.047 rests on oregonlegislature.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Oregon formation fee: Filing fee, official source rests on sos.oregon.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division rests on sos.oregon.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- Everything in this briefing about Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division rests on sos.oregon.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
- You can see pricing page for IL Registered Agent.org on its own website, which we looked at on November 13, 2026
- You can see Illinois service page for Mainstay Filing on its own website, which we looked at on November 13, 2026
- You can see pricing page for Illinois Registered Agent.co on its own website, which we looked at on November 13, 2026