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Formation Facts

What the state wants, and what it costs.

Registered agent guide · Illinois

Illinois Registered Agent Requirements and Fees (2026): the Rules and the 3 Best Agents

If you are naming a registered agent in Illinois in 2026, our recommendation is Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Illinois Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and IL Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in that order. If you form an LLC in Illinois, you need a registered agent. The state itself bills $75 every year, which ranks 34th of 50.
Briefing by the Formation Facts team

Illinois in brief

34th

of 50 for one year of state fees

A rank of 1 means the lowest bill (tied). See every state side by side

  • Registered agent required

    Yes

    ilga.gov, as confirmed in October 2026

  • 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, as confirmed in October 2026

  • What the state collects in 1 year

    $75

    One year of the report, plus any minimum tax

Illinois ranking

In order of weight: three-year fees, coverage, renewal terms, fit with Illinois, a clear state fee (method).

Our top choice

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a business that expects to grow

$149 annually (renewal price $149)

Our first choice is Mainstay Filing. It costs $149 a year here and the same everywhere else; renewal is $149.

Three years of this provider's fees run $150 above Illinois Registered Agent.co's; what you get for the difference is a broader set of filings done for you.

What your money gets you

  • A street address in the state, on file
  • Scans anything served on the company the same business day and does not charge for it
  • Scans your first three government letters each year at no cost
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • Price $149, renewal $149
  • The same price in all fifty states

What to weigh

  • Costs you $50 more each year than Illinois Registered Agent.co
  • It only covers the agent, and you send in the reports
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Illinois only

2. Illinois Registered Agent.co: best for a low flat agent price

$99 annually (renewal price $99)

Illinois Registered Agent.co takes second place because $99 a year with no jump at renewal, designed for a company that works in a single state.

What your money gets you

  • A Illinois address that goes on the public record
  • Legal papers are scanned and uploaded for you

What works

  • Price $99, renewal $99
  • Under Mainstay Filing on the yearly price

What to weigh

  • A different state needs a different agent
  • Writing up the Limited Liability Company Annual Report falls to you
Visit Illinois Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Illinois only

3. IL Registered Agent.org: best for Illinois specialists

$99 annually (renewal price $99)

IL Registered Agent.org takes third place because $99 a year with no jump at renewal, designed for a company that works in a single state.

Its prices are identical to Illinois Registered Agent.co's, so the two are close.

What your money gets you

  • A Illinois address that goes on the public record
  • Legal papers are scanned and uploaded for you

What works

  • Price $99, renewal $99
  • Under Mainstay Filing on the yearly price

What to weigh

  • A different state needs a different agent
  • Writing up the Limited Liability Company Annual Report falls to you
Visit IL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, one table

RankWhoYou pay per yearRenewal priceTheir fees across 3 years
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Illinois Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Illinois Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3IL Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit IL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
All prices come from the companies' own pages, as they stood on November 13, 2026. State fees stay where they are.

Yearly cost calculator

This adds agent fees to the state's recurring charges (the Limited Liability Company Annual Report from year 2). Formation fees are not included.
3 years with Mainstay Filing: you pay $150 to the state and $447 to the provider, $597 in all.

How Illinois compares with the states near it in the ranking

RankStateYearly state fees
31stWyoming$60
33rdWashington$70
34thIllinois$75
34thNew Jersey$75
36thConnecticut$80
The full comparison ranks all fifty states in the same way.

What Illinois requires of your registered agent

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a registered office in Illinois that matches the agent's business office. A P.O. box alone is not accepted.

Who you can use: An Illinois resident, or a business authorized to do business in Illinois. The LLC cannot act as its own agent. (805 ILCS 180/1-35)

The fees Illinois bills every year

Count on $75 every year for the Limited Liability Company Annual Report, before the first day of the entity's anniversary month. The state sends its mail to the address of your registered agent.

Our reasoning

Mainstay Filing wins on upkeep the price covers, which counts 26%, and Illinois Registered Agent.co is next.

Coverage of all fifty states counted for more than Illinois Registered Agent.co on our weights.

Illinois registered agent questions

Do I have to name a registered agent for my Illinois LLC?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Who is allowed to be a registered agent for my Illinois LLC?

An Illinois resident, or a business authorized to do business in Illinois. The LLC cannot act as its own agent.

What will registered agent service cost me each year in Illinois?

Agents ranked here bill $99 to $149 annually.

Which state fees will I pay every year?

You will pay $75 a year on our yearly measure, which is the Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($75 every year).

Which registered agents does this page rank?

Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Illinois Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and IL Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), from our first pick to our last.

Which registered agent should I choose?

Start with Mainstay Filing: a $149 agent price that applies in all fifty states, so growing companies need only one provider. Then look at Illinois Registered Agent.co and IL Registered Agent.org.

More for this state

Where this briefing comes from

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Everything in this briefing about Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division rests on wyobiz.wyo.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
  8. Everything in this briefing about Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division rests on wyobiz.wyo.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
  9. Everything in this briefing about Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division rests on ccfs.sos.wa.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
  10. Everything in this briefing about Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division rests on sos.wa.gov, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
  11. Everything in this briefing about Washington yearly filing: Annual report, official source rests on sos.wa.gov, which we confirmed in October 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
  12. Everything in this briefing about New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services rests on njportal.com, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
  13. Everything in this briefing about New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services rests on njportal.com, which we confirmed in August 2026, so you can compare our wording with the source.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. Mainstay Filing states Illinois service page on its site, and we looked on November 13, 2026
  18. Illinois Registered Agent.co states pricing page on its site, and we looked on November 13, 2026
  19. IL Registered Agent.org states pricing page on its site, and we looked on November 13, 2026