How much should I set aside to form it?
Expect the state to take $150, plus $199 for a service in the first year.
By year three the state has taken $300 in total. check it at ilsos.gov, October 2026
What exactly am I filing?
Just one paper forms the LLC: the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5), sent to the Illinois Secretary of State.
The law behind it: 805 ILCS 180/5-5. check it at ilsos.gov, October 2026
Does my LLC need a registered agent here?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
An Illinois resident, or a business authorized to do business in Illinois. The LLC cannot act as its own agent.
check it at ilga.gov, October 2026
What's the upkeep?
One thing keeps recurring, the Limited Liability Company Annual Report, each year, costing $75 a time. As the state words it, it's due before the first day of the entity's anniversary month, and that's easy to forget.
Filing late means $100 more.
check it at ilsos.gov, October 2026
Do I need someone to file this?
It's allowed, and doing it yourself keeps your three-year cost at the state's $300.
Using a service lifts your three-year bill by $397 to $597.
Why is the list in this order?
It comes down to work taken off your hands, and Mainstay Filing is best at it.
Together, cost across three years and work taken off your hands make up 64% of the score.
One thing decides it: the Limited Liability Company Annual Report is in the first pick's price, while IL Registered Agent.org leaves it to you.
Our method, in full