An Illinois LLC has one yearly filing with the Secretary of State: the annual report. It costs $75 and has to be in before the first day of the LLC's anniversary month. The anniversary month is the month the LLC was formed, so each company has its own date.
Illinois does not use one deadline for everyone, such as April 1 or May 15. Look up your formation date first. The rest of the office, including searches and formation, is covered in the Illinois office guide.
Who has to file an Illinois annual report?
Every Illinois LLC on the Secretary of State's record files one. The report is a state filing and is separate from tax returns.
The fee on this page is the LLC fee. Corporations follow different rules and pay a franchise tax based on paid-in capital. Check the Department of Business Services pages for the corporation report fee before you file one.
| Fee | LLC: $75 (plus $50 for expedited service) (ilsos.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Where to file | apps.ilsos.gov/soar (apps.ilsos.gov, checked ) |
How to work out your Illinois due date
Find the month on your Articles of Organization. The report is due before the first day of that month, every year.
Here is an example. Your LLC was formed on June 18. Its anniversary month is June, so the report is due before June 1. Filing on May 28 is on time. Filing on June 2 is not.
The office sends a pre-filled report to your registered agent about 45 days ahead. That gives you room, but the notice goes to the agent, not to you.
How to file step by step
- Get your LLC's file number or exact name.
- Open the annual report portal of the Secretary of State at https://apps.ilsos.gov/soar/.
- Find your company and check that the pre-filled details are right, including the registered agent and office.
- Pay the $75 fee. Add the $50 expedite charge only if you need faster handling.
- Save the confirmation. Look the LLC up in the business database a few days later to see that it still shows as active.
Late penalty and what happens next
Miss the due date and the LLC is placed in delinquent status. After 60 days the status becomes penalty status, and a $100 late penalty applies if the report is still not filed. That is on top of the $75.
The next step is the one to avoid. An LLC that has not filed within 120 days of delinquency is administratively dissolved. A dissolved LLC loses its standing, and its name is held for three years. Fixing it takes more steps than filing on time.
A company that is behind on its report also cannot expect a clean certificate. If a bank or a buyer wants proof, read our guide to Illinois certificates of good standing.
Checking that your report went through
Search the Corporation/LLC database by name or file number. The record shows the status as active or inactive. If it still reads inactive after your report was accepted, call the Department of Business Services and have your confirmation ready. Our general guide on how to file an annual report explains how states differ.
You can file at the state yourself, and state fees are separate from anything we do. If you would rather hand it off, you can ask our private filing service for help.
Sources
- www.ilsos.gov/publications/business-services/llc.html: report fee. Checked .
- apps.ilsos.gov/soar/: online filing. Checked .