In Illinois, proof that a company is current comes from the Department of Business Services, part of the Secretary of State. The document is called a Certificate of Good Standing. It is sold online, and the price depends on the type of company.
The short version: $25 for a corporation or an LLC, $5 for a not-for-profit. The company has to be in good order first. Everything else about the office is in the Illinois office guide.
What is an Illinois Certificate of Good Standing?
The certificate says the company is in compliance with the Department of Business Services. It is a state record, issued from the same data you see in a public search. It is not a tax clearance and does not speak for any other agency.
Most requests come from a bank, a lender, a buyer, or another state where the company wants to register. Each of them may set its own rule on how new the certificate must be, so ask before you pay.
| What the state calls it | Certificate of Good Standing (ilsos.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Where to order | ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/business-searches.html (ilsos.gov, checked ) |
How to order the certificate online
- Open the business searches page of the Secretary of State and go to the Corporation/LLC database.
- Search by the exact company name or the file number.
- Open the correct record and check that its status is active.
- Choose the option to purchase a Certificate of Good Standing.
- Pay the fee: $25 for a corporation or LLC, $5 for a not-for-profit.
- Download the certificate and save a copy for the person who asked for it.
If you do not know the exact name, search first and read the record. Names that look alike are common.
What can block a certificate?
A certificate describes the record on the day you buy it. An inactive record has nothing good to report.
For an LLC the usual cause is the annual report. When the report is late, the LLC moves to delinquent status. After 60 days it moves to penalty status. If it has still filed nothing 120 days after the delinquency, the Secretary of State dissolves it administratively.
Registered agent trouble causes the same result. An LLC must keep an agent in Illinois, and the office mails its notices to that agent. A missed notice is often how a report gets forgotten. Our guide to changing a registered agent covers that fix.
How to fix it first
Start with the annual report. Our page on the Illinois annual report shows the fee and due date. File it, pay the penalty if one applies, and wait for the database to show the record as active before you order.
If the company was dissolved, a report alone will not do. Contact the Department of Business Services about reinstatement and follow what they tell you. Do not buy a certificate until the status has changed.
Good standing versus other proof
A certificate is one thing and a database printout is another. Some people only need the printout. Others, such as foreign states and banks, want the certificate. See the general guide on certificates of good standing for how the idea works across states.
You can order at the state yourself. State fees are separate from anything we charge. If you would like help, ask our private filing service and we can file for you.
Sources
- www.ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/business-searches.html: good standing certificate, certificate ordering. Checked .