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After you form an LLC in Illinois, you must file an Annual Report and pay a $75 fee every year.
You need to file your Annual Report in order to keep your Illinois LLC in compliance and in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State.
$75 per year. This is paid once per year for the life of your LLC.
Your Illinois LLC Annual Report is due before the first day of your LLC’s anniversary month.
Your LLC’s anniversary month is the month that your LLC was approved by the Illinois Secretary of State.
For example, if your LLC was formed on June 15th 2024, June is your anniversary month. Therefore, next year in 2025, your LLC’s Annual Report is due before June 1st 2025. Then every year going forward, it’s also due before June 1st.
However, instead of waiting until your anniversary month to file, we recommend filing as early as possible in order to avoid a potential $100 penalty (discussed in more detail below).
You can find an Illinois LLC anniversary date two ways:
You can file your LLC’s Annual Report 45 days before the 1st day of your LLC’s anniversary month.
Using our example from above, if your LLC’s anniversary month is June, that means you can file your Annual Report as early as the middle of April.
You can file your LLC’s Annual Report by mail or online.
The Illinois LLC Annual Report fee is $75 regardless of the method of filing you choose.
If you file your Annual Report by mail, it takes the Illinois Secretary of State 10-15 business days to process your filing.
If you file your Annual Report online, your filing is processed immediately.
You will find instructions below for both the mail filing and the online filing.
If you file your Annual Report by mail, by default, the Illinois Secretary of State doesn’t send you back any proof or confirmation. However, if you send the state 2 copies of your Annual Report along with a self-addressed stamped envelope, they’ll send you back a confirmation in the mail.
If you file your Annual Report online, you’ll be able to save and print a confirmation page. Additionally, the Illinois Secretary of State will email you a confirmation.
If your Annual Report is 60 days late:
The state charges a $100 penalty, which is on top of the base fee. Meaning, in addition to the $75 Annual Report, you’re also paying a $100 penalty ($175 total).
Important: The penalty used to be $300, but the Illinois LLC Act was amended by House Bill 4578 (Section 50-15). The LLC Annual Report late penalty is now $100.
If your Annual Report is 180 days late:
The Secretary of State will administratively dissolve (shut down) your LLC.
Annual Report forms and reminders will be mailed to your Registered Agent 45 days before they are due.
If you plan to file your Annual Report online, you can ignore the Annual Report forms the state mails with the reminder.
Important: Even if no reminder is sent, it’s still your responsibility to file your LLC Annual Report on time every year. For that reason, we recommend putting a repeating reminder on your phone and/or calendar.
2. Enter your LLC’s File Number and click “Continue“.
You can find your LLC’s File Number on the Welcome Letter you received from the state, or by searching your LLC name here and looking for “File Number” at the top.
3. Confirm that the above LLC is correct, then click “Continue“.
4. Review that your Registered Agent information is correct and then click “Continue“.
Note: You can’t change your Registered Agent during this online filing. If you need to change your Registered Agent, you must do so using a different form (Change of Registered Agent) and file it by mail.
5. Review your Principal Place of Business address. If no changes are needed, select “Yes” and then click “Continue“. If changes are needed, select “No“, update your information, and then click “Continue“.
6. Review the names and addresses of the LLC’s Members or Managers.
Confirm whether the information is correct and whether or not you need to add more Members or Managers. Then click “Continue“.
7. Select which Member/Manager is submitting the LLC’s Annual Report.
If the person filing this Annual Report is an individual person, select “No” at the bottom.
If the person filing this Annual Report is a company, select “Yes” at the bottom and then enter the name and title of the person signing on behalf of the company.
Then click “Continue“.
8. Enter the name of the person paying (must match credit card info). Then enter their phone number, email address, and then click “Continue“.
9. Review your information and click “Proceed to Payment“. Then enter your credit card information and your phone number. Click “Next” to submit your payment and file your Annual Report with the Secretary of State.
Congratulations! Your Illinois LLC Annual Report has been successfully filed online.
When filing online, your Annual Report is processed right after payment is made. Then a few minutes later you will receive an email from the state. The email will include a receipt and a copy of your filed Annual Report.
You can now proceed to the next lesson.
Download the Illinois Annual Report Form (Form LLC-50.1):
Illinois Annual Report Form (Form LLC-50.1)
1. Enter the name of your LLC. Then the name and address of your Illinois Registered Agent. The address of your Registered Agent must be located in Illinois. The address must be a street address.
2. Enter “Illinois” on the first line and then enter the date your LLC was formed. You can find this date on your stamped and approved Articles of Organization or by searching your LLC name here and looking for the “File Date“.
3. Enter your LLC’s Principal Place of Business address (PO boxes are not allowed). This address can be located in Illinois or it can be located in any state.
4. Enter the name and address of your LLC’s Managers or Members.
Tip: Most LLCs are Member-Managed. If you don’t understand Member-managed LLCs vs. Manager-managed LLCs, please see this article: Member-managed vs Manager-managed.
5. Nothing needs to be entered here.
6. Nothing needs to be entered here. This statement is just letting you know that you can’t change your Registered Agent with the Annual Report form. If you need to change your Registered Agent, you must do so using a different form (Change of Registered Agent).
7. Enter today’s date. Then sign your name above “Signature” and enter your name and title above “Name and Title” (Ex: John Doe, Member or John Doe, Manager).
“If applicant is a company or other entity…” – You can leave this blank. This doesn’t apply to most filers.
Prepare a check (personal checks are accepted) or money order for $75 and make payable to “Secretary of State”.
Mail your $75 fee along with your completed Annual Report to:
Secretary of State
Department of Business Services
Limited Liability Division
501 S 2nd Street, Room 351
Springfield, IL 62756
Congratulations, your Illinois LLC Annual Report has been filed for processing!
The state will process your Annual Report within 10-15 business days. They do not send anything back in the mail as a receipt. Your cancelled check will serve as your receipt.
If you’d like a more official receipt, send 2 copies of your Annual Report along with a self-addressed stamped envelope. The state will mail you back an approved copy of Annual Report.
Once you’ve reviewed this lesson or filed your LLC Illinois Annual Report, you can then proceed to the next lesson: Illinois Business Licenses & Permits.
If you have any questions, you can contact the Illinois Secretary of State at 217-782-6961. If you can’t get through on the above number, call 217-782-6875 and ask to be transferred to the Limited Liability Department.
Matt Horwitz is the leading expert on LLC education, and has been teaching for 15 years. He founded LLC University in 2010 after realizing people needed simple and actionable instructions to start an LLC. He's cited by Entrepreneur Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and the US Chamber of Commerce, and was featured by CNBC and InventRight.
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.
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Thanks! You're subscribed √ Your email address is already subscribed.Disclaimer: Nothing on this page shall be interpreted as legal or tax advice. Rules and regulations vary by location. They also change over time and are specific to your situation. Furthermore, this comment section is provided so people can share their thoughts and experience. Please consult a licensed professional if you have legal or tax questions.
Hi Mr. Horwitz, If my LLC needs a new registered agent, however the annual report hasn’t been filed and cannot be filed with a new registered agent till the report is filed, what is the best way to go about this to get a new registered agent as well? Reply
Matt HorwitzHi Max, you can file the Annual Report with your current Registered Agent. Then file a Statement of Change of Registered Agent afterward to update the Registered Agent. Reply
Nadeem KhanHi Matt, Thank you for the well-written articles on your site. I have a question regarding DBA registration for an LLC. The LLC will be in Cook County in IL. How do I go about registering a DBA for an LLC? Do I even need to register for the DBA? And lastly, do I need to do the DBA registration at the time of filing for LLC or after the LLC has been formed? Thanks in advance and your answer is really appreciated. Reply
Matt HorwitzHi Nadeem, you’re very welcome :) If your LLC will operate under a name that is different than its true and legal name, it must register that DBA (called an Assumed Name in Illinois) with the Illinois Secretary of State. This is done after the LLC is approved (not at the same time). You can file the Assumed Name online (see Illinois Secretary of State: Adopting a Limited Liability Company’s Assumed Name) or by mail (see Form LLC-1.20: Application to Adopt, Change, Cancel or Renew an Assumed Name). Hope that helps. Reply
Lawrence I. Goldberg Is there a filing fee for deleting a Manager of the LLC? Reply Matt HorwitzHi Lawrence, there is no fee to remove a Manager (or Member) in the Illinois LLC Annual Report. Reply
Hi Matt, Mon Nov 23, just found this website this morning searching Google filing annual reports. Any thoughts or advice on benefits if keeping LLC even if not making money yet? Ive researched & reminded of why I set it up for liability protections vs sole prop. Cureently my llc is involuntary dissolved, but I’m in middle of sale of property in IL & quite dissapointed wasn’t informed by prior Attorney disadvantages is can’t apply Home Exemption to lower taxes, yet held it nearly 2yrs ! – But if purchased in personal name, or early on informed “deed in my name, -esp since living in & mtg/ utilities- I could’ve applied for exemption Anyhoo at this point , I’m told I can reinstate ($575 incl 2 annual report + $100 expedite fee = 675), or not reinstate & deed in name after sale. With that i plan continue business of some type-
are there benefits to keeping LLC (opened 2018) like to build business credit? Other benefits? Thanks, great site Reply
Hi Liz, yes, you are correct. For homestead exemptions, property must not be held in a legal entity. (For others reading, please double-check with your state). We’re not big into business credit (kind of a shady industry), and if the LLC has no existing credit, you might want to consider forming a new LLC. However, there’s also something to be said for things already “being done”. Meaning, after the reinstatement, you don’t need to get another EIN or open a new LLC bank account. We’re not sure how “valuable” that is to you or what other activities your LLC has done. In summary, we don’t have strong reasons to reinstate the LLC or let it go. Hope that helps a bit. Reply
My bad lol, hit send too quick. Appreciated for confirming few things. Yes no other activities with LLC other than thus property under contract & opening new business account or EIN won’t be too painful, if can save me $675 now, so im strongly considering the option to “deed into my name prior to close”, as Attorney suggested could be done, esp if “winding up” business affairs. And then open new LLC in near future when needed. But does IL come after the LLC for fees later or during setup of new one? Reply
Matt HorwitzHi Liz, you’re welcome. Illinois will not come after the fees if you form a new LLC. Hope that helps. Reply
Thank you so much! For helping me filling my annual report step by step, it made the process so easy and understanding the process. Reply
