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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class 1 · Illinois

Illinois LLC Formation Class (2026): 7 Assignments and the 3 Best LLC Services

Graded for 2026, the best help with starting an LLC in Illinois comes from Illinois Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and IL Registered Agent.org ($199), in that order. Illinois charges $150 to file and expects the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year; the 7 assignments walk you through it.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

The quick version

Fee to form$150ilsos.gov, last read in October 2026
Limited Liability Company Annual Report$75 a yearDeadline set by the state: before the first day of the entity's anniversary month
State cost, years 1 to 3$300Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Assignments in this class7One by one

Class goals

  • The official Illinois fee and form
  • How to meet the registered agent rule
  • The state filing that recurs
  • The services at the top of the class

Who we would hire in Illinois

The teacher's five criteria are on how we grade, and they decide the order.
Start with this one

1. Illinois Registered Agent.co: best for a small first bill

$199 the first year, $99 after

In Illinois, Illinois Registered Agent.co sits at the top of the class: $199 above the state fee, with year one of the agent covered, then $99 a year.

Its three-year bill is lower than Mainstay Filing's, which wins first place because tuition counts 30%.

Block out time for the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year; the price leaves it out.

Covered by the tuition

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • Agent covered in year one
  • Then $99 per year
  • $199 plus the state fee

Weak spots

  • The price does not include filing the Limited Liability Company Annual Report
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
Works in every state

2. Mainstay Filing: best for having the annual report filed by someone else

$199 a year, state fee on top ($349 due at checkout)

Second place goes to Mainstay Filing, since for one yearly fee of $199 the class assignments on filing, registered agent and annual report are all done for you.

Over three years it sits $200 behind Illinois Registered Agent.co.

The Limited Liability Company Annual Report is part of its homework, and Illinois's $75 fee is billed to you at cost.

Covered by the tuition

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • State fee at cost

Strengths

  • $199 yearly with everything in it
  • No extra charge for the EIN application
  • The renewal holds at $199

Weak spots

  • Illinois Registered Agent.co renews for $100 less
Focused on Illinois

3. IL Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that never leave Illinois

$199 the first year, $99 after

Third place goes to IL Registered Agent.org, since $199 above the state fee, with year one of the agent covered, then $99 a year.

Block out time for the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year; the price leaves it out.

Its prices match Illinois Registered Agent.co's, so either works.

Covered by the tuition

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • Agent covered in year one
  • Then $99 per year

Weak spots

  • The price does not include filing the Limited Liability Company Annual Report
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)

All the tuition in one table

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Illinois Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Illinois Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3IL Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit IL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Add the $150 state fee to every row.

Starting a Illinois LLC, assignment by assignment

  1. Assignment
    1

    Check that nobody else has the name

    Class starts with a look at the Illinois register at the Illinois Secretary of State.

    Have a runner-up name ready in case the first is taken.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Name the registered agent

    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.

    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.

    You can hire any of the graded services for this.

    Textbook page: ilga.gov, last read in October 2026

  3. Assignment
    3

    File on your own or hire a service

    With no service, the bill is the state's $150. Each of the graded services adds $199 and handles the paperwork.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Put together and mail the Articles of Organization

    Send the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5) to the Illinois Secretary of State along with $150; the law behind it is 805 ILCS 180/5-5, and the LLC exists.

    Textbook page: ilsos.gov, last read in October 2026

  5. Assignment
    5

    Apply to the IRS for an EIN

    Once the state says yes, you request an EIN, which lets the LLC open accounts under its own name. Mainstay Filing does this one for you at no added charge.

  6. Assignment
    6

    Draft the operating agreement

    Ownership and decision rules live in the operating agreement, an internal paper outside the Illinois filing.

  7. Assignment
    7

    Stay in good standing in Illinois

    Expect Illinois to ask for the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year, due before the first day of the entity's anniversary month, with a fee of $75. Miss the deadline and $100 is added.

    Textbook page: ilsos.gov, last read in October 2026

Costs, assignment by assignment

What forPayeeTotal
Forming the LLCPaid to the state$150
Limited Liability Company Annual ReportPaid to the state$75 every year
If the report is latePaid to the state$100
Service, if you hire oneThe service$199 for year one
State total across three yearsPaid to the state$300
Anything paid to Illinois is an official fee you can look up on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one, and service prices are not part of it.

How we graded the Illinois picks

What decided it was tuition across three years, which carries 30% of the grade.

Illinois Registered Agent.co costs $397 for years one to three, while Mainstay Filing costs $200 more.

Short answers

Which Illinois fees come with a new LLC?

$150, paid to the state. Service fees on this list run $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

Hand the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5) to the Illinois Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Illinois require each year?

Hand in the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year, $75; deadline before the first day of the entity's anniversary month.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Nothing stops you. Illinois wants $150, and the LLC has to name a registered agent, which you can do yourself or hire out.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Illinois Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing and IL Registered Agent.org, from the highest grade to the lowest.

Related classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. If you want proof of the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services facts, ilsos.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
  2. If you want proof of the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services facts, ilsos.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
  3. If you want proof of the 805 ILCS 180/5-5 facts, ilga.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
  4. If you want proof of the Illinois formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts, ilga.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  5. If you want proof of the Illinois formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts, ilsos.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  6. If you want proof of the Illinois registered agent statute facts, ilga.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
  7. pricing page from Illinois Registered Agent.co as of November 13, 2026
  8. Illinois service page from Mainstay Filing as of November 13, 2026
  9. pricing page from IL Registered Agent.org as of November 13, 2026