Start an LLC in Illinois
You have the idea. The state wants paperwork. We handle the paperwork, serve as your registered agent and give you a real Chicago address, so the only thing left to do is the work you actually started this for.
Lobi Space is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. We prepare and file documents at your direction.
LLC or corporation filing in any state · Name availability check · EIN preparation · Documents delivered to your portal
You answer a few questions. A person on our team checks the name, prepares the Articles and files them with the state. No forms to decipher at midnight.
Pro and Premium include your first year. On Starter, add the service for $95 a year. Anything served on your company is scanned the day it lands and you hear about it the same day.
Add a Business Mailbox for $30 a month at our staffed office in Pilsen, with your suite number, mail scanning and pickup.
Your filing, your agent, your mail and your meeting room all sit in one building with one bill. Call us and a person picks up.
Your LLC or corporation filed in any state, with your EIN, by a team you can call.
Included
Everything in Starter, plus the documents your bank asks for and a registered agent.
Included
Everything in Pro, plus your first annual report filed and the documents to run the company.
Included
Taxed as an S Corp? See how the S Corp election works. Raising money? Start a C Corp. Want every feature side by side? Compare formation plans.
One question per screen. Name, owners, what the business does. Ten minutes, and you can stop and come back.
We confirm your name is available, prepare the Articles and submit them to the Secretary of State at your direction.
Stamped Articles, your EIN and the rest of your documents, delivered to your portal. Open the bank account and get to work.
State filing fees are additional and passed through at cost; verified before filing.
Registered agent: $95/year
Business Mailbox: $30/month
Virtual Office: from $75/month
Lobi Space is not a law firm and does not give legal advice; we prepare and file documents at your direction.
What is included
All 50 states
Same packages, same team, any state. These are the guides founders ask us about most, with the state fee to file and the yearly cost to keep the company active.
Lobi Space is not a law firm, and no one on our staff, including our notary public, is an attorney licensed to practice law in Illinois. We prepare and file formation documents only at your direction, using the information you give us. We cannot give legal or tax advice, tell you which entity type to choose, or review your situation the way a lawyer would. For those decisions, talk to an Illinois attorney or a CPA.
Notice from our notary public (Illinois law, 5 ILCS 312/3-103)
I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN ILLINOIS. I AM NOT ALLOWED TO DRAFT LEGAL DOCUMENTS OR RECORDS, NOR MAY I GIVE LEGAL ADVICE ON ANY MATTER, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, MATTERS OF IMMIGRATION, OR ACCEPT OR CHARGE FEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF THOSE ACTIVITIES.
A limited liability company is a business you register with the Illinois Secretary of State. Most small Illinois businesses start as an LLC because the paperwork is lighter and the profits pass straight to your tax return.
Go deeper: How to Set Up an LLC in Illinois: The Complete Guide and How to Form a Corporation in Illinois.
| LLC | S Corp | C Corp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A business you register with the state | A federal tax election, not an entity type | A corporation, taxed on its own |
| Taxes | Profits pass straight to your tax return | Profits pass through; owners who work take a salary | Corporate tax on profits, then tax on dividends |
| Owners | Members | Up to 100 shareholders, US citizens or residents, one class of stock | Shareholders, with room for outside investors |
| How you get it | File Articles of Organization | Form an LLC or corporation, then file Form 2553 | File Articles of Incorporation |
Step by step
Your name must be unique in Illinois and end in LLC. We check it with the Secretary of State before filing.
Someone with an Illinois street address must accept legal papers for your LLC. We can be that agent from our Chicago office.
Form LLC-5.5 goes to the Illinois Secretary of State. We prepare it and file it at your direction.
Illinois does not require one, but banks and partners often ask. It sets who owns what and who decides.
The IRS issues your EIN for free. With it and your stamped Articles, you can open a business bank account.
Before you pick a name, try an Illinois business search and read why your LLC name and your trademark are not the same thing. After filing, here is what you need to open a business bank account.
Costs
What you pay once, what repeats, and what is optional.
| Item | Cost | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Lobi filing service | $145 | One time |
| Illinois state filing fee | Passed through at cost | One time |
| 24 hour expedited processing | Extra state fee | Optional |
| Illinois annual report | $75 | Every year |
| Registered agent | $95 a year, first year included with Pro and Premium | Every year |
| Chicago business address | Virtual office plans | Monthly, optional |
City and state fees
The state charges $150 to file and $75 a year after that. Most Chicago businesses also need a city license, $500 every 2 years. See every state, county and city fee in one place.
Members
I got Google verified in a week with the Lobi address after two failed attempts elsewhere. Mail gets scanned before lunch.
We run the whole company from here: mailbox downstairs, meeting room upstairs. One bill, one building, no WeWork upsell calls.
Registered agent plus notary in the same place saved me a courier run every month. Staff actually answer the phone.
The virtual office gives us a staffed Chicago address, mail handling and a room when clients visit.
Mail forwarding to Arizona every Friday like clockwork. I have not missed an IRS notice since switching.
Started on the mailbox plan, moved into a private office six months later. No renegotiation drama.
Walk-in notary saved my closing twice. They stamped and scanned everything in under ten minutes.
Same-day scans mean I see checks before the bank does. On-demand pickup is worth it alone.
The meeting rooms are properly kitted out and reception makes client days easy.
Registered agent for both entities plus one address on every filing. Renewal reminders actually arrive.
Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.
Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.
Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.
Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.
Rated 5 out of 5 on Google.
Rated 4 out of 5 on Google.
Guides
Short, plain-English guides from the Lobi Space blog on forming and keeping an Illinois company.
The four steps to forming an Illinois LLC, what each one costs in 2026, and the annual filing that catches people in year two.
Every LLC needs one. Here is what a registered agent actually does, what it costs, and why using your home address is a bad trade.
Plenty of Illinois companies killed by the Secretary of State were not failing. One report went unfiled, a notice went to an address nobody checks, and months later the state dissolved them. The filing costs $75.
A person checks your name, prepares your documents and files them at your direction. You pay our service fee at checkout, and the state fee is confirmed before we file.
FAQ
Already formed? Add registered agent service. Need the address first? See virtual office plans.
Our fee is $145. Illinois Secretary of State filing fees are separate and passed through at cost, itemized in your quote before anything is filed. A corporation also pays an initial franchise tax.
We prepare your paperwork within one business day of your application. Standard Illinois processing usually takes about ten business days. Illinois offers 24 hour expedited processing for an extra $100 state fee if you need it sooner.
Starter includes a name availability check, your Articles prepared and filed by our team, EIN preparation, documents delivered to your portal and annual report reminders. Pro adds an operating agreement and the first year of registered agent service. On Starter, registered agent service is $95 a year per entity, with same-day document scans.
Yes. Illinois lets you serve as your own agent if you have a physical street address in the state, no P.O. Box, and you are there during business hours. That address becomes public record. Most founders would rather not publish their home address or wait at home for a process server.
You need an Illinois address. Ours is a staffed office at 1655 S Blue Island Ave with a suite number, which banks, the city and Google all accept. You sign an agreement for the address, and your mail is scanned the day it arrives.
Most small Illinois businesses start as an LLC because the paperwork is lighter and the profits pass straight to your tax return. A corporation makes sense when you plan to raise money from outside investors or issue stock. We file both. If you are unsure, tell us your plan and we will walk you through it.
Yes. S Corp is a tax election, not an entity type. We can prepare Form 2553 with your filing so the IRS treats your LLC or corporation as an S Corp. Ask your accountant whether the payroll requirement is worth it at your income level.
Every Illinois LLC files an annual report with the Secretary of State each year, currently $75 for an LLC. Miss it and the state can administratively dissolve your company. We send free reminders before yours is due.
We check availability with the Secretary of State before anything is filed. If your first choice is taken, we use the second name you gave us or come back to you with options. Nothing gets filed under a name you did not approve.
Yes. We file in every state. Illinois is handled in house by our Chicago team, and every other state is filed through our partner network at the same clear prices. Wherever you form, we can still give you a Chicago business address or Illinois registered agent service here.
No. Lobi Space is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. We prepare and file documents at your direction.
From $145 plus state filing fees. Every package includes EIN preparation. Pro adds your operating agreement and first year of registered agent service.
Lobi Space is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. We prepare and file documents at your direction.
