Illinois LLC Articles of Organization

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Articles of OrganizationIn this lesson, we will walk you through filing your Articles of Organization with the Illinois Secretary of State. This is the document that officially forms your Illinois LLC.

You can file your Illinois LLC Articles of Organization by mail or online.

If you file by mail: The filing fee is $150 (one-time fee) and your LLC will be approved in 7-14 business days (plus mail time).

If you file online: The filing fees is $150 (one-time fee) and your LLC will be approved in 5-10 business days. If you want your LLC approved quicker, you can pay a $100 expedited fee ($250 total) and your LLC will be approved in 1-2 business days.

Note: Filing times may take longer due to government delays. For the most up-to-date LLC processing times, check how long does it take to get an LLC in Illinois.

Check out LLC Cost in Illinois to learn about all the fees you’ll pay.

The “LLC filing fee” (the fee to create an Illinois LLC) is the same thing as the “Articles of Organization fee”. The Articles of Organization is the document, that once approved by the Secretary of State’s office, creates your Illinois LLC.

Illinois LLC Secretary of State Business Services
(Illinois Secretary of State, Business Services Building)

Recommendation: We recommend forming your Illinois LLC online as it’s easier to complete and has a slightly faster approval time.

If you want to hire a company to form your LLC instead, check out Best LLC Services in Illinois.

Note: Before forming an LLC in Illinois, make sure you have read the two prior guides:

Need to save time? Hire a company to form your LLC:
Northwest ($39 + state fee) or LegalZoom ($149 + state fee)

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Instructions for filing Illinois Articles of Organization by Mail

Note: Illinois requires that you send 2 copies of your Articles of Organization. An original signature (in black ink) is required on one copy.

Complete your Articles of Organization

Download the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5):
Illinois Secretary of State: Articles of Organization Form

Optional: Review the Illinois Secretary of State’s Guide to forming an LLC

1. Name
Enter your LLC name exactly as you would like it, including your preferred capitalization, as well as the designator “LLC” or “L.L.C.” (the abbreviation “LLC” is the most common).

You can use a comma in your LLC name or you can leave it out. Ex: “ABC Widgets, LLC” and “ABC Widgets LLC” are both acceptable.

2. Principal Place of Business
Enter your LLC’s place of business address. This must be a street address located in Illinois (PO boxes are not allowed). This address can be a home address, an office address, or the address of your Registered Agent.

3. Effective Date
The Effective Date is the date your LLC officially goes into existence. If you want your LLC to be effective immediately, check off the first box “the filing date”.

If you want your LLC to go into existence at a later date, check off the second box and enter that date (can’t be more than 60 days out).

Matt Horwitz, founder of LLC University®Pro Tip: If you’re forming your LLC in October, November, or December, and you don’t need your business open during those months, forward date your filing to January 1st. This will save you the hassle of filing taxes for those 1-3 months. For more information, please see LLC effective date.

4. Illinois Registered Agent

Enter the name and address of your LLC’s Registered Agent. Your Registered Agent’s address must be a street address in Illinois (PO boxes are not allowed).

If your Registered Agent is a company, you can just write their name on the line above “First Name, Middle Name, Last Name”.

Note: If your Registered Agent is an individual, they must be a resident of Illinois. If your Registered Agent is a company, they must be authorized to do business in Illinois.

5. Purpose (optional)
You can briefly describe the purpose of your LLC in this section, or you can leave it blank if you prefer. If you leave it blank, you will be using the “general purpose” clause, which states that your Illinois LLC can be used for any and all lawful purposes.

Note: Professional LLCs must list the addresses where they will render their services (if different than the address listed in #2). Also, this lesson is not for Professional LLCs. The information is written for regular LLC formation.

6. Duration of Company
In this section, you need to let the Illinois Secretary of State know about the duration of your LLC (how long it will remain in existence).

If you prefer for your LLC to be “open-ended” (technically referred to as “perpetual”) with no set closure date, leave #6 blank.

If you prefer for your LLC to be automatically shut down on a specific date, then write down that specific date.

Most people form a perpetual LLC, so they leave #6 blank. This gives them the freedom to close their LLC at any time by filing dissolution paperwork.

7. Additional Provisions (optional)
This is where you can list any additional rules and regulations for your LLC (if applicable).

Most filers leave #7 blank.

8. At least one Member
#8 states that the LLC will have at least one LLC Member at the time the LLC goes into existence. There is nothing you need to change or enter here. It’s simply a default statement that you must agree to.

9. Names of Managers and/or Members:
(“Name(s) and business address(es) of the manager(s) and any member with the authority of manager”)

#9 may be confusing at first read, but hopefully we’ll help make things easier to understand.

  • If your LLC is Manager-managed, enter the name(s) and address(es) of all the Managers.
  • If your LLC is Member-managed, enter the name(s) and address(es) of all the Members.

A Member-managed LLC is where the LLC owners (called Members) run the business and day-to-day operations. All of the LLC Members also have the ability to legally bind the LLC into contracts and agreements.

A Manager-managed LLC is where the LLC owners (called Members) decide to elect one, or a few designated people (called Managers). These Managers run the business and day-to-day operations and they are the only ones that have the ability to legally bind the LLC into contracts and agreements.

A Manager can be an “external person” (non-Member) that’s been hired by the Members, or a Manager can be an “internal person” – an existing Member – (where other Members decide not to be Managers and take on a passive/investor role). In a Manager-managed LLC, any LLC Member who chooses not to be a Manager cannot legally bind the LLC into contracts and agreements; but rather, only the Managers can.

A lot of information, huh? I know that was a lot to take in. We recommend reading over it a few times, as well as reading out our supporting documentation:

Why? If you’re curious about the “why” behind this confusing language, here it is: the state wants a way to disclose to the public who has the authority to legally bind the LLC into contracts and agreements. This helps in reducing fraudulent behavior when people attempt to act on behalf of an LLC (when they don’t have the actual authority).

Tips:

  • Most LLCs are Member-managed and enter the names of all Members (owners of the LLC) in #9.
  • If you have a single-member LLC (just one owner), simply list your name and address.
  • You don’t have to inform the state whether or not your LLC is Member-managed or Manager-managed. Instead, you’ll make that election in your LLC’s Operating Agreement.

10. LLC Organizers

An LLC Organizer is the person filing the LLC documents with the state. This will most likely be you.

To the right of “Dated”, enter the month, day, and year.

Then sign your name, print your name, and enter your address to the right. You can leave the line above “Name if a Corporation or other Entity…” blank.

Note: Only one Organizer is required to sign this form. All of the members do not need to sign here. You will be officially listing all the members of your LLC in the next lesson, Illinois Operating Agreement.

Remember: Illinois requires that you send 2 copies of your Articles of Organization. An original signature (in black ink) is required on one copy.

Mail your Articles of Organization to the Secretary of State

Prepare Payment:
Prepare a money order or certified bank check made payable to the “Illinois Secretary of State”. The state will not accept personal checks, so you must use a money order or certified bank check.

Filing Fee:
$150

Mail Documents:
Send 2 copies of your Articles of Organization along with your filing fee to:

Secretary of State
Department of Business Services
Limited Liability Division
501 S 2nd Street, Room 351
Springfield, IL 62756

Illinois LLC Approval (mail filing):

Wait 7-14 business days (plus mail time) for the state to process and approve your Illinois LLC. Once approved, you will receive back a stamped and approved copy of your Articles of Organization and a Welcome Letter (which includes your LLC’s File Number). The documents are returned by mail and sent to the Registered Agent’s address. We recommend keeping a few copies of these forms with your business records.

Instructions for filing Illinois Articles of Organization Online

Access the Online Filing

1. Start here:
Illinois Secretary of State: LLC Articles of Organization (online)

2. Select “standard”
Select the first option for “standard” LLCs and click “Continue”.

3. Agree to Provisions
Read over the terms and if you agree, click “Continue”.

4. Name
Enter your LLC name exactly as you would like it, including your preferred capitalization, as well as the designator “LLC” or “L.L.C.” (the abbreviation “LLC” is the most common).

You can use a comma in your LLC name or you can leave it out. Ex: “ABC Widgets, LLC” and “ABC Widgets LLC” are both acceptable.

5. Agree to terms again
Agree to the terms and click “Continue”.

These terms mention that the state may decline your filing if your LLC name is not distinguishable. Please make sure that you’ve searched your desired name in the Illinois LLC Name Lesson.

6. Principal Place of Business
Enter your LLC’s principal place of business. This must be a street address located in Illinois (PO boxes are not allowed). This address can be a home address, an office address, or the address of your Registered Agent.

7. Illinois Registered Agent & Registered Office
Enter the name and address of your LLC’s Registered Agent. Your Registered Agent’s address must be a street address located in Illinois (PO boxes are not allowed).

If your Registered Agent is an individual, they must be a resident of Illinois. If your Registered Agent is a company, they must be authorized to do business in Illinois.

8. Review Address
Review your Registered Agent’s address and click “Address is Correct”.

9. Names of Managers and/or Members:
(“Name(s) and business address(es) of the manager(s) and any member with the authority of manager”)

#9 may be confusing at first read, but hopefully we’ll help make things easier to understand.

  • If your LLC is Manager-managed, enter the name(s) and address(es) of all the Managers.
  • If your LLC is Member-managed, enter the name(s) and address(es) of all the Members.

A Member-managed LLC is where the LLC owners (called Members) run the business and day-to-day operations. All of the LLC Members also have the ability to legally bind the LLC into contracts and agreements.

A Manager-managed LLC is where the LLC owners (called Members) decide to elect one, or a few designated people (called Managers). These Managers run the business and day-to-day operations and they are the only ones that have the ability to legally bind the LLC into contracts and agreements.

A Manager can be an “external person” (non-Member) that’s been hired by the Members, or a Manager can be an “internal person” – an existing Member – (where other Members decide not to be Managers and take on a passive/investor role). In a Manager-managed LLC, any LLC Member who chooses not to be a Manager cannot legally bind the LLC into contracts and agreements; but rather, only the Managers can.

A lot of information, huh? I know that was a lot to take in. We recommend reading over it a few times, as well as reading out our supporting documentation:

Why? If you’re curious about the “why” behind this confusing language, here it is: the state wants a way to disclose to the public who has the authority to legally bind the LLC into contracts and agreements. This helps in reducing fraudulent behavior when people attempt to act on behalf of an LLC (when they don’t have the actual authority).

Tips:
  • Most LLCs are Member-managed and enter the names of all Members (owners of the LLC) in #9.
  • If you have a single-member LLC (just one owner), simply list your name and address.
  • You don’t have to inform the state whether or not your LLC is Member-managed or Manager-managed. Instead, you’ll make that election in your LLC’s Operating Agreement.
    • You cannot remove the example of “Public, John Q”, so just leave it alone and enter the first member/manager on the 2nd line.

10. Signature of LLC Organizer
An LLC Organizer is the person filing the LLC documents with the Illinois Secretary of State. This will most likely be you. If you are organizing your own LLC, you must do so under your full name (and not the name of an existing company). You must also be at least 18 years old.

If that’s the case, enter your full name and address, and then click “Continue”.

Note: Only one Organizer is required to sign this form. All of the members do not need to sign here. You will be officially listing all the members of your LLC in your Illinois Operating Agreement.

11. Review
Review your information for accuracy and check for typos. If you need to make any changes, click the “Edit” links. If everything looks good, click “Continue” at the bottom.

12. Billing Contact Information
Enter the name and address of the person paying (must match credit card info). Then enter your email address and click “Continue”.

13. Review your information and click “Pay Now” at the bottom.

14. Enter your credit card information (debit card may not work, so credit cards are preferred) and your phone number. Then click “Next” to submit your payment.

Congratulations! Your Illinois LLC has been filed for processing! Now you just need to wait for approval.

Illinois LLC Approval (online filing):

If you chose the regular filing option ($150 filing fee), your Illinois LLC will be approved in 5-10 business days.

If you chose the expedited filing option ($250 filing fee), your Illinois LLC will be approved in 1-2 business days.

Once approved, you will receive back a stamped and approved copy of your Articles of Organization, a Welcome Letter (which includes your LLC’s File Number), and a credit card receipt. The documents are sent to you by email. We recommend keeping a few copies of these forms with your business records.

Illinois Secretary of State Contact Info

If you have any questions, you can contact the Illinois Secretary of State at 217-782-6961. Dial extension 7736 for the Limited Liability Department.

If you can’t get through on the above number, just call 217-782-6875 and ask to be transferred to the Limited Liability Department.

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Matt Horwitz
Matt Horwitz
Matt Horwitz has been the leading expert on LLC education for the past decade. He founded LLC University in 2010 after realizing people needed simple and actionable instructions to start an LLC that other companies weren't offering. 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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18 comments on “Illinois Filing Forms”

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.

  1. Hi Matt,

    Thank you for providing all this information! Please let me know if I file Articles of Organization in November 2020 and select January 1st 2021 as an effective date for the new LLC, can I get EIN, open bank account, get business license before January 1st? Or, do I have to wait till the effective date to proceed with the next steps to set up the LLC?

    Best,
    Victoria

    • Hi Victoria, you’re very welcome! While you will be able to get an EIN, you will not be able to open an LLC bank account until January 1st, 2021. We’re not 100% sure about the business license. Hope that helps :)

  2. Greetings. Thank you for providing this service. I have an LLC, and would like to make changes, as in expand the scope of the LLC. Can this be done or do i have to start over from scratch.Initially was ill-advised to only put the real estate aspect into the LLC. However the actual business needs to be included for obvious reasons. In other words the reason for the real estate is to be able to provide various services. Without going into details. Thank you.

  3. Matt,

    Firstly, Thank you for all you and your team has done! I’m starting my home based business with an LLC. Will adding my wife as a member on the LLC add complexity to our taxes or any other issues? Any benefits of adding the wife on board besides being able to also write contracts?

    • Hi Soma, you’re very welcome! By default, a Single-Member LLC is taxed by the IRS like a Sole Proprietorship. And a Multi-Member LLC is taxed like a Partnership. So adding your wife will require a 1065 Partnership Return & K-1s being issue to you both as owners. Is that “complex”? It’s more complex than a Schedule C 1040 filing (SMLLC), but it’s not that complex. Maybe an accountant will charge a bit more… but likely not more than a few hundred dollars. This is also a good question to run by an attorney, as there are more questions that can be looked at that you may not be considering. Also, your wife doesn’t have to be an LLC Member to bind the LLC. You and your wife could be LLC Managers (in a Manager-managed LLC), but there is just one Member (owner); you. Or, the LLC could just be Member-managed by you (the sole owner) and you give your wife authority to bind the LLC via a Certificate of Incumbency, or another legal document with a similar result. Hope that helps.

  4. Hi Matt,

    Thank you very much for the great step by step instruction. It is the best instruction I found anywhere!

    Could you please clarify, if an LLC is a Manager- Managed, two-member LLC, where does the name of the other Member would go? (I am having trouble finding any place on the Article of Organization that would fit the description of the other member!). Wouldn’t it be the Operating Agreement? if so, would it be necessary to determine the percentage of the ownership of each member in the operating agreement?

    Also in this case, who’s name should be listed as organizer? Just the manager -if he is the one who files the Article- or both members?

    Best,

    • Hi Kaveh, you’re very welcome! If your LLC will be Manager-managed, only the name of the Manager(s) would go on the Articles of Organization. Members would not be listed. Also keep in mind that an LLC Organizer doesn’t mean they are an LLC Member. An LLC Organizer is simply the person (or company) filing the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State. In your case, the Members would be listed in the Operating Agreement. And yes, the percentage that each Member owns would be listed in your LLC’s Operating Agreement as well. Hope that helps!

  5. Thank you for taking the time to clearly explain everything step-by-step. I was somewhat lost but now I’m in the right track to open up my small business. Very much appreciated!!

  6. What if we only send original Article of organization filled out form with money order?

    • If you send your Articles of Organization without payment, it’ll be rejected and returned to you. You can then refile. Hope that helps :)

  7. Just wanted to thank you for providing this information. Of the several sites and advice I have been given, your is by far the most complete, straight forward, and easy to follow. The links to forms and State filing are also a huge help, as after many visits to the State site I could not figure out how to file electronically.

    • Konstantine, thank you so much for your awesome comment! We’re so happy to hear we were able to help :)

  8. Hi Matt,

    First, thank you for providing this valuable information free of cost. It has helped me a lot in understanding the LLC formation process. Is it possible for you to email me the Manager-managed Illinois LLC operating agreement?

    Thanks
    Yogesh Bhalerao

    • Hi Yogesh, you’re very welcome! Glad it’s been helpful. We just emailed that over to you.

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