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LLC UnpackedEvery filing, unpacked: the fee, the form, the catch.

Open it up · Illinois

3 Best LLC Services in Illinois (2026): Unpacked

Our 2026 stack of LLC formation services in Illinois, top to bottom: Illinois Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and IL Registered Agent.org ($199). Inside the cost: $150 goes to the state, and three years of service add $397 to $597.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Top layer

State filing fee
$150, paid once
Next layer
$75 yearly
Registered agent
Required, yes
Our pick
Illinois Registered Agent.co, Mainstay Filing then IL Registered Agent.org

The Illinois stack, best on top

The order follows our five layers: three-year cost first, then what the price covers.
Top of the stack

1. Illinois Registered Agent.co: best for owners who plan to stay local

$199 to form; renewal $99

What puts Illinois Registered Agent.co first: it opens at $199 with the first agent year inside and renews at $99.

A smaller three-year total than Mainstay Filing puts it on top for a company that stays put.

You still file the Limited Liability Company Annual Report yourself.

Inside the price

  • Illinois formation filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • Year one of the agent comes with it
  • $99 a year from year two
  • $199 to form the LLC

Inside, the catch

  • The Limited Liability Company Annual Report sits outside the box
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
All fifty states

2. Mainstay Filing: best for not filing the annual report yourself

$199 a year, with the $150 state fee added

Mainstay Filing sits second because inside its $199 yearly price sit the formation, the registered agent and the annual report filing, and it renews at $199.

Why not higher? Three years cost $200 more than Illinois Registered Agent.co, and cost is the heaviest layer.

You never file the Limited Liability Company Annual Report. Illinois still charges $75, billed at cost.

Inside the price

  • The formation filing, packed in
  • Registered agent across the full year
  • Annual report handled for you
  • EIN application
  • State fees at cost

Inside, the good

  • One yearly fee: $199
  • The EIN application is inside the price
  • Renews at $199

Inside, the catch

  • $100 a year above Illinois Registered Agent.co after year one
Illinois only

3. IL Registered Agent.org: best for one-state companies

$199 to form; renewal $99

What puts IL Registered Agent.org third: it opens at $199 with the first agent year inside and renews at $99.

You still file the Limited Liability Company Annual Report yourself.

It charges what Illinois Registered Agent.co charges.

Inside the price

  • Illinois formation filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • $99 a year from year two
  • $199 to form the LLC
  • Year one of the agent comes with it

Inside, the catch

  • The Limited Liability Company Annual Report sits outside the box
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra

Inside each price

#CompanyOpening priceEach year afterThree-year totalWhat is inside
1Illinois Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397illinois formation filing; A first year of agent serviceSee Illinois Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597the formation filing, packed in; registered agent across the full year; annual report handled for youSee Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3IL Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397illinois formation filing; A first year of agent serviceSee IL Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Service fees only, from company prices read November 13, 2026. State fees are the same whichever pick you open.

Opened up, question by question

How much does forming an LLC cost in this state?

Filing costs $150. A service on top of that costs $199 in year one.

State fees for years one through three stack up to $300. peek at ilsos.gov, confirmed October 2026

Which form is inside the filing, and where does it go?

The Illinois Secretary of State receives the Articles of Organization (Form LLC-5.5), and once it is approved the company exists.

The law underneath: 805 ILCS 180/5-5. peek at ilsos.gov, confirmed October 2026

Is a registered agent required?

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.

peek at ilga.gov, confirmed October 2026

What comes after the LLC is formed?

Underneath it all, one filing repeats: the Limited Liability Company Annual Report, every year, at $75 each time. The state phrases its deadline like this: before the first day of the entity's anniversary month.

File late and the state adds $100.

peek at ilsos.gov, confirmed October 2026

Do I have to pay a service at all?

Nothing stops you. Without a service, your three-year bill is the state's $300.

That $397 to $597 over three years is the price of handing off the paperwork and the agent role.

What put number one on top?

On total across three years (34%), Illinois Registered Agent.co comes out ahead.

63% of the score comes from total across three years and what is inside the price.

Three years at Illinois Registered Agent.co cost $397, which is $200 below Mainstay Filing.

The five layers

What Illinois requires to form an LLC

RequirementWhat is insidePeek at source
LLC filing fee$150peek at ilsos.gov, confirmed October 2026
Registered agentRequired, yespeek at ilga.gov, confirmed October 2026
Limited Liability Company Annual Report$75 every yearpeek at ilsos.gov, confirmed October 2026
State fees, years one to three$300The rows above, stacked
The last row stacks the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax. A cost with no fixed amount, such as a newspaper notice, is explained above and kept out of the sum.

Also worth asking

Is the EIN application inside the price?

Only Mainstay Filing packs it in. Elsewhere it is $99 at Illinois Registered Agent.co and $99 at IL Registered Agent.org.

What if the report is late?

Illinois adds $100.

What do the picks cost over three years?

Opened up over three years: Illinois Registered Agent.co at $397, Mainstay Filing at $597, IL Registered Agent.org at $397, with state fees on top.

What do these numbers rest on?

The state-side figures were taken from Illinois's own publications, and the service prices from the price page each company posts. Dates for both appear on this page.

Does the law require one?

No. Owners can file with the state directly. A service saves time and can act as agent, but nothing makes you hire one.

What is the best LLC service for Illinois?

Illinois Registered Agent.co is on top: its $99 renewal brings three years to $397. Under it sit Mainstay Filing and IL Registered Agent.org.

Originals behind this page

  1. Under Illinois Secretary of State, Department sits ilsos.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  2. Under Illinois Secretary of State, Department sits ilsos.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  3. Under 805 ILCS 180/5-5 sits ilga.gov, dated August 2026, as the original document
  4. Under Illinois formation fee: Filing fee sits ilga.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  5. Under Illinois formation fee: Filing fee sits ilsos.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  6. Under Illinois registered agent statute sits ilga.gov, dated October 2026, as the original document
  7. The Illinois Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  8. The Mainstay Filing Illinois service page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. The IL Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026