Illinois Business Search
Illinois annual report
Quick answer. Illinois corporations, not-for-profits, and LLCs file an annual report with the Secretary of State. The online portal is apps.ilsos.gov/soar. For an LLC, form LLC-50.1 is listed at $75, and the report is due before the first day of the month in which the company was formed. The LLC Act adds a late penalty, and the department says that penalty is not waived.
Official office
Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services
Phone: (217) 782-6961
501 S. Second Street, Springfield, IL 62756
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Central. LLC annual-report questions: (217) 524-8008. Chicago office: 69 W. Washington Street, Suite 1240, (312) 793-3380.
Steps
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Get the file number from the entity search
The annual report portal asks for the corporation file number and points you to the search if you need to find it. LLCs use their own file number the same way. Look it up in the entity search rather than guessing.
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File the LLC report before the anniversary month begins
An LLC formed on July 17 owes the report by July 1 each year, before the anniversary month starts. The Secretary of State’s LLC instructions describe the online path and warn that a late penalty under the LLC Act is not waived. The publications table lists LLC-50.1, Limited Liability Company Annual Report, at $75.
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Pay by card or electronic transfer when you file online
The LLC annual-report instructions say online payment is by electronic funds transfer or by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express, and that a refused transfer voids the filing. They also say a payment-processor fee is assessed. Paper forms, if you must use them, are payable to the Illinois Secretary of State. The LLC page says cash is not accepted.
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Know what the online LLC report will not change
The department’s LLC annual-report guidance says you cannot complete the online report if you are changing the name, duration, purpose, or the registered agent or registered office on that same filing. File the report with no such changes, then file the agent change separately. Entities that are already dissolved, withdrawn, or over the manager limits described on that page are also pushed off the simple online path.
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Expect the penalty if you are past 60 days
The instructions say a company not in good standing can still file electronically but must pay the late penalty in the LLC Act, and that the Act does not provide a waiver. Budget for the $75 fee plus that penalty rather than asking the clerk to erase it. Questions: (217) 524-8008, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central.
Corporations on the same portal
The annual-report landing page covers corporations, not-for-profits, and LLCs. Corporation fees and due dates are on the corporation instructions, not on LLC-50.1. Do not pay the LLC amount for a corporation, and do not use the LLC anniversary rule for a corporation without reading the corporation form.
After you file
Reopen the file detail report and confirm the filing posted before you tell a bank the company is current. If you need the certificate, purchase it from that report after the status is what you expect. The certificate does not replace the report.
Common mistakes
- Filing on the first day of the anniversary month and calling it on time. The due date is before that month begins.
- Trying to change the registered agent inside the online LLC annual report when the instructions say not to.
- Paying a third-party notice that is not the Secretary of State. The portal is apps.ilsos.gov.
Questions
When is an Illinois LLC annual report due?
Before the first day of the LLC’s anniversary month. A company formed in July is due by July 1. The fee listed for form LLC-50.1 is $75.
What is the late penalty?
The Secretary of State’s LLC instructions say a penalty required by the Limited Liability Company Act applies when the report is late, including when the company is already not in good standing, and that the Act does not waive it. Call (217) 524-8008 to confirm the amount on a particular file.
Can I file if the LLC is not in good standing?
The instructions say yes, electronically, but you must pay the fee and any penalty incurred as of that date. If the payment is reversed, the filing is treated as if it never happened.