How to Incorporate in Illinois
If you’re looking to incorporate in Illinois, you’re in the right place. This guide will help you file formation documents, get tax identification numbers, and set up your company records.
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Choose a Corporate Structure
Incorporating means starting a corporation. If you want to form an LLC, please see "How to Form an LLC in Illinois".
Is your corporation for-profit or not-for-profit? If you are starting a nonprofit, please see "How to Start a Non-Profit Organization in Illinois".
C-Corp and S-Corp refer to taxation with the IRS, not to legal structures. Your corporation is taxed as a C-Corp unless you file an election to be taxed as an S-Corp (explained below).
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Check Name Availability
The legal name of your corporation may not conflict with any other registered name. Check availability of your desired name by conducting a name search.
Name Search: Illinois Secretary of State - Business Services Department Name Reservation: Optional Suffix Requirements: Shall contain, separate and apart from any other word or abbreviation in such name, the word "corporation", "company", "incorporated", or "limited", or an abbreviation of one of such words.
805 ILCS §5/4.05 -
Appoint a Registered Agent
Before you officially file to create your Illinois LLC, you will need to decide who your Illinois registered agent will be. A registered agent is a business's legal appointee to receive notice of lawsuit and other legal or government notices.
State law requires every LLC to have a registered agent. The registered agent is designated when you file Illinois articles of organization with the Illinois Secretary of State - Business Services Department.
Our reliable registered agent service fulfills this requirement. You get:
- Same-day documents from our local office in Springfield
- Immediate online access to state forms with our address and, where required, our signature
- Annual fees from $89 to $99 per state with no additional charges
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File Illinois Articles of Incorporation
File the articles of incorporation to create your corporation.
Agency: Illinois Secretary of State - Business Services Department Form: Instructions: Corporation Articles of Incorporation Guidelines and Pub c179: A Guide for Organizing Domestic Corporations
Filing Method: Mail, fax (only if you have a prepaid account), or online
Agency Fee: $150 filing fee + franchise tax ($25 minimum) + optional $100 expedite fee. The expedite fee is required if you file online. Franchise tax is calculated as $1.50 per $1,000 on the paid-in capital represented in this state. So if you paid-in less than $16,666, then your franchise tax due is the minimum amount of $25.
Turnaround: ~2 weeks by mail or fax. ~1 business days with $100 expedite fee.
Law: Notes: - When you file by mail you must submit the original articles with signatures in black ink and one copy.
- When you file online, you may return to the Secretary of State’s Web site after 24 hours and retrieve a copy of the document at no extra charge for a period of 30 days.
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Establish Bylaws & Corporate Records
Your corporation must keep correct and complete books and records.
Draft bylaws (potentially using a template) which is the governing document for the corporation. The bylaws of a corporation may contain any provision for managing the business and regulating the affairs of the corporation that is not inconsistent with law or with the articles of incorporation (C.R.S. 7-102-106). You will review and ratify the bylaws at your first board of directors meeting.
A corporation shall keep as permanent records minutes of all meetings of its shareholders and board of directors, a record of all actions taken by the shareholders or board of directors without a meeting, a record of all actions taken by a committee of the board of directors in place of the board of directors on behalf of the corporation, and a record of all waivers of notices of meetings of shareholders and of the board of directors or any committee of the board of directors (C.R.S. 7-116-101).
Your filed articles of incorporation and bylaws are the first documents for your corporate records. Your corporation will generate many other official records such as:
- Meeting minutes
- Shareholder resolutions
- EIN verification letter
- Amendments and other filings made to the corporation over its lifetime
Organizations need a secure, centralized tool for managing and accessing sensitive records. Our Records Manager software offers a simple, efficient way for corporations to store records, track officers, directors, and shareholders, and customize meeting notifications.
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Appoint Initial Directors
The initial directors serve on the board until the annual meeting of shareholders (when directors are elected to the board). If the initial directors are not named in the articles of incorporation, they are appointed by the incorporator. The incorporator documents and signs this action for the corporate records.
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Hold Organizational Meeting
Hold the organizational meeting of the incorporators or initial directors in compliance with 805 ILCS §5/2.20. At least three days written notice must be provided unless those entitles to notice sign a waiver. The meeting may held in or out of Illinois. Keep minutes of this meeting.
The following state laws apply unless overridden by the organizational documents, where permissible.
Directors Officers - Number: One or more required.
- Qualifications: None.
- Quorum: A majority of directors, or more if stated in the bylaws.
- As stated in the bylaws. One person may hold multiple offices. One officer is required to be responsible for maintaining corporate records.
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Issue Stock Certificates
The owners may be issued stock certificates to serve as proof of ownership in the corporation. Remember to hold the first annual meeting of the shareholders (the owners of the corporation) according to bylaws and keep minutes of this meeting.
The following state laws apply unless overridden by the organizational documents, where permissible.
Shareholders Annual Shareholder Meeting - Qualifications: N/A
- Stock Certificate: Not required.
- Voting Trusts Allowed: Yes.
- Required: Yes.
- Action by written consent: Allowed if enough shareholders consent to equal the number required to take action by vote.
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Get a Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Your corporation must obtain an EIN regardless of whether it will hire employees.
Submit to: Internal Revenue Service
http://www.irs.gov/Form: IRS Form SS-4 Guidance: IRS Pub 1635: Understanding Your EIN Filing Method: Mail, phone, fax, or apply online with the IRS Fee: $0 Turnaround: Immediately online Notes: The IRS website is only available during certain hours. Print your EIN before closing your session. -
Get Illinois State Tax Identification Numbers/Accounts
Illinois offers a consolidated state tax registration application.
Agency: Illinois Department of Revenue Form: Form REG-1: Illinois Business Registration Application Filing Method: Mail or online Agency Fee: State fee varies depending on tax accounts needed -
Consider Electing S-Corp Taxation
By default, your corporation is taxed as a C-Corporation. Some corporations, especially smaller ones, benefit from electing S-Corp tax treatment:
- C-Corps suffer from double taxation: the corporation pays taxes on profits then members pay taxes on their distributions. If profits exceed $250,000 per owner, you provide employee benefits, or you will re-invest most of your profit in the business, you may benefit from the low tax rates on retained earnings under C-Corp treatment.
- S-Corp treatment avoids double-taxation. It is generally the best choice for small businesses. To accomplish this, file Form 2553: S-Corp Election with the IRS.
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Obtain Business Licenses & Permits
To run your business legally, you must obtain applicable licenses and permits. The easiest way to navigate the wide range of federal, state, and local requirements is to search by your business type and locality using the Small Business Administration Business License & Permit look-up tool.
Illinois Business License
Not required
General Business License licensure is not required on the State level in Illinois.
Illinois does not have a general business license at the state level, but local licenses are often required.
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Ongoing Filings to Maintain Your Corporation
You must file federal and state tax returns.
Many states also require business entities to file an annual report to maintain good standing with the secretary of state. If an annual report is required for corporations formed in Illinois, view the table below.
Domestic Illinois Corporation Annual Report Requirements:
Agency: Illinois Secretary of State - Business Services Department Form: Filing Method: Mail or online.
Agency Fee: $75 + franchise tax fee, if any. Domestic corporations may file online for a $50 expedite fee.
Due: Prior to the first day of the registration anniversary month. So if you incorporated or foreign-qualified on February 14th, then your annual report is due January 31.
Law: 805 ILCS 5/14.05
Penalties: Late fee is calculated based on franchise tax due.
Notes: - The report must be signed by an officer named in the report.
- You must submit original signatures.
- Changing your registered agent requires submitting a separate form.
For more details, see our Illinois annual report information center page.
You will need to demonstrate your company’s good standing to banks, customers, and other state agencies. After all the work involved in forming your Illinois corporation, don’t let a missed annual report filing cause your new business to fall out of compliance.
Tracking and filing annual reports on your own can be time consuming and lead to accidental lapses. Protect your corporation’s good standing with Managed Annual Report Service, which tracks and automatically files reports on time, every time, so you can focus on your business.
