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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.
Edited by: David Lepeska
David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.
Updated on October 2, 2023
If you’re starting an LLC in Illinois, the business entity formation process is one of the first and most important hurdles. This step can be terribly complex and time-consuming, which is why many entrepreneurs turn to professional formation services.
But which are the best LLC formation services in Illinois? This article takes a closer look, stepping into an entrepreneur’s shoes, to help you choose the service that puts you on the road to success.
Here we summarize our top five picks of business formation services in Illinois.
Best Overall
Best Registered Agent Service
Best Turnaround Time
Best for Small Budget
Best for Legal Services
Best for Variety of Business-Essential Services
ZenBusiness offers various plans tailored for prospective Illinois business owners.
The Starter plan is $0 plus state fees, covering business name availability search in Illinois and LLC formation with full support.
The Pro plan, priced at $199 plus state fees, incorporates the Starter plan services, an operating agreement template, an EIN, annual compliance service, and rush filing.
Their Premium plan, at $349 plus state fees, delivers all Pro services, a business document template library, domain name, website, and email.
ZenBusiness stands out as the best overall LLC filing company for Illinois due to its affordable base service, including Illinois LLC filing and a 100% accuracy guarantee starting at $0 plus state fees.
Moreover, ZenBusiness is a Public Benefit Corporation, signifying it operates as a for-profit company but with a community-oriented goal akin to a nonprofit.
Apart from LLC formation, ZenBusiness offers various add-on services, from registered agents to essential business tools, though availing of these might elevate costs.
ZenBusiness offers valuable services for budding entrepreneurs. While registered agent services are an add-on, their excellent customer support, user-friendly site, and positive reviews make them a top choice.
Northwest’s plan at $39 plus state fees encompasses business formation, free registered agent services for a year within Illinois, a business address, an operating agreement tailored for Illinois, and a few other extras.
This plan offers excellent value for those setting up in Illinois since registered agent services and an Illinois-specific operating agreement, both of which are crucial, are included.
However, even if you opt out of the registered agent services in Illinois, you’re still billed the full plan price.
Northwest Registered Agent, evident from the name, is renowned for their registered agent services. As a registered agent within the state, they offer more personalized customer support and prompt correspondence notification.
We recommend Northwest Registered Agent because of their transparent pricing, outstanding customer service, and a commitment to maintaining your privacy. They pride themselves on personalizing their approach to meeting your registered agent needs, which are their specialty.
For state fees only, Swyft Filings’ Basic package covers verification of your company name in Illinois, preparation of the articles of organization, and document filing with the state of Illinois. You’ll also receive online access to your documents and lifetime customer support.
The Standard package is available for $199 plus state fees. It encompasses all the services found in the Basic package, along with a custom operating agreement tailored for Illinois and a federal tax ID, or EIN. Additionally, Illinois businesses will benefit from access to custom banking resolution services and custom organizational minutes.
Swyft Filings’ Premium package rolls in everything the Standard package offers but spices it up with expedited filing, a comprehensive business document library, timely compliance notifications, and a business domain name and website. Illinois LLCs will also receive a digital LLC kit, which furnishes a digital company “seal”, a ledger optimized for tracking transfers of ownership in Illinois, and bespoke ownership certificates. The Premium package is up for grabs at $299 plus state filing fees.
Swyft Filings offers fast processing but doesn’t include registered agent services in their packages, making additions somewhat costly. However, they provide good value overall and strong customer support.
The Silver package, priced solely at state fees, includes the preparation and filing of the articles of organization, which are specific for Illinois businesses, and unlimited name searches within the state. Additionally, businesses in Illinois can enjoy free registered agent services for a year.
The Gold package, priced at $199, encompasses all the offerings from the Silver package and further adds an operating agreement template, lifetime company alerts, and a business tax consultation. “Lifetime company alerts” implies that Incfile will proactively remind Illinois businesses of any due reporting dates based on Illinois’ requirements.
Further enhancing its appeal for Illinois LLCs, Incfile’s Gold package offers an EIN tax ID number and takes care of filing IRS Form 2553. This allows Illinois LLCs to harness the tax advantages of an S corporation. On top of these, you’ll benefit from banking resolution services and assistance tailored for setting up a business bank account. Rounding up the Gold package, Illinois businesses are provided access to a bespoke online dashboard and unlimited phone and email support.
The Platinum package, at $299, includes everything in the Gold package with the advantage of expedited filing, as well as a domain name and business email. You’ll also receive access to business contract templates, which can be extremely helpful for new business owners. There are over 20 different contracts, all created and reviewed by attorneys.
Incfile provides substantial value, especially with their Silver package that costs only state fees and includes a year of registered agent service. For first-time entrepreneurs looking to save, Incfile stands out in the competition.
Rocket Lawyer offers a unique approach when compared to traditional business formation service packages. For those looking to set up a business in Illinois, the fee stands at $99. However, for those who opt for a $39.99 membership, business formation in Illinois is rendered free.
Choosing to become a member yields additional financial benefits. Registered agent services, a necessity for many LLCs in Illinois, can be availed at a discounted rate of $111.99 with a membership, in contrast to the standard fee of $149.99.
Moreover, an Illinois business with a Rocket Lawyer membership stands to gain more than just discounted services. They’re granted access to an extensive range of business document templates. This includes a tailored operating agreement for Illinois, ensuring that the business remains compliant with state-specific regulations.
Rocket Lawyer simplifies business start-up, though it lacks some services offered by competitors. Their membership stands out, providing ongoing legal assistance and offering the best value.
Tailor Brands presents a variety of plans suited to diverse business needs in the state.
Their Lite plan, priced at $49 plus state fees, provides Illinois business formation and follows standard state processing times particular to Illinois.
Their Essential plan includes the additional benefits of their annual compliance service, an operating agreement, and expedited processing. The cost is $199 annually.
The Elite plan is available at $249 annually. This package integrates a domain name suited for Illinois businesses, eight unique logos, a user-friendly business website builder, and a few other valuable extras.
What makes Tailor Brands stand out is its commitment to modern business tools. Their offerings, from the logo maker to the domain name and website builder, give Illinois startups and enterprises an edge in today’s digital age.
Tailor Brands’ plans are a decent value, but the main reason that we chose them for the list is the extensive business tools they offer. If you can overcome their aggressive sales tactics, you can access a variety of services to meet all your business needs.
A business formation service handles the business formation process for you, making it nearly seamless while offering additional services that can make life easier for a new business owner. Whether you’re forming a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation, a business formation service takes care of all the red tape, freeing you up to focus on growing your business.
With so many business formation services to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which is best for you. There are four essential elements that can help you make your decision.
Each service offers various products and services, and their plans are all designed differently. You may need some services but not others, so you need to choose the service that offers everything you need. For example, only some of the providers offer annual report filing.
If it’s important to you to get that task off your plate, you’ll want a service that offers that feature. Another feature you might need is a digital dashboard where you can always access your business formation documents.
You’ll want to choose a service that has everything you need to make starting and running your business as easy as possible.
Of course, you’ll want to get the best value for your money!
Compare the cost of each service for everything you need. The price can really add up when you start adding extras, so be careful not to go too far. You also want to get good value and great customer service, so if you’re considering the cheapest service, check the reviews to see how people feel about it.
Business formation turnaround times vary with each service, so if you’re in a hurry to get your business up and running, you’ll want to look for the quickest service. You don’t want your order to sit in an office too long before your paperwork gets filed with the state. Some services differentiate themselves with fast turnaround times, so if they also offer good value, that might be your best choice.
One good way to learn about the quality of anything you’re buying is to listen to what people are saying about it. When we review services we look at Better Business Bureau ratings and reviews, as well as TrustPilot reviews. You should look at both positive and negative reviews to find out what people love about the service and about the issues customers have encountered.
Remember that fake reviews are common, so you’ll have to take some of the reviews with a grain of salt.
As an entrepreneurial advisory site, we take our responsibilities seriously. We understand that countless entrepreneurs, and potential entrepreneurs, rely on our judgments and insights, particularly when it comes to creating their business.
As a result, our writers do their utmost to gain a comprehensive understanding of the services offered and the actual customer experience. In nearly every case, we:
Thanks to this full immersion in the actual customer experience, our reviewers are able to provide the most complete and insightful analysis of various LLC formation services.
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