[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in Illinois in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, IL Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and Illinois Registered Agent.co. Maya: Good to have you with us on The Business Formation Podcast. Illinois, then. What's the one thing a founder there should know first? Dan: That the annual report will not change your agent. Illinois treats them as two separate filings, and switching agents is its own form with a $25 state fee. [0:32] Two filings, not one Maya: Wait, so I can file my annual report and still have the old agent? Dan: Yes. The Secretary of State's instructions say that if you need to change the registered agent or office, you file the annual report showing no changes, and then change the agent separately, online or on Form LLC-1.36/1.37. Maya: Which is the form for the change. Dan: Right, the Statement of Change of Registered Agent and Registered Office. It's $25, or $50 if you want it expedited. It has to say the registered office and the agent's business office will be identical, and that the members or managers authorized the change. Maya: And it takes effect when? Dan: When the Secretary of State files it. Maya: Before we go deeper, I'm Maya, and this is Dan. Dan: Thanks, Maya. On to the five. [1:23] Mainstay Filing, the top pick Maya: Where do we start? Dan: With Mainstay Filing: $149 a year for the agent, and $149 again when it renews. Maya: Spell out what's included. Dan: Its Illinois address is the one on the public record in place of yours. Papers served on your company are scanned and uploaded the same business day, with no fee. Your first three government mailings each year are scanned free. Maya: What about that LLC-1.36/1.37 form we just talked about? Dan: Mainstay files it for you. The $25 state fee is passed through at cost. Maya: And the one honest drawback? Dan: Price, if price is all you care about. Two companies below charge $99, which is $50 less per year. Mainstay's answer is that the number doesn't move and the filing is handled. [2:17] Northwest Registered Agent Maya: Next up? Dan: Northwest Registered Agent at $125 a year. Its pricing page says that number hasn't changed in 20 years, and it includes free scans of up to 10 pieces of regular business mail annually. Maya: So what trips people up? Dan: The annual report enrollment. When you sign up, you're put into its report filing service for $100 plus state fees per filing, unless you cancel. Its page says you can add or cancel any time. Maya: In Illinois, what would that look like? Dan: The state's report fee is $75, so with the service on, one year's filing would carry the $100 service charge as well as that $75. Turn it off and you're at $125 for the agent only. [3:06] IL Registered Agent.org Maya: Number three, please. Dan: IL Registered Agent.org, $99 a year, unchanged at renewal. You get a physical Illinois address, scanned legal mail and compliance alerts. Maya: And to move to them? Dan: Only the $25 state fee on top of a $0 fee from their side. The catch, as you'd guess, is that annual report filing is a separate service. Maya: What's the three-year picture? Dan: $297, against Mainstay's $447. That's the $150 difference we mentioned. [3:42] Bizee Maya: Number four is the one with the free offer. Dan: Bizee, which used to be Incfile. Its registered agent is free for year one with any formation package. After that, $149 a year, renewing automatically. Maya: Do you have to form with them? Dan: You do. The page ties the free year to a formation order. If your Illinois LLC is already formed, you're looking at $149 from day one. [4:09] Illinois Registered Agent.co Maya: And five? Dan: Illinois Registered Agent.co, at $99 flat. A registered address on file, scanned legal documents and reminders ahead of state deadlines. Maya: Anything different from the other $99 company? Dan: Not in what the listing says, including the catch: annual report filing costs extra. Choosing between them comes down to the dashboard and the support you get. [4:33] Illinois dates and dollars Maya: Let's talk about the report itself. What's due when? Dan: The Illinois annual report, Form LLC-50.1, is $75. It's due before the first day of your anniversary month. If it's still missing on the first day of the second month after that, there's a $100 penalty. Maya: So a miss costs more than the report. Dan: More than the report itself, yes. And forming in the first place was $150 on Form LLC-5.5, where the agent and the registered office are items on the form. Maya: Let me run the totals for a first year with Mainstay. Dan: $150 plus $75 plus $149 is $374. Maya: Good to know, and that's before any optional extras. Dan: Right, and the numbers are all from the state and the company pages, not estimates. [5:29] Who can serve, and the address rule Maya: Can I be my own agent in Illinois? Dan: If you're an individual who lives in Illinois, yes. The statute says an individual resident of the state, or another person authorized to transact business here. What you can't do is have the LLC act as its own agent. And an entity that serves as agent has to be registered with the Secretary of State. Maya: What does the address have to look like? Dan: An Illinois street address, with the number and the street or road, matching the agent's business address. A PO box with a plus-four ZIP may be added to that physical address, but it can't replace it. Maya: Does anyone have to be there at certain hours? Dan: I don't see a business-hours rule in the statute or on the Secretary of State pages we checked. [6:17] Online or paper Maya: If I'm switching myself, where do I actually file? Dan: The Secretary of State has an online option for changing an LLC's agent or address. On paper, it goes to the Limited Liability Division at 501 South Second Street, Room 351, in Springfield. Maya: And is the $50 expedite worth it? Dan: That depends on whether you're about to miss a deadline. If your old agent has resigned and the 60 days are running, it might be. Otherwise the standard $25 is the usual route. Maya: Do I need my members to sign off? Dan: The statement must say the change was authorized by the members or managers, so yes, someone with that authority has to approve it. [6:58] If your agent resigns Maya: What if my agent gives notice? Dan: The agent files Form LLC-1.35, which costs $5, and mails you a copy at least 10 days before filing, by registered or certified mail. The resignation takes effect no sooner than 30 days after filing. Maya: And then I have to find someone. Dan: A new agent has to be on record within 60 days of the resignation notice. Maya: What happens if I don't? Dan: The Secretary of State is appointed as your agent for service of process. And failing to maintain an agent is a ground for dissolution: after a notice of delinquency, you get 60 days to correct it. Annual report defaults get 120. [7:42] Picking one Maya: How do I choose, with all that in mind? Dan: Look at what you'd actually be doing each year. Two different filings, an agent price that stays put, and nothing added that you didn't ask for. Maya: Which brings us to the winner. Dan: Mainstay Filing, our pick for Illinois, at $149 a year. [8:01] The five, back to back Maya: Say them all one more time. Dan: One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, with the report enrollment to cancel. Three, IL Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, Illinois Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. Maya: The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.