WEBVTT 00:00:00.150 --> 00:00:05.830 The 5 best registered agents in Illinois in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest 00:00:05.874 --> 00:00:10.870 Registered Agent, IL Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and 00:00:10.941 --> 00:00:13.350 Illinois Registered Agent.co. 00:00:13.350 --> 00:00:17.790 Good to have you with us on The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:17.830 --> 00:00:21.430 Illinois, then. What's the one thing a founder there should know first? 00:00:21.430 --> 00:00:24.230 That the annual report will not change your agent. 00:00:24.319 --> 00:00:29.510 Illinois treats them as two separate filings, and switching agents is its own form 00:00:29.542 --> 00:00:31.430 with a $25 state fee. 00:00:33.126 --> 00:00:36.870 Wait, so I can file my annual report and still have the old agent? 00:00:36.870 --> 00:00:40.870 Yes. The Secretary of State's instructions say that if you need to change the 00:00:40.914 --> 00:00:46.070 registered agent or office, you file the annual report showing no changes, and then 00:00:46.127 --> 00:00:49.510 change the agent separately, online or on Form 00:00:49.710 --> 00:00:54.069 LLC-1.36/1.37. 00:00:54.069 --> 00:00:55.989 Which is the form for the change. 00:00:55.989 --> 00:01:00.630 Right, the Statement of Change of Registered Agent and Registered Office. 00:01:00.737 --> 00:01:04.710 It's $25, or $50 if you want it expedited. 00:01:04.843 --> 00:01:09.190 It has to say the registered office and the agent's business office will be 00:01:09.262 --> 00:01:13.510 identical, and that the members or managers authorized the change. 00:01:13.510 --> 00:01:15.270 And it takes effect when? 00:01:15.270 --> 00:01:17.750 When the Secretary of State files it. 00:01:17.750 --> 00:01:20.949 Before we go deeper, I'm Maya, and this is Dan. 00:01:20.949 --> 00:01:22.950 Thanks, Maya. On to the five. 00:01:23.750 --> 00:01:24.869 Where do we start? 00:01:24.869 --> 00:01:31.270 With Mainstay Filing: $149 a year for the agent, and $149 again when it 00:01:31.323 --> 00:01:32.150 renews. 00:01:32.150 --> 00:01:33.990 Spell out what's included. 00:01:33.990 --> 00:01:38.950 Its Illinois address is the one on the public record in place of yours. 00:01:39.041 --> 00:01:43.750 Papers served on your company are scanned and uploaded the same business day, with 00:01:43.857 --> 00:01:48.870 no fee. Your first three government mailings each year are scanned free. 00:01:48.870 --> 00:01:54.470 What about that LLC-1.36/1.37 form we just talked about? 00:01:54.470 --> 00:02:00.390 Mainstay files it for you. The $25 state fee is passed through at cost. 00:02:01.222 --> 00:02:03.030 And the one honest drawback? 00:02:03.030 --> 00:02:06.470 Price, if price is all you care about. 00:02:06.510 --> 00:02:11.750 Two companies below charge $99, which is $50 less per year. 00:02:11.814 --> 00:02:16.390 Mainstay's answer is that the number doesn't move and the filing is handled. 00:02:17.710 --> 00:02:18.430 Next up? 00:02:18.430 --> 00:02:22.510 Northwest Registered Agent at $125 a year. 00:02:22.710 --> 00:02:28.430 Its pricing page says that number hasn't changed in 20 years, and it includes free 00:02:28.510 --> 00:02:31.871 scans of up to 10 pieces of regular business mail annually. 00:02:31.871 --> 00:02:34.110 So what trips people up? 00:02:34.110 --> 00:02:39.710 The annual report enrollment. When you sign up, you're put into its report filing 00:02:39.770 --> 00:02:45.470 service for $100 plus state fees per filing, unless you cancel. 00:02:45.610 --> 00:02:48.670 Its page says you can add or cancel any time. 00:02:48.670 --> 00:02:51.070 In Illinois, what would that look like? 00:02:51.070 --> 00:02:57.550 The state's report fee is $75, so with the service on, one year's filing would carry 00:02:57.590 --> 00:03:01.790 the $100 service charge as well as that $75. 00:03:01.902 --> 00:03:06.110 Turn it off and you're at $125 for the agent only. 00:03:07.135 --> 00:03:08.335 Number three, please. 00:03:08.335 --> 00:03:14.175 IL Registered Agent.org, $99 a year, unchanged at renewal. 00:03:14.335 --> 00:03:19.295 You get a physical Illinois address, scanned legal mail and compliance alerts. 00:03:19.295 --> 00:03:21.055 And to move to them? 00:03:21.055 --> 00:03:25.775 Only the $25 state fee on top of a $0 fee from their side. 00:03:25.975 --> 00:03:31.855 The catch, as you'd guess, is that annual report filing is a separate service. 00:03:31.855 --> 00:03:33.855 What's the three-year picture? 00:03:33.855 --> 00:03:39.215 $297, against Mainstay's $447. 00:03:39.327 --> 00:03:42.175 That's the $150 difference we mentioned. 00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:45.480 Number four is the one with the free offer. 00:03:45.480 --> 00:03:47.560 Bizee, which used to be Incfile. 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:52.120 Its registered agent is free for year one with any formation package. 00:03:52.227 --> 00:03:56.520 After that, $149 a year, renewing automatically. 00:03:57.069 --> 00:03:58.440 Do you have to form with them? 00:03:58.440 --> 00:04:02.680 You do. The page ties the free year to a formation order. 00:04:02.893 --> 00:04:08.680 If your Illinois LLC is already formed, you're looking at $149 from day one. 00:04:09.982 --> 00:04:10.942 And five? 00:04:10.942 --> 00:04:14.702 Illinois Registered Agent.co, at $99 flat. 00:04:14.742 --> 00:04:18.942 A registered address on file, scanned legal documents and reminders ahead of state 00:04:19.006 --> 00:04:19.662 deadlines. 00:04:19.662 --> 00:04:22.462 Anything different from the other $99 company? 00:04:22.462 --> 00:04:28.622 Not in what the listing says, including the catch: annual report filing costs extra. 00:04:28.711 --> 00:04:32.382 Choosing between them comes down to the dashboard and the support you get. 00:04:33.521 --> 00:04:35.281 Let's talk about the report itself. 00:04:35.377 --> 00:04:36.481 What's due when? 00:04:36.481 --> 00:04:43.521 The Illinois annual report, Form LLC-50.1, is $75. 00:04:43.548 --> 00:04:46.481 It's due before the first day of your anniversary month. 00:04:46.668 --> 00:04:50.961 If it's still missing on the first day of the second month after that, there's a 00:04:51.021 --> 00:04:52.561 $100 penalty. 00:04:52.561 --> 00:04:55.121 So a miss costs more than the report. 00:04:55.121 --> 00:04:57.521 More than the report itself, yes. 00:04:57.621 --> 00:05:04.401 And forming in the first place was $150 on Form LLC-5.5, where the 00:05:04.481 --> 00:05:07.201 agent and the registered office are items on the form. 00:05:07.201 --> 00:05:11.200 Let me run the totals for a first year with Mainstay. 00:05:11.200 --> 00:05:17.201 $150 plus $75 plus $149 is 00:05:17.241 --> 00:05:19.841 $374. 00:05:19.841 --> 00:05:22.801 Good to know, and that's before any optional extras. 00:05:22.801 --> 00:05:28.241 Right, and the numbers are all from the state and the company pages, not estimates. 00:05:29.608 --> 00:05:31.609 Can I be my own agent in Illinois? 00:05:31.609 --> 00:05:35.368 If you're an individual who lives in Illinois, yes. 00:05:35.528 --> 00:05:40.408 The statute says an individual resident of the state, or another person authorized 00:05:40.435 --> 00:05:46.728 to transact business here. What you can't do is have the LLC act as its own agent. 00:05:46.908 --> 00:05:51.688 And an entity that serves as agent has to be registered with the Secretary of State. 00:05:51.688 --> 00:05:54.488 What does the address have to look like? 00:05:54.488 --> 00:05:59.848 An Illinois street address, with the number and the street or road, matching the 00:05:59.915 --> 00:06:05.128 agent's business address. A PO box with a plus-four ZIP may be added to that 00:06:05.172 --> 00:06:07.528 physical address, but it can't replace it. 00:06:07.528 --> 00:06:10.728 Does anyone have to be there at certain hours? 00:06:10.728 --> 00:06:15.448 I don't see a business-hours rule in the statute or on the Secretary of State pages 00:06:15.475 --> 00:06:16.008 we checked. 00:06:17.621 --> 00:06:20.914 If I'm switching myself, where do I actually file? 00:06:20.914 --> 00:06:26.114 The Secretary of State has an online option for changing an LLC's agent or address. 00:06:26.221 --> 00:06:31.954 On paper, it goes to the Limited Liability Division at 501 South Second Street, Room 00:06:32.114 --> 00:06:34.194 351, in Springfield. 00:06:34.194 --> 00:06:36.674 And is the $50 expedite worth it? 00:06:36.674 --> 00:06:39.474 That depends on whether you're about to miss a deadline. 00:06:39.607 --> 00:06:43.954 If your old agent has resigned and the 60 days are running, it might be. 00:06:44.058 --> 00:06:47.474 Otherwise the standard $25 is the usual route. 00:06:47.474 --> 00:06:49.635 Do I need my members to sign off? 00:06:49.635 --> 00:06:55.714 The statement must say the change was authorized by the members or managers, so yes, 00:06:55.764 --> 00:06:57.954 someone with that authority has to approve it. 00:06:58.982 --> 00:07:00.503 What if my agent gives notice? 00:07:00.503 --> 00:07:07.383 The agent files Form LLC-1.35, which costs $5, and mails you a copy at 00:07:07.436 --> 00:07:11.543 least 10 days before filing, by registered or certified mail. 00:07:11.623 --> 00:07:15.783 The resignation takes effect no sooner than 30 days after filing. 00:07:15.783 --> 00:07:18.183 And then I have to find someone. 00:07:18.183 --> 00:07:23.223 A new agent has to be on record within 60 days of the resignation notice. 00:07:23.223 --> 00:07:25.303 What happens if I don't? 00:07:25.303 --> 00:07:29.943 The Secretary of State is appointed as your agent for service of process. 00:07:30.063 --> 00:07:34.983 And failing to maintain an agent is a ground for dissolution: after a notice of 00:07:35.023 --> 00:07:38.023 delinquency, you get 60 days to correct it. 00:07:38.126 --> 00:07:41.063 Annual report defaults get 120. 00:07:42.582 --> 00:07:44.342 How do I choose, with all that in mind? 00:07:44.342 --> 00:07:47.382 Look at what you'd actually be doing each year. 00:07:47.582 --> 00:07:52.742 Two different filings, an agent price that stays put, and nothing added that you 00:07:52.774 --> 00:07:53.622 didn't ask for. 00:07:53.622 --> 00:07:55.942 Which brings us to the winner. 00:07:55.942 --> 00:08:01.542 Mainstay Filing, our pick for Illinois, at $149 a year. 00:08:02.235 --> 00:08:03.915 Say them all one more time. 00:08:03.915 --> 00:08:10.155 One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, same at renewal. 00:08:10.415 --> 00:08:17.035 Two, Northwest: $125, with the report enrollment to cancel. 00:08:17.222 --> 00:08:23.195 Three, IL Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. 00:08:23.451 --> 00:08:28.795 Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then 00:08:28.875 --> 00:08:35.675 $149. Five, Illinois Registered Agent.co: 00:08:35.732 --> 00:08:37.355 $99 flat. 00:08:37.355 --> 00:08:39.435 The links are in the show notes. 00:08:39.504 --> 00:08:42.555 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.