Illinois requires every LLC and corporation to keep a registered agent with a Illinois street address. You can be your own agent (The registered agent may be a natural person or a domestic/foreign entity authorized to transact..., full wording under the statute below). Changing your agent costs $25 for an LLC and $25 for a corporation. The Annual Report is due before the first day of the anniversary (organization) month each year. If you have no agent: Administrative dissolution: failure to maintain a registered agent in the state is one of the enumerated grounds for administrative dissolution; the Secretary of State sends a Notice of Delinquency and, if not corrected within 90 days, issues a certificate of dissolution.. Hiring an agent costs $125 to $249 a year at renewal on the providers' own sites, read 2026-09-08; first-year offers run lower.
This page is general information, not legal advice. State fees, forms and deadlines change. Every fact is quoted from the state filing office or statute with the date we read it. Confirm on the official page before you file. Terms of use.
How to change your registered agent in Illinois
Three steps. Most owners finish online in under fifteen minutes.
- Choose the new agent. You can be your own agent (The registered agent may be a natural person or a domestic/foreign entity authorized to transact..., full wording under the statute below). Or hire a service from the price table below; they give you their Illinois street address to put on the form.
- File online. change the registered agent or registered office online (ilsos.gov LLC page), or complete Form LLC-1.36/1.37 Open apps.ilsos.gov
- Or file the paper form. Form LLC-1.36/1.37, Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office, from the Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services. The mailing address is printed on the form. Open the Illinois filing office Direct PDF
- Pay the fee. Changing your agent costs $25 for an LLC and $25 for a corporation. Keep the confirmation; the new agent is effective when the state records it.
What a registered agent costs in Illinois
Yearly fee from each provider's own site on the date shown: what a new customer pays the first year, and what it renews at. Sorted by renewal price, because that is what you pay every year after. "No link" means we have no agreement with that provider; it is listed on the same terms. Best is not always the one we earn from, and we say which is which.
| Provider | First year | Renews at | Terms and what is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Registered Agentno link, no agreement | $125 | $125 | Same price every year, per its page
|
| Harbor Complianceno link, no agreement | $99 | $149 | Renews at 149 per year after the first
|
| Bizeeno link, no agreement | $149 | $149 | 149 per year standalone or on renewal; first year free only with a bizee formation
|
| ZenBusinessno link, no agreement | $99 | $199 | Renews at 199 per year
|
| LegalZoomno link, no agreement | $249 | $249 | Auto-renews; renewal rate subject to change, per its page
|
What switching to the cheapest renewal saves
| If you renew with | Renews at | Saved per year | Over 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| LegalZoom | $249 | $124 | $372 |
| ZenBusiness | $199 | $74 | $222 |
| Harbor Compliance | $149 | $24 | $72 |
| Bizee | $149 | $24 | $72 |
Compared with Northwest Registered Agent at $125 a year, prices read 2026-09-08. Switching costs the state change fee shown above, once.
Type your current renewal price to see the saving.
Advertising disclosure. Some provider names on this page are links to that provider's site through an affiliate network. If you buy through one of those links we may earn a commission. The price you pay does not change. Providers we have no agreement with are listed without a link and ranked by the same rules. Disclosed under the US FTC Endorsement Guides and the Norwegian Marketing Control Act.
Illinois at a glance
Fees, forms and deadlines
| Item | Illinois |
|---|---|
| Filing office | Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/home.htmlSource: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/agent-change/corpagentchange.h, read 2026-09-08 |
| Registered agent statute (LLC) | 805 ILCS 180/1-35Source: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/agent-change/corpagentchange.h (secondary source), read 2026-09-08 |
| Registered agent statute (corporation) | 805 ILCS 5/5.10Source: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/agent-change/corpagentchange.h (secondary source), read 2026-09-08 |
| Change of agent form | Form LLC-1.36/1.37, Statement of Change of Registered Agent and/or Registered Office (online filing available)Source: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/agent-change/llcagentchange.ht, read 2026-09-09 |
| Change of agent fee, LLC | $25Source: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/agent-change/llcagentchange.ht, read 2026-09-09 |
| Change of agent fee, corporation | $25Source: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/agent-change/llcagentchange.ht, read 2026-09-09 |
| Annual Report due | before the first day of the anniversary (organization) month each year (administrative practice per Business Corporation Act of 1983 / LLC Act)Source: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/annual-reports/llc-instruction, read 2026-09-08 |
| Annual report fee, LLC | $75Source: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/annual-reports/llc-instruction, read 2026-09-08 |
| Annual report fee, corporation | $75Source: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/annual-reports/llc-instruction, read 2026-09-08 |
| Late fee | $100Source: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/annual-reports/llc-instruction, read 2026-09-08 |
| No agent on file | Administrative dissolution: failure to maintain a registered agent in the state is one of the enumerated grounds for administrative dissolution; the Secretary of State sends a Notice of Delinquency and, if not corrected within 90 days, issues a certificate of dissolution. 805 ILCS 5/12.35, 805 ILCS 5/12.40Source: law.justia.com/codes/illinois/2022/chapter-805/act-805-ilcs-5/article- (secondary source), read 2026-09-08 |
| Be your own agent | You can be your own agent (The registered agent may be a natural person or a domestic/foreign entity authorized to transact..., full wording under the statute below)Source: ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/agent-change/corpagentchange.h, read 2026-09-08 |
What the statute says
Every domestic and foreign corporation must, at all times, maintain a registered agent with a registered office within the State of Illinois.
805 ILCS 180/1-35, read 2026-09-08
A registered agent is the person or company the state and the courts send legal papers to. The agent must have a street address in Illinois, not a PO box, and be available during business hours. You can be your own agent (The registered agent may be a natural person or a domestic/foreign entity authorized to transact..., full wording under the statute below).
Annual report and what happens without an agent
The Annual Report is due before the first day of the anniversary (organization) month each year. Fee: $75 for an LLC, $75 for a corporation. Late fee: $100.
Without an agent on file: Administrative dissolution: failure to maintain a registered agent in the state is one of the enumerated grounds for administrative dissolution; the Secretary of State sends a Notice of Delinquency and, if not corrected within 90 days, issues a certificate of dissolution. (805 ILCS 5/12.35, 805 ILCS 5/12.40). In practice that means missed lawsuits and a company that can lose its good standing.
Sources and dates
- https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/agent-change/corpagentchange.html, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/agent-change/llcagentchange.html, read 2026-09-09
- https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/annual-reports/llc-instructions.html, read 2026-09-08
- https://law.justia.com/codes/illinois/2022/chapter-805/act-805-ilcs-5/article-12/, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/registered-agent, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.harborcompliance.com/registered-agent-service, read 2026-09-08
- https://bizee.com/business-management/registered-agent, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.zenbusiness.com/registered-agent-service/, read 2026-09-08
- https://www.legalzoom.com/business/business-operations/registered-agent-overview.html, read 2026-09-08
This page is general information, not legal advice. State fees, forms and deadlines change. Every fact is quoted from the state filing office or statute with the date we read it. Confirm on the official page before you file.
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Advertising disclosure. Some provider names on this page are links to that provider's site through an affiliate network. If you buy through one of those links we may earn a commission. The price you pay does not change. Providers we have no agreement with are listed without a link and ranked by the same rules. Disclosed under the US FTC Endorsement Guides and the Norwegian Marketing Control Act.