State forms · Illinois · Form LLC-5.5
Illinois Form LLC-5.5: the LLC Articles of Organization
Form LLC-5.5 is the Illinois Secretary of State's articles of organization for a limited liability company, filed with the Department of Business Services under the Limited Liability Company Act (805 ILCS 180). The same questions are asked by the online filing on ilsos.gov, the site long known as Cyberdrive Illinois, and the company exists once the Secretary of State files the articles.
Illinois asks for more names than most states. Article 9 wants the name and business address of every manager and of every member who has the authority of a manager, which in a member-managed company means every member. The online filing is open only to standard companies: an LLC that needs a specific purpose clause or special provisions files on paper. And every online payment carries a payment processor fee on top of the state's filing fee, which is why the Secretary of State advises against paying with a debit card.
Updated November 1, 2026. Facts checked October 2026.
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Form Your Illinois LLCForm LLC-5.5 at a Glance
- Form
- Form LLC-5.5
- Filing portal
- ilsos.gov (the site long known as Cyberdrive Illinois)
- Filed with
- Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services
- State fee
- $150
- Typical state processing
- About 10 business days standard
- State expedite tiers
- 24-hour
- Facts checked
- October 2026
The state fee is Illinois's own charge and is the same whether you file the Form LLC-5.5 yourself or we file it for you. Processing figures are what the Illinois Secretary of State publishes and are not a promise of when a filing is approved; the state's expedite tiers are listed by name, with their amounts in the facts box on the Illinois LLC page.
Below: every field in the order the form asks it, who the filing puts on the public record, whether the registered agent signs, the reasons Illinois returns it, and what the state expects after it is filed.
What Form LLC-5.5 Asks For
- 1.Article 1: Limited liability company nameMust contain Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or LLC and be distinguishable from every name on the Secretary of State's records. The Department of Business Services checks availability when it reviews the filing; a name search beforehand is the only way to avoid a rejection for a conflict.
- 2.Article 2: Address of the principal place of businessA street address, which can be outside Illinois. It appears on the public record.
- 3.Article 3: Effective dateThe date of filing, or a later date up to 60 days after the Secretary of State receives the articles.
- 4.Article 4: Registered agent and registered officeThe agent's name and the Illinois street address of the registered office, which must be identical to the agent's business office. An Illinois resident or an authorized business entity can serve; the LLC cannot be its own agent. The Secretary of State advises naming an agent only after the agent has agreed.
- 5.PurposeThe standard clause, the transaction of any or all lawful business for which limited liability companies may be organized, is what the online filing uses. A company that needs a specific or restricted purpose files on paper.
- 6.DurationPerpetual, or the latest date on which the company is to dissolve.
- 7.Other provisions (optional)Additional provisions for regulating the company's internal affairs. Including any forces a paper filing; the online system does not accept them.
- 8.ManagementWhether the company is managed by managers or has management vested in its members.
- 9.Article 9: Managers and members with manager authorityEvery manager, and every member with the authority of a manager, with a business address for each. In a member-managed company that is every member. These names and addresses are public once filed, and the filing is incomplete without an address for each person.
- 10.Organizer name, address and signatureEach organizer signs under penalty of perjury and gives an address. An organizer can be a business entity, named exactly as registered; a filing service can act as organizer if it states its own address.
Who Is on the Illinois Record
Who appears on the form
Names and business addresses of all managers and any member with manager authority (i.e., all members if member-managed); organizer name(s) and address(es); registered agent.
Does the registered agent sign the Form LLC-5.5?
No signature on form; the Secretary of State advises naming an agent only after the agent agrees. LLC cannot be its own agent; office must be identical to agent's business office.
From our audit of Illinois's official form and statutes, checked October 2026. Everything entered on a filing becomes public record once the state files it.
Why Illinois Rejects It
- A name that is not distinguishable from an existing Illinois company or reserved name, or that lacks LLC, L.L.C. or Limited Liability Company.
- A registered office address that differs from the agent's business office, is a PO box, or is outside Illinois.
- A manager or member in Article 9 listed without a business address, or a member-managed company that lists only some of its members.
- A specific purpose or other provisions submitted through the online filing, which accepts only the standard clauses.
- An organizer entity named inexactly, or an organizer's signature or address missing.
- An effective date more than 60 days after the Secretary of State receives the articles, or an online payment that fails.
A rejection costs days, sometimes a second fee, and in a few states the name you wanted. Our name check and field review happen before the form goes to ilsos.gov (the site long known as Cyberdrive Illinois), which is most of what you pay us for.
After the State Files It
- The Secretary of State reviews and files the articles, with standard processing running about 10 business days, and returns the file-stamped copy. A 24-hour expedited review is available for an added fee set by the state; the amount is in the facts box on the Illinois LLC page.
- Every year from the year after formation, the LLC files an annual report (Form LLC-50.1) with the Secretary of State before the first day of its anniversary month. A report still unfiled on the first day of the second month after the anniversary month draws a $100 penalty, and a company that does not cure the default is administratively dissolved.
- Illinois has no newspaper publication requirement for a new LLC.
- The Secretary of State does not file operating agreements; the agreement stays with the company's records.
More on filing in Illinois: Illinois LLC filing through ilsos.gov (the site long known as Cyberdrive Illinois).
Once the company is approved, the Annual Report is Illinois's recurring filing: file the Illinois Annual Report online, or have it filed for you.
Form LLC-5.5 Questions
Can I file Form LLC-5.5 online?+
Yes, for a standard company. The Illinois Secretary of State's online filing at ilsos.gov takes the articles for an LLC that uses the standard purpose clause and needs no special provisions, paid by card with a payment processor fee added. A company that needs a specific purpose, extra provisions or a professional designation files the paper LLC-5.5 by mail to the Department of Business Services in Springfield. The state's fee is the same whether you file yourself or we file for you.
Do the member addresses appear publicly?+
Yes. Article 9 lists every manager and every member with the authority of a manager, each with a business address, and the filed articles are a public record searchable on the Secretary of State's site. A business address is acceptable, so an owner who does not want a home address published lists an office or the company's principal place of business instead. The annual report asks for the same names and addresses again each year.
Does the registered agent sign LLC-5.5?+
No. There is no agent signature or consent line on the form or the online filing, but the Secretary of State's instructions say to name an agent only after the agent has agreed to serve. The registered office must be identical to the agent's business office in Illinois, and the LLC cannot name itself. An owner who lives in Illinois can be the agent at an Illinois street address.
When is the Illinois annual report due?+
Before the first day of the company's anniversary month, every year starting the year after formation. A company formed on June 20, 2026 files its first report before June 1, 2027. The report is Form LLC-50.1, filed online with the Secretary of State, and the $100 late penalty applies from the first day of the second month after the anniversary month. We file Illinois annual reports as well.
What is the payment processor fee?+
A charge the Secretary of State's online payment vendor adds to every online transaction, on top of the state's filing fee. The amount is set by the processor rather than by the Secretary of State, and the state's instructions recommend against paying with a debit card. Paper filings paid by check carry no processor fee.
Does it matter whether I choose manager-managed or member-managed on LLC-5.5?+
Yes, for Article 9. A member-managed company lists every member, because each member has the authority of a manager; a manager-managed company lists its managers and only those members who also hold manager authority. Either way, every person listed needs a business address on the form, and the list is public. Owners who want fewer names on the record often choose managers and keep passive investors off Article 9.
Can a professional LLC use Form LLC-5.5 online?+
No. A professional limited liability company, one formed to provide a licensed professional service, gives its professional details on the paper filing, and the online system takes only standard LLCs. The same is true for a company that wants a specific purpose clause or other provisions: those filings go on paper to the Department of Business Services in Springfield.
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