Illinois Annual Report PDF: Forms, Fees, and Late Filing

The Illinois annual report PDF you need depends on your entity type: domestic corporations use Form BCA 14.05, LLCs use Form LLC-50.1, and foreign corporations, not-for-profits, and limited partnerships each have their own form on the Secretary of State’s website at ilsos.gov.¹ Every registered corporation, LLC, and limited partnership in Illinois has to file one each year to stay in good standing, and the deadline is tied to the month you were originally formed.

Download the Right Form for Your Entity

Domestic corporations file Form BCA 14.05, which collects officer listings, share structure, and paid-in capital.² LLCs file Form LLC-50.1, a shorter form focused on management and registered agent information.³ All forms are fillable PDFs on the Secretary of State’s site.

Grabbing a corporation form for an LLC is one of the most common reasons reports get rejected. If you’re not sure of your exact legal designation, run your business through the Secretary of State’s Business Entity Search before you download anything.⁴ The search also shows your current standing.

When the Report Is Due

Your report must be filed and all fees paid before the first day of your anniversary month, which is the month your entity was originally formed or registered.⁵ Incorporate on June 15, and your report is due before June 1 every year after that.

There is no statutory grace period. Miss the first of the month and the penalty clock starts that day. Corporations can establish an extended filing month that shifts the deadline, but LLCs are locked into their anniversary month.³

What the Corporation Form Asks For

Form BCA 14.05 collects substantially more than the LLC version. You’ll need:⁵

The corporation’s legal name as it appears on the articles of incorporation, the Secretary of State file number, and the principal office address.
The name and Illinois street address of the registered agent. The agent’s business office must match the registered office address on file, and a P.O. Box doesn’t satisfy this.⁶
Names and street addresses of all directors and officers, including the president and secretary.
Total authorized shares broken down by class, and the total number of shares actually issued.
Paid-in capital as of the close of the fiscal year ending before the third month prior to the anniversary month.²
A statement that all property and business are in Illinois, or dollar figures showing property value and business volume both inside and outside the state. This allocation feeds the franchise tax calculation.

Paid-in capital and property allocation are where most filers get tripped up. You have to complete these fields even if you owe no franchise tax, because Illinois is phasing the tax out through an exemption rather than removing the reporting.

What the LLC Form Asks For

Form LLC-50.1 is shorter. You’ll provide:³

The LLC’s legal name, Secretary of State file number, and principal place of business.
The name and Illinois street address of the registered agent.
Names and business addresses of all managers, or for a member-managed LLC, any members with management authority.

LLCs don’t report share structure, paid-in capital, or property allocation, and there’s no franchise tax on LLCs in Illinois.

Filing Fees

LLC annual reports carry a flat $75 fee whether you file online or by mail, and the fee is the same for domestic and foreign LLCs.

Corporation fees start at a base filing amount and can increase with franchise tax owed. The franchise tax is calculated from paid-in capital allocated to Illinois. As of 2025, the first $10,000 in franchise tax liability is exempt, so most small and mid-sized corporations end up owing only the base filing fee. Larger corporations with substantial paid-in capital owe franchise tax on top. The PDF walks through the calculation, and the online system handles it automatically.

Filing Online or by Mail

Corporations, not-for-profits, and LLCs can file online through the Secretary of State’s website.¹ The online system takes credit cards, processes faster than paper, and an electronic filing counts as an original.

If you’d rather use the PDF, fill it out on your computer before printing so the text stays legible. Mail the completed, signed form to the Department of Business Services in Springfield with a check or money order payable to the Secretary of State. Include a duplicate if you want a file-stamped copy returned. Paper filings take considerably longer, and in peak season the turnaround can stretch to several weeks. When you’re close to a deadline, file online.

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline

For LLCs, the penalty is $100 in the first year of delinquency. If you still haven’t filed by the second year, it compounds at $100 per year and the Secretary of State can revoke your authority to do business in Illinois.⁷

For corporations, the Secretary of State can administratively dissolve the business for any of the following:⁸

Failing to file the annual report and pay franchise taxes before the anniversary month deadline.
Failing to maintain a registered agent in Illinois.
Bouncing a payment to the Secretary of State without replacing it.
Misrepresenting material information on any filing.

Administrative dissolution isn’t just paperwork. A dissolved entity loses legal capacity to operate, so it can’t enforce contracts, file lawsuits, or fully defend claims under the protection of its business structure. Existing contracts can be challenged, and the liability shield between your personal assets and business debts becomes vulnerable. Lenders, landlords, and prospective partners routinely check good-standing status, and a dissolved entity fails those checks.

Reinstating a Dissolved Entity

Illinois does allow reinstatement after administrative dissolution. For corporations, the process requires three things:⁸

Filing an application for reinstatement with the Secretary of State.
Filing every past-due annual report that piled up during the dissolution.
Paying all overdue fees, franchise taxes, and penalties in full.

If another entity grabbed your original name during the dissolution, you’ll need to adopt a new name as part of reinstatement. The total cost grows with every year of accumulated reports, taxes, and penalties, so delay is expensive. LLCs have a similar path under the Limited Liability Company Act: all delinquent reports filed, all penalties paid, before the Secretary of State restores good standing.⁷

1
Illinois Secretary of State. File an Annual Report
2
Illinois Secretary of State. Form BCA 14.05 Domestic Corporation Annual Report
3
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 805 ILCS 180/50-1 – Annual Reports
4
Illinois Secretary of State. Business Entity Search
5
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 805 ILCS 5/14.05 – Annual Report of Domestic or Foreign Corporation
6
Justia Law. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 5 Article 5 – Office and Agent
7
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 805 ILCS 180/50-15 – Penalty
8
Justia Law. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 5 Article 12 – Dissolution and Remedies