Your Illinois annual report due date is tied to your entity’s anniversary month — the month your corporation or LLC was first authorized to do business in the state — and the report must reach the Secretary of State before the first day of that month every year.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 5 14.05 – Annual Report of Domestic or Foreign Corporation A corporation formed on September 15, for example, must file before September 1 each year. Missing that date starts the clock on penalties and, eventually, administrative dissolution.
How to Find Your Anniversary Month
Illinois does not use a single statewide deadline. Each entity files on its own cycle based on when it registered with the state. You can confirm your anniversary month by searching your entity name in the Secretary of State’s online business database.
For LLCs, the statute gives you a 60-day filing window immediately before the first day of your anniversary month.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 180 50-1 – Annual Reports Corporations follow a similar pre-anniversary window. If you file by mail, a postmark dated before the first day of the anniversary month counts as timely. The state does not always send a reminder that arrives in time, so tracking the date yourself matters.
Filing Fees
The Secretary of State’s fee schedule lists the domestic corporation annual report fee at $75.3Official Website of the Illinois Secretary of State. Domestic and Foreign Corporations Publications and Forms LLCs also owe a filing fee at submission. Confirm the current amount on the Secretary of State’s fee schedule before you file, since fees can change.
What the Report Must Include
The annual report updates the state’s record of who runs the business and where it can be reached. Corporations report their legal name, registered agent and office, principal office address, the names and addresses of directors and officers, and share and paid-in capital information.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 5 14.05 – Annual Report of Domestic or Foreign Corporation
LLCs file a shorter report covering the entity name, registered agent and office, principal place of business, and the names and business addresses of managers (or members with managerial authority if the LLC has no designated managers).2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 180 50-1 – Annual Reports Gather this information before you open the form.
How to File
You have two options. The Secretary of State’s online portal accepts electronic submission with payment by credit card or electronic check,4Official Website of the Illinois Secretary of State. Corporation Annual Report and paper forms can be mailed with a check or money order.5Illinois Secretary of State. LLC Annual Report Online Online filings process much faster. Save the confirmation or stamped copy you receive; lenders, licensing agencies, and business partners sometimes ask for it.
Late Filing Penalties
Penalties start modestly and grow the longer the report stays unfiled.
LLCs
An LLC that fails to file before the first day of the second month after its anniversary month owes a $100 penalty. That amount increases by another $100 for each year or fraction of a year the report remains delinquent, and it keeps accumulating until the LLC files or is reinstated.6Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 180 50-15 – Penalties for Failure to File Annual Report
Corporations
Corporation penalties are tied to unpaid franchise taxes and late filing charges under the Business Corporation Act. Illinois still imposes a franchise tax on corporations as of 2026. The penalty amount depends on the franchise tax owed and can grow substantially for larger entities.
Administrative Dissolution
If penalties alone don’t bring a business into compliance, the Secretary of State can dissolve it. For corporations, the process begins with a Notice of Delinquency mailed to the registered office. If the corporation does not fix the default within 90 days of that notice, the Secretary of State issues a certificate of dissolution.7Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 5 12.40 – Procedure for Administrative Dissolution A dissolved corporation can only act to wind down its affairs.
The Secretary of State can administratively dissolve an LLC that fails to file its annual report and pay its fees before the anniversary month, or that fails to file any required report after the prescribed deadline.8Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 180 35-25 – Grounds for Administrative Dissolution
A dissolved business loses good standing. In practical terms, it cannot enter enforceable contracts, obtain or renew business licenses, secure bank financing, or file lawsuits in Illinois courts. Business conducted during dissolution exposes owners personally, because the entity’s liability shield may not be recognized.
Reinstating a Dissolved Entity
Illinois allows reinstatement, but you have to clear every outstanding obligation first. To reinstate a corporation, you file an application for reinstatement with the Secretary of State, file all overdue annual reports that came due during dissolution, and pay all outstanding fees, franchise taxes, and penalties. If another entity has taken your corporate name during the dissolution period, you’ll also need to file a name change before reinstatement can go through. Once the Secretary of State accepts the application, the corporation’s existence is treated as uninterrupted, and actions taken by shareholders, directors, and officers during the gap are retroactively validated.9Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 5 12.45 – Reinstatement Following Administrative Dissolution
LLCs follow a similar process. The Secretary of State requires all overdue annual reports (up to a maximum of six years’ worth) and all accumulated fees and penalties before processing the reinstatement.10Official Website of the Illinois Secretary of State. LLC Reinstatement The longer the business sits dissolved, the more costly reinstatement becomes, both from stacking penalties and from problems like a lost business name or lapsed licenses.