Stay compliant in Illinois

Most of these dates repeat every year. Put them on a calendar now.

What’s different in Illinois

• A corporation pays franchise tax with its annual report. The Secretary of State collects it, and the first $10,000 of liability is exempt. An LLC pays none.
• Replacement tax sits on top of income tax. A C corporation pays 7% income tax plus 2.5% replacement tax. An S corporation or partnership still owes 1.5% replacement tax.
• Most employers owe paid leave, and Illinois sets no employee minimum for workers’ compensation. Get your tax IDs covers it.
• A missed annual report ends in dissolution. If the default isn’t fixed, the Secretary of State dissolves an LLC 120 days after the notice of delinquency, or a corporation 90 days after the notice of delinquency.

Your Illinois calendar

What	When	Cost
LLC annual report, with the Secretary of State	Every year before the first day of the anniversary month	$75; late, $100 plus the same for each year of delinquency from the second
Corporation annual report, with the Secretary of State	Every year within 60 days before the first day of the anniversary month	$75. The late corporate penalty wasn’t in our sources.* Check the official source
Corporation franchise tax, with the Secretary of State	Paid with the annual report	1/10 of 1% of paid-in capital represented in Illinois, with the first $10,000 of liability exempt, and a cap of $2,000,000
Nonprofit annual report, with the Secretary of State	Every year within 60 days before the first day of the anniversary month	$10
Assumed name of an LLC or corporation, with the Secretary of State	The first term runs until the anniversary month in the next calendar year evenly divisible by 5. Renew in the 60 days before it ends, for 5 years at a time	$150 for a renewal; a late fee of $100 applies after notice
Assumed name of a sole proprietor or partnership, with the county clerk	Whether it needs renewing wasn’t in our sources.* Check the official source	Check with your county clerk
Sales tax return, Form ST-1, Sales and Use Tax Return, with the Department of Revenue	By the 20th day of the month following the end of the reporting period	The tax you collected
Withholding payment and return, with the Department of Revenue	Payments (Form IL-501, Withholding Payment Coupon): monthly, by the 15th day of the month following the month in which the tax was withheld. Return (Form IL-941, Illinois Withholding Income Tax Return): by the last day of the month that follows the end of the quarter	The tax you withheld
Unemployment tax and wage report, Form UI-3/40, Employer's Contribution and Wage Report, with IDES	April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31	3.35% for most new employers, on the first $14,250 of each worker’s wages in 2026
Chicago business license renewal	The City sends a notice 60 days before the license expires	Set by license type

Illinois’s corporate income tax return forms and due dates weren’t in our sources, so they aren’t in the table.* Check the official source. A sole proprietor, partner or LLC member reports business income on a personal return at 4.95%. A partnership or S corporation can elect to pay the entity-level tax at 4.95%; whether that makes sense is a question for a CPA.

Employer rules that don’t have a due date

• Paid leave. Under the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, workers earn up to 40 hours a year at one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, usable for any reason, without the employer requiring a basis. Employees can begin using it 90 days after they start. The Act does not apply to an employer covered by a municipal or county paid leave ordinance that was in effect when the Act took effect; that employer follows the local ordinance instead. The Department of Labor lists the Paid Leave for All Workers Act notice, required for all employers. A violation carries a civil penalty of $2,500 for each separate offense.
• My Illinois Savings. Once a business has had at least five Illinois employees in every quarter of the previous calendar year and has been open two or more years, it must offer a qualified retirement plan or enroll its workers in My Illinois Savings, formerly Illinois Secure Choice. New employees are enrolled within 120 days. The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) assesses penalties. The enrollment date and the penalty amount weren’t in our sources.* Check the official source.
• Minimum wage. $15 an hour for workers 18 and older, with a tipped credit of up to 40% of wages.

Do this

1. Find your anniversary month and file the annual report. An LLC files before the first day of the anniversary month. A corporation or nonprofit files within 60 days before the first day of the anniversary month. How the state sets your anniversary month wasn’t something we could read.* Check the official source. Expedited service isn’t available for online annual reports.
2. Pay franchise tax with the corporation’s report. The Secretary of State collects it. The basis is paid-in capital represented in Illinois on the last day of the third month before the anniversary month. The statute sets out the exemption.
3. File each sales tax return on time, on the schedule the Department of Revenue assigns. The ST-1 instructions explain the thresholds.
4. Make withholding payments and file the quarterly return on the Department’s schedule. You pay semi-weekly if you reported more than $12,000 in the look-back period.
5. File the quarterly unemployment report, Form UI-3/40, Employer's Contribution and Wage Report, once you owe unemployment tax. The form page has the dates.
6. Keep your registered agent current. Changing the agent or the registered office is a $25 filing.
7. Dissolved? Reinstate. After administrative dissolution, a dissolved LLC may only wind up its business. Reinstatement is $200 for an LLC, $200 for a corporation and $25 for a nonprofit.

What you get back

A filed annual report on your entity’s public record, and payment confirmations from the Department of Revenue and IDES. If you had to reinstate, the entity returns to active status once the Secretary of State files the application. Check the total when you file, because the fees here come from the statutes.*