Whether you’re searching for the right Illinois business name or registering your LLC with the IL Secretary of State, we can help. We’ve got all the information you need on the Illinois business entity search, LLC naming rules, fictitious names and registering your business.
You need to check whether there’s already another Illinois LLC registered with your desired business name. That means searching the Illinois Secretary of State website using their “Corporation/LLC Database.” You can easily look up IL LLCs and corporations by name and other details. Using the tool is easy—just enter the business name you want to search for.
If the business name is already used, that means it’s not available and you won’t be able to register it. Try searching for a different business name instead.
Illinois Secretary of State business name search tool
Once you’ve decided on a name for your LLC and checked business name availability, you’ll need to meet Illinois Secretary of State naming rules. These do vary from state to state — we’ve got general naming rules below, as well as naming rules specific to LLC businesses formed in IL.
These rules typically apply to all LLCs, no matter what state they are formed in. You will need to pay attention to these rules as they will influence the name you choose for your Illinois LLC.
The business name you have chosen cannot be used by any other LLC or corporation in the state of Illinois. This is why you should check business name availability on the IL SOS website.
It’s not enough for your IL LLC name to be unique. It also cannot be similar to the name of a corporation or LLC in Illinois. For example, you cannot use the following factors to say your name is different from the name of another business:
All LLCs must have the words “Limited Liability Company,” “L.L.C.” or “LLC” in their name. These words should normally come at the end of the name.
Most states will not allow you to form LLCs with names that:
In addition to the general rules listed above, the Illinois Secretary of State has some specific business naming rules for your LLC. You will need to follow these rules if you want to name your IL business appropriately.
Read more about Illinois Secretary of State business naming rules.
You might choose to do business under a different name from your legal LLC name. In Illinois, doing business under a different name is known as an “Assumed Name.” You might choose to use a different name from your formal LLC name for a variety of reasons.
For example, your LLC might be called Illinois Great Lakes Holding Company LLC, but you have a chain called Lake Michigan Tourism and Leisure. You should file an Adopting an Assumed Name form to let the Illinois Secretary of State know, or you can have Incfile do it on your behalf through our Assumed Business Name service.
Incfile’s Assumed Business Name service
Once you’ve searched for your Illinois business name, checked availability, followed the naming rules and decided whether you need a fictitious name, you can register your Illinois LLC name. There are a couple of ways to do this.
You might find the following answers useful.
Just go to the business name search tool and enter your proposed business name. You can search the register of the Illinois Secretary of State, which will tell you if there are any IL corporations or LLCs with that name.
Yes. Most LLCs will be bound by general rules (applicable to all LLCs) and specific rules (applicable in the state of Illinois). We’ve detailed these rules above.
Yes. Known as “assumed names,” “fictitious names,” “doing business as names” or “trade names,” you can choose to conduct business under a different name.
Yes. The Illinois Secretary of State allows you to reserve a name if you don’t want to start your business immediately. If you are ready to start your business now, you do not need to reserve a name.
You might find these resources helpful.
You must be careful that your Illinois LLC name does not infringe on the trademark or service mark of another business. The easiest way to make sure your proposed business name does not infringe is to carry out a trademark search through Incfile. If it doesn’t infringe, you can even register it as a trademark yourself.
Incfile Trademark Search and Registration service
The perfect business name can be elusive. We have a complete guide to choosing the right business name, but basically, you'll want to choose a name that will:
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The state charges this amount to file a new business entity. This fee goes directly to the Secretary of State.
| State Fee | State Filing Time | Expedited Filing Time |
| $154 | 2 Weeks | 1 Business Day |
This report is mandatory and must be filed within the specified time frame in order for the entity to remain in good standing with the state. Failure to file this report can lead to the company being revoked or administratively dissolved.
Frequency: Annually
Due Date: Within 60 days immediately preceding first day of anniversary month.
Filing Fee: $128
Additional resources, guides, and articles for better decision making.
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