State guides/Illinois/reinstate
How to reinstate a dissolved LLC or corporation in Illinois
What happened
Illinois involuntarily dissolves entities that ignore the annual report. A dissolved Illinois entity can't sue on its contracts, and officers risk personal liability for business conducted while dissolved.
How to fix it, step by step
- 1File the Application for Reinstatement (Form LLC-35.40 for LLCs; corporations use their own form) with the Secretary of State.
- 2File all delinquent annual reports and pay each year's fee plus penalties.
- 3Confirm the registry shows Active again, and calendar the anniversary-month deadline.
What it costs
The reinstatement application is $200 for LLCs, plus $75 per missed annual report and accrued penalties — a two-to-three-year lapse commonly totals $350–$500+.
How long you have
Illinois allows reinstatement for years after dissolution (commonly cited as a 5-year window) — confirm your entity's status with the Secretary of State.
A compliance filing service can run the whole reinstatement — the back filings, the fees, the state paperwork — so you can get back to the actual business.
File directly with the state: www.ilsos.gov · Related: Illinois filing requirements
General information from public sources, not legal advice. Fees and procedures change and depend on your entity's history — confirm with the state before relying on them. Some links above are referral links that support this free tool.