LLC formation services for Illinois tradespeople
Which formation service should a self-employed Illinois tradesperson use to form an LLC?
What a formation service does for a trades LLC
A formation service prepares and files your Articles of Organization. It does not register your trade, buy your bond, or issue your certificate of insurance.
Those stay yours. The IDPH plumbing application asks a new LLC to attach a copy of its Articles of Organization from the Illinois Secretary of State, and the roofing application asks for the same plus a purposes clause naming roofing services. The service can hand you that copy. It cannot sign the bond for you.
So the comparison is narrow: what is bundled around the filing, and what renews after year one. If you have not settled on a structure, read the structure page first.
Articles of OrganizationA new Illinois LLC registering as a plumbing contractor attaches its Articles of Organization and meeting minutes showing its members and managers. — Illinois Department of Public Health, plumbing contractor application, retrieved 2026-09-29
Published prices, service by service
Compare the total, not the headline. Several services publish a $0-plus-state-fee tier, so the difference is what the base includes and what you add.
Registered agent service is the line that differs most: a service will sell it as an add-on or include a first year. Each figure below comes from the service's own page, read on the date shown. Plans change, so check again before you buy.
The state's own filing fee is added to every row. This page could not open an official Illinois page stating it, so it is left out of the totals rather than quoted from a secondary source.
| Service | Base package | Registered agent | What renews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tailor Brands | $0 Lite, $199 or $249 a year for Essential and Elite | Not listed on the pricing page | Paid tiers bill yearly |
| Bizee | $0 Basic, $199 Standard, $299 Premium | One free year with any package | Agent service after year one |
| BetterLegal | $299 flat | Separate add-on | Add-ons only |
| ZenBusiness | Starting at $0 | $199 per year | Agent and compliance add-ons |
| LegalZoom | $0 Basic, $249 Pro, $299 Premium | $249 per year | Agent service yearly, auto-renews |
| File it yourself | State fee only | Your own arrangement | State annual report |
$0 + state feeBizee publishes $0 Basic, $199 Standard and $299 Premium plans plus the state fee, and says each package is eligible for one free year of Registered Agent service. — Bizee pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$199 per yearZenBusiness publishes LLC formation starting at $0 plus state fees, registered agent service at $199 per year, and Worry-Free Compliance Filings at $199 per year. — ZenBusiness pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$249 per yearLegalZoom's registered agent service is $249 per year and auto-renews at the purchase rate each year until cancelled. — LegalZoom registered agent page, retrieved 2026-09-29
Formation services matched to what a tradesperson needs
These are use cases, not a ranking. Each service sits where its own published offer fits a need, and the order on the page is presentation order only.
Every price here is what the service published about itself on the date checked. Nothing on this page is a rating. Confirm the current plan on each service's site before you sign up.
- Tailor Brands
Suits a tradesperson who wants the filing and the business tools in one account. The $0 Lite plan covers the LLC filing, an operating agreement and the annual compliance filing, and Lite processes the LLC within 14 business days. Essential and Elite process within one business day, at $199 and $249 a year. The pricing page lists no registered agent price, so budget for that separately.
- Bizee
Every package here comes with one free year of registered agent service, for a first year. The base plan is $0 plus the state fee. Standard is $199 and Premium is $299 for more included features. The agent service is what you pay for once the free year ends.
- BetterLegal
No tiers to compare: $299 plus the state fee covers an expedited filing, an EIN, an operating agreement and basic company documents, with a stated two-business-day turnaround. Getting the EIN in the package saves a step before a bond or bank account. Registered agent service is an add-on, not part of the $299.
- ZenBusiness
Deadline help is the pitch once the filing is done. Formation starts at $0 plus state fees, and Worry-Free Compliance Filings run $199 a year with an advanced tier at $299. Registered agent service is a separate $199 a year, so the total climbs once you add both.
- LegalZoom
When a lawyer's opinion matters, the Pro plan at $249 plus state fees adds an operating agreement, an EIN and a 30-day subscription to unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations, which auto-renews at $49 a month. Basic at $0 files only the articles. Registered agent service is separate at $249 a year.
$0 + state feesTailor Brands publishes a $0 Lite LLC plan plus state fees, with Essential at $199 per year and Elite at $249 per year, and Lite processed within 14 business days. — Tailor Brands plans and pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$299 + state feeBetterLegal publishes a $299 plus state filing fee formation package with an EIN and an operating agreement, two business days turnaround, and registered agent as an add-on. — BetterLegal home page, retrieved 2026-09-29
$249 + state feesLegalZoom's Pro LLC plan is $249 plus state filing fees and includes an operating agreement, an EIN and 30 days of unlimited 30-minute attorney consultations. — LegalZoom LLC pricing page, retrieved 2026-09-29
File it yourself with the Secretary of State
You can skip every service. Filing directly with the Illinois Secretary of State is the file-it-yourself route, and the fee is set by the Secretary of State.
This page does not quote that fee or link the filing page, because neither could be opened when it was written. Confirm the current fee on the Secretary of State's own site before you file.
The route is the benchmark for the whole page: the same filing with nobody in between. What a service adds is the typing, a first year of agent service or reminders. Either way, the IDPH plumbing application asks a new LLC to attach a copy of the filed Articles of Organization.
Articles of OrganizationA new Illinois LLC registering as a plumbing contractor attaches its Articles of Organization and meeting minutes showing its members and managers. — Illinois Department of Public Health, plumbing contractor application, retrieved 2026-09-29
Year two for a trades LLC
Pick by year-two cost and by what you will actually use. The yearly duties stay yours whoever filed the paperwork.
The registration and bond calendars run separately from the LLC's. The plumbing registration expires every September 30, and a change of ownership or structure means a new application with a new bond and certificate in the new name. The bond and insurance guide lists the dates, and the certificate guide covers the name match.
Write down both calendars before choosing a service, then compare what each option costs you in year two.
September 30An Illinois plumbing registration expires September 30 and is non-transferable on an ownership change, with the Department notified of changes within 15 days. — Illinois Department of Public Health, plumbing contractor application, retrieved 2026-09-29
Questions
Do I need a registered agent to form an Illinois LLC?
Each service publishes its own registered agent treatment: Bizee includes one free year, ZenBusiness charges $199 a year, LegalZoom $249 a year, and BetterLegal sells it as an add-on. Check the table above, and confirm Illinois requirements with the Secretary of State.
Can a formation service register my plumbing or roofing business?
No. The plumbing registration is filed with the Department of Public Health and the roofing license with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. A service can supply the Articles of Organization copy both applications ask for.
Does a service buy my surety bond?
No. The bond is written by a surety on the agency's own form, in the exact business name on the application. Forming the LLC first gives you that name.