How Do I Register A Dba In Illinois

How to File a DBA in Illinois

An Illinois DBA (doing business as) is called an assumed name. Getting an Illinois DBA registration won't protect your personal avails. Forming a formal business construction like LLC or corporation will requite you liability protection along with a business name.

Forming an LLC is the best selection for most pocket-size businesses. Acquire more in our DBA vs LLC guide.

To get started with an Illinois DBA, cull your concern entity type:

Sole Proprietorship or Partnership (if your business is non a formal construction)
LLC, Corporation, or LLP (if your concern has a formal structure such as LLC or corporation)

A person holding a tablet displaying "your name is your brand" File a DBA.

Final Updated: 2022-05-25

Annals an Illinois DBA for a Sole Proprietorship or General Partnership

General partnerships, sole proprietors, and professional corporations are required to file their Illinois DBA with the County Clerk in the county where the business is located.

A full general partnership is a business organisation formed by two or more people, without a formal business structure. A sole proprietorship is a business owned by a unmarried private that isn't formally organized. In either case, the name of the business is the same as the name of the owners. A DBA can exist useful in these cases for changing the proper noun of the business to a more marketable name.

A DBA is only used for branding. A DBA doesn't offer any protection for your personal avails in the outcome that your business is sued. For this reason, we strongly recommend that a DBA should only be used past a formal business organization structure such as an LLC or corporation for the purpose of calculation new brands to an existing business.

If y'all are running an informal business (sole proprietorship or partnership), we strongly suggest forming an LLC to separate your business and personal assets. The proper noun of the LLC can be selected to act as the brand proper noun for the business.

Employ our How to Become a DBA in Illinois guide beneath to register an Illinois assumed name for your business. For a look at DBA filing in another country, check out our other step-by-footstep How to Get a DBA guides.

Step 1. Beginning With an Illinois Causeless Name Search

Illinois assumed names must exist unique and must as well meet Illinois's business name requirements.

Showtime, visit the Illinois Secretary of State's website and search for your new DBA name to make sure information technology isn't already in use.

Next, review the Illinois naming requirements. In Illinois, causeless names should NOT include:

Words that could confuse your business with a regime agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.)
Whatever discussion or phrase (east.chiliad. trust, trustee, fiduciary) that indicates or implies that your company is in the business concern of a corporate fiduciary unless permitted by the Secretary of Financial and Professional person Regulation.
Whatever words that indicate the corporation is in the business organisation of banking, insurance, or corporate fiduciary without authorization from the state Commissioner of Banks and Existent Manor.
Any word or phrase that is restricted by any other state statute

Learn more near Illinois naming guidelines by reading the state statute that covers professional corporation naming guidelines.

We recommend checking if your name is bachelor every bit a web domain (URL). You might non plan on starting a business concern website today, merely you may desire to preclude others from acquiring your URL.

Discover a Domain At present

Once you reserve a domain proper name for your DBA, consider setting upwardly a business organization phone organisation to assist strengthen your customer service and boost brownie. We recommend Phone.com considering of its affordable pricing and diverseness of useful features. Start calling with Phone.com.

Need Help Creating a Make Name and Logo?

If you need help coming upward with a DBA name, try our business organization name generator. And so, create a unique logo for your brand with our free logo generator.

Step 2. Filing a DBA in Illinois with the County Clerk

Sole proprietors, partnerships, and professional corporations are required to file an assumed concern name application with the appropriate county clerk's office(s) in order to operate under a DBA.

Sole proprietors, partnerships, and professional corporations must file in any county where your business conducts or transacts business.

We will give you stride-by-step directions to get a Cook County DBA (Chicago). For directions in other counties, delight contact your county clerk.

You can find your counties' contact information from the Illinois Clan of County Clerks and Recorders.

How to File a Cook County DBA

Before you start the DBA filing process, it is a good idea to search the Melt County assumed name database.

One time you have selected your name, you volition then consummate the Causeless Business organization Proper name Application and submit it to the Cook County Clerk. The certificate tin can be submitted online, by mail service, or in-person.

Option one: File Online With the Melt Canton Clerk

File Online

- OR -

Option 2: File the Assumed Business Name Application by Post or In-Person

Download Course

Cost:
$50 Filing Fee

Filing Address:
Cook County Clerk
Vital Statistics P.O. Box 641070
Chicago IL, 60664-1070
ATTN: Assumed Name Unit

Note:
Hard copy forms must be notarized

Publication Requirement

Sole proprietors, general partnerships, and professional corporations are required to publish a Copy of Legal Notice of Assumed Concern Proper name in a local weekly paper afterward registering an assumed business proper noun. Publication must occur within fifteen days of registration and the notice must be published once a week for iii sequent weeks.

Following publication, proof of publication must be submitted to the Clerk's part within l days of the application. The newspaper will provide y'all with a notarized Certificate of Publication and an original clipping of the published legal notice. Return both the document and clipping to the Clerk's office.

For more than information on publication and canonical newspapers, contact your canton clerk.

Manage Your Cook County DBA

DBA Questions
Call the Melt County Clerk at (312) 603-5652.

Renew Your DBA
Your assumed proper noun does not expire.

Modify Your DBA
To make changes to your Assumed Business Name Application, file electronically on the Cook County Clerk'south office website or fill up out and submit the Notification of Causeless Business Name Amendments form. The filing fee is $25.

Withdraw Your DBA
Fill out Department I of the Notification of Assumed Business Name Amendments form with the Cook County Clerk.

If you want to use a professional service to get a DBA for your sole proprietorship or partnership we recommend:

Swyft Filings ($99 + state fee)

File an Illinois DBA for an LLC or Corporation

The following businesses must register their assumed name with the Illinois Secretary of State:

For-turn a profit Corporations, Nonprofit Corporations
Limited Partnerships, Limited Liability Partnerships
Limited Liability Companies
Any Foreign Filing Entities

Y'all can file a DBA for your incorporated business yourself past using this guide. Or, utilize a professional service:

MyCompanyWorks ($99 + state fee)
Swyft Filings ($99 + state fee)

Pace ane. Do an Illinois Business concern Entity Search

Illinois assumed names must exist unique and must also come across Illinois's business name requirements.

First, visit the Illinois Secretary of State's website and search for your new DBA proper name to make sure information technology isn't already in utilise.

Side by side, review the Illinois naming requirements. In Illinois, assumed names should Non include:

Words that could confuse your business organisation with a government agency (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.)
Any word or phrase (due east.g. trust, trustee, fiduciary) that indicates or implies that your company is in the business of a corporate fiduciary unless permitted by the Secretary of Fiscal and Professional Regulation.
Any words that signal the corporation is in the business organisation of banking, insurance, or corporate fiduciary without authorization from the land Commissioner of Banks and Real Manor.
Any discussion or phrase that is restricted past any other state statute

Larn more by reading the Illinois state statutes that encompass corporation and LLC naming guidelines.

We recommend checking if your name is bachelor as a web domain (URL). Yous might not plan on starting a business website today, only you may want to prevent others from acquiring your URL.

Find a Domain Now

Demand Aid Creating a Brand Proper noun and Logo?

If yous need assistance coming upwards with a DBA proper noun, effort our business concern name generator. Then, create a unique logo for your make with our gratis logo generator.

Step 2: Filing Your Illinois Application to Adopt an Assumed Name

You are required to set up your DBA with the Illinois Secretary of Country if your business is an LLC or corporation. The forms and rules vary between LLCs and corporations.

Option 1: File Online With Cyberdrive Illinois

LLC Online Filing
Corporation Online Filing

- OR -

Option two: File the Application to Prefer an Assumed Name by Mail or In-Person

LLC Causeless Proper name Application
Corporation Assumed Proper name Awarding

Filing Cost:

$150 for each year or part thereof catastrophe in 0 or 5
$120 for each year or office thereof ending in 1 or 6
$90 for each year or function thereof ending in 2 or 7
$60 for each year or part thereof catastrophe in three or 8
$30 for each year or part thereof ending in 4 or 9

LLC Filing Accost:
Department of Business Services
Limited Liability Division
501 S. 2d St., Rm. 351
Springfield, IL 62756

Corporation Filing Address:
Secretary of Country
Department of Business Services
501 S. Second St., Rm. 350
Springfield, IL 62756

Manage Your Illinois DBA

DBA Questions
Call the Illinois Section of Business Services: (217) 782-6961

Renew Your DBA with the State
Your Certificate of Assumed Name expires later on five years. The fee to renew your assumed name is $150. A punishment of $100 volition apply to whatsoever causeless name renewed on or after the first mean solar day of the company'south anniversary calendar month.

Alter Your DBA
To brand changes to your Certificate of Causeless Name, you must complete and submit the Application to Adopt, Change, Cancel or Renew an Assumed Proper name for either an LLC or a corporation. The fee to file your causeless name change is $25.

Withdraw Your DBA
File the Awarding to Adopt, Change, Cancel or Renew an Assumed Name for an LLC or for a corporation. The fee to cancel an assumed name is $5.

If yous want to use a professional person service to become a DBA for your LLC or corporation nosotros recommend:

Swyft Filings ($99 + country fee)

After Filing Your Illinois DBA

If filing a DBA marks the beginning of your business journeying, then there are a few more steps that you should have before getting started:

Create your Business concern's Website - Every concern needs a website. Luckily, elevate-and-drop builders like GoDaddy and Wix make the job quick and piece of cake. Bank check out our Best Website Builder article to find the tool that's best for you.
Get your Business Finances in Gild - You lot'll demand to separate your business finances from your personal ones. This is accomplished by opening a business banking concern account. If your business has long pb times or other greenbacks menstruation irregularities, yous tin as well expect into a business credit carte.
Protect Your Business - While an LLC will help to protect your personal assets in the example of a lawsuit, your business's assets likewise need protection. Having the right business insurance will ensure that y'all're covered if the worst happens. Most businesses start with general liability insurance every bit their base coverage.

DBA Illinois FAQ

How many DBAs can I have?

You can take as many DBAs every bit yous tin afford to create and are able to keep track of. Each i comes with additional incremental expenses and paperwork, meaning more is non necessarily better.

Can a DBA go an EIN or Tax ID?

DBAs aren't required to have a separate EIN because DBAs aren't a business entity. The business organization entity that the DBA is under would accept an EIN if an EIN is required.

To learn more about EINs and when you demand one for your business, read our What is an EIN guide.

Tin a DBA become an LLC?

No. An LLC is a concern entity, while a DBA is but a name for a business concern.

Sole proprietorships are frequently confused with DBAs, but they are not the same: a sole proprietorship is a business concern entity, therefore information technology can cull to go an LLC.

To learn how to form an LLC, visit our Course an LLC land guides.

Can a DBA accept Inc. in the name?

A DBA can only have Inc. in the name if the business entity the DBA is attached to is a corporation.

How practise I set up a DBA for a rental holding?

Holding a rental property in your proper name and with a DBA will non afford you lot whatsoever protection. The best choice is to course an LLC to protect your personal avails in the consequence of an issue with the rental property. In any case, it is ever best to consult an attorney.

When would it exist good to get a DBA versus a legal name change?

Getting a DBA is ofttimes a better pick than irresolute your business organisation'southward legal proper noun. If y'all want to rebrand your company or focus on another line of business, filing for a DBA is a simpler process than filing for a legal name change.

Is my DBA protected from beingness used in other places?

Some state-level laws prevent DBAs that are too similar to existing ones from being used, but this varies from land to state. It is possible to trademark a DBA, which would offering stronger protection across state lines.

Useful Links for Your Illinois DBA

LLC Assumed Name Information
Corporation Assumed Name Information
Illinois Business Search
What is a Sole Proprietorship?
What is an LLC?

Illinois Business Resource