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Plan for Chicago, IL

Starting a Business in Chicago: Licenses, Registrations & Checklist

A step-by-step plan to open a business in Chicago: what to file first, what depends on what, and which permits come before opening day. Change the business details to fit yours.

Business
Leave empty if none fits; general rules apply.
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Tax
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Dates

Permits and registrations specific to Chicago, IL

Sales tax permitIllinois Certificate of Registration (Retailers' Occupation Tax)
City of ChicagoHas its own business licenses, taxes or permits (listed below).
Cook CountyHas its own business licenses, taxes or permits (listed below).
Local licenses and permits to obtain
  • Municipal business license — Chicago, Cook County, Illinois · City/village clerk: Chicago / Cook County (city)
  • Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Chicago · Chicago (Cook County) building department (city)
  • Obtain Chicago business license · Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) (city)
Register with these Illinois agencies

Startup sequence and prerequisites in Chicago

Based on your selections, this plan has 10 steps. What you file first decides what you can do next: later registrations and licenses wait on the ones below.

Do these first

  1. Maintain a registered agent in Illinois
  2. File formation documents with the Illinois Secretary of State, Business Services
  3. Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Then, once those are done

  • Register for and file Illinois entity-level taxes — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Municipal business license — Chicago, Cook County, Illinois — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Chicago — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Obtain Chicago business license — after: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Start planObligations (9)
Government fees

Known charges: $75.00 per year.

Total incomplete: some fees unknown

9 of 10 steps have no fee amount in our data. The figures above count only the 1 step with a recorded fee. Check each agency's fee schedule.

File formationOct 25, 2026in 7 days
Ready to operateJan 1, 2027in 75 days
Opening dateNot setAdd a target opening date to check the plan fits
Progress0 / 10Saved in this browser

Things the formation documents depend on: a registered agent and any professional approvals.

Suggested planning date: Oct 25, 2026
Ongoing
not individually checked

File the formation documents with the state.

Suggested planning date: Nov 8, 2026
One-time
not individually checked
After: Maintain a registered agent in Illinois

Obtain the EIN (and apply for tax-exempt status, for nonprofits). Most registrations need it.

Suggested planning date: Nov 11, 2026
One-time
not individually checked
After: File formation documents with the Illinois Secretary of State, Business Services

State tax accounts, trade name, foreign qualification and publication requirements.

Suggested planning date: Nov 25, 2026
Annual
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Licenses and permits you need before you operate: state, industry, local and professional.

Suggested planning date: Dec 25, 2026
Annual
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Dec 25, 2026
One-time
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Suggested planning date: Dec 25, 2026
Every 2 years
not individually checked
After: Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Recurring filings and payments, in the order they fall due.

Statutory deadline: Apr 15, 2027 · in 179 days
Annual
not individually checked
Applies because: Federal tax treatment is sole_prop. Schedule: April 15.
Statutory deadline: May 1, 2027 · in 195 days
Annual
checked Oct 16, 2026
Applies because: Business operates in IL. Schedule: May 1.
Statutory deadline: Oct 1, 2027 · in 348 days
fee $75
Annual
checked Oct 13, 2026
Applies because: llc formed in IL. Schedule: Before the first day of the anniversary month.
Suggested planning dates are allowances, not agency processing times. Statutory deadlines come from the rules and are labeled as such.

Common questions about Chicago

The state licenses your industry through its own regulator, and the city and county add local permits. These are the authorities and local items on record for Chicago:

  • Real estate licensing: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation
  • Alcohol licensing: Illinois Liquor Control Commission
  • Child care licensing: Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
  • Health facility licensing: Illinois Department of Public Health
  • Municipal business license — Chicago, Cook County, Illinois (City/village clerk: Chicago / Cook County, city)
  • Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Chicago (Chicago (Cook County) building department, city)
  • Obtain Chicago business license (Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP), city)

With your current selections, the licenses and permits are: Municipal business license — Chicago, Cook County, Illinois; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Chicago; Obtain Chicago business license. Change the industry above to see yours.

Sources: tax.illinois.gov, ilsos.gov, tax.illinois.gov, ides.illinois.gov

Formation comes first; tax, license and employer registrations wait on it. In your plan the first steps are:

  1. Maintain a registered agent in Illinois
  2. File formation documents with the Illinois Secretary of State, Business Services
  3. Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Sources: tax.illinois.gov, ilsos.gov, tax.illinois.gov

Known government fees for your plan: $0.00 one-time and $75.00 per year.

Steps without a recorded fee are not counted, so check each agency's fee schedule before you budget.

Sources: tax.illinois.gov, ilsos.gov, tax.illinois.gov

In your plan for Chicago, requirements come from four levels. Illinois sets formation, state taxes and employer rules; the city and county add local licenses and taxes.

  • Federal (2): Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN); File federal income tax return: Form 1040 with Schedule C
  • State (4): Maintain a registered agent in Illinois; File Annual Report (Illinois); Register for and file Illinois entity-level taxes; File the annual unclaimed property holder report (Illinois)
  • City (3): Municipal business license — Chicago, Cook County, Illinois; Obtain certificate of occupancy for premises in Chicago; Obtain Chicago business license

Sources: tax.illinois.gov, ilsos.gov, tax.illinois.gov

  • Register for unemployment insurance with Illinois Department of Employment Security.
  • Workers' compensation: Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. Required when: 1 employee (even part-time)
  • Register to withhold Illinois income tax from wages.

Sources: ides.illinois.gov, labor.illinois.gov, tax.illinois.gov

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