One of the most exciting (and fun) parts of starting an Illinois LLC is finding the perfect name. Your LLC’s name must be original and easily distinguishable from those of other corporate entities registered in Illinois (including corporations, partnerships and other LLCs). How do you make sure your choice isn’t already used?
- Check the Illinois Secretary of State Business Services name database to make sure it’s not already registered to another business entity
- Perform a basic internet search to see if anyone is already informally operating using your name; even if it’s technically available, this situation could cause confusion
- Check the federal patent and trademark database to make sure another company doesn’t have the name trademarked
Illinois has many requirements and restrictions for acceptable LLC names. This part of learning how to start an LLC in Illinois is more complicated than in many other states.
Your LLC name must include:
- The words “LLC,” “limited liability company” or “L.L.C.”
- Only letters of the English alphabet, Arabic or Roman numerals and symbols that can be reproduced by the Department of Business Services
Your Illinois LLC may not include:
- The words Ltd., Limited Partnership (or L.P.), Incorporated (or Inc.), Corporation (or Corp.)
- Words that might confuse your business with a government agency, such as “treasury” or “FBI”
- A word or words that create a “connotation that is offensive to good taste and decency”
For a complete list of rules, check the Illinois naming guidelines. These clearly lay out any naming restrictions that your corporation must follow.
Choosing a suitable name is an essential step in determining how to start an LLC in Illinois. Once you’ve settled on a few potential winners, you can submit a corporate name availability inquiry form to the secretary of state. It will respond by email to confirm whether your potential name is available. (You can inquire about up to three names per form.)
If your desired name is available but you’re not quite ready to start your LLC, you can reserve your potential name for 90 days by submitting this form. Unfortunately, you must do this by mail; send the original and one copy of the form along with a check for $25 payable to the Illinois Secretary of State (you can expedite this filing for an additional $25).
Before going any further in the process of how to start an LLC in Illinois, it’s a good idea to check that your preferred domain name is available before registering your LLC’s name. You don’t necessarily want to use the entire legal name of your Illinois LLC as your domain address, though. It’s best to choose an address that relates to your business that is short, catchy, easy to remember and user-friendly (especially for mobile users).
For example, the law firm of “Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP” uses the domain “skadden.com.” You could also consider using your company’s initials (“sasmf.com”) or a phrase related to your business (“chicagobusinesslawyers.com”).
Inside Scoop: Even if you’re not ready to build your business website, reserve your desired domain name now. It’s cheap and easy to do on your own, and it prevents a big headache down the line if you realize that you missed your chance.
