Illinois electric supplier (ARES) bonds.
From $100.
An Alternative Retail Electric Supplier certified to sell power in Illinois posts a financial-security bond with the Illinois Commerce Commission under 220 ILCS 5/16-115. The ICC sets the amount on your certificate. Pricing is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum.
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How much does an Illinois electric supplier bond cost?
2% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Apply to filed without the runaround.
Enter the ICC's amount, pay, and you have the executed security bond. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your company details, the bond amount the ICC set, and the effective date — that is the application.
Underwritten and issued
Utility-supplier bonds at the larger amounts get a brief underwriter review; most issue within a business day. No credit check up to $15,000.
File with the ICC
Submit the executed bond with your ARES certification or renewal at the Illinois Commerce Commission. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the ARES bond secures
Illinois opened retail electricity to competition, and a company that sells power to retail customers must be certified as an Alternative Retail Electric Supplier by the Illinois Commerce Commission under 220 ILCS 5/16-115. Certification requires the applicant to demonstrate financial responsibility — typically by posting a bond or comparable security.
The financial-security bond stands behind the supplier's obligations to customers, utilities, and the Commission, so that customers and the market are protected if a supplier fails to meet its commitments. The ICC's certification rules sit in 83 Ill. Admin. Code Part 451, which governs the form and amount of the required security.
There is no single statewide figure — the ICC sets the amount for each supplier as part of certification (commonly in the low-to-mid six figures). Enter the amount on your certificate and see your price; no credit check up to $15,000 for the standard bond, and larger amounts may get a brief underwriter review.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the ICC. Submit the executed bond with your ARES certification or renewal at the Illinois Commerce Commission. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 2% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $15,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, no credit check up to $15,000.
These are the actual underwriting fields. No credit check up to $15,000.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
ARES security bond, issued fast.
From $100. Enter the ICC-set amount, see your price, and file with the Commission.