Illinois credit services organization bonds.
$1,500 flat.
Illinois requires a credit services organization, a business selling credit repair, credit improvement, or credit-obtaining assistance to consumers, to maintain a $100,000 surety bond in favor of the State under 815 ILCS 605/5, with a copy filed with the Secretary of State before doing business. Ours is $1,500 flat.
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How much does an Illinois credit services organization bond cost?
$1,500 at the $100,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
The CSO bond is a straightforward Secretary of State filing. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business and owner details, an effective date, and a term. That is the application — and any credit screen is a soft pull that never shows as a hard inquiry.
Pay & e-sign
This bond is checkout-priced at $1,500 flat, so it issues the moment you pay — your executed bond and power of attorney generate on the spot.
File with the Secretary of State
A copy of your executed bond files with the Office of the Secretary of State before you begin doing business. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
The Credit Services Organizations Act, 815 ILCS 605, covers businesses that charge consumers for improving a credit record, obtaining credit, or advising on either. Section 5 requires the organization to maintain a surety bond in the principal sum of $100,000, issued by a bonding company authorized to do business in Illinois, with a copy filed with the Office of the Secretary of State.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of Illinois (the obligee). The bond runs in favor of the State for the benefit of any person damaged by a violation of the Act — the contract, disclosure, and no-advance-fee rules that protect credit repair customers. The surety answers for actual damages, capped at the bond amount.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The Act requires the bond to be maintained for 2 years after the organization ceases operations, so plan for a tail; we track the term and send renewal notices 60 and 30 days out.
You need this bond if you're
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 $100,000 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; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
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 Secretary of State. A copy of your executed bond files with the Office of the Secretary of State before you begin doing business. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $1,500 at the $100,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields — business and owner details, an effective date, and a term. That is the application.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Get your CSO bond filed today.
$1,500 flat, issued the moment you pay, soft pull only. Free until issued.