Illinois school materials bonds.
$100 flat.
Illinois requires a publisher or dealer of school instructional materials to file a bond — payable to the People of Illinois — guaranteeing it sells to Illinois schools at its lowest, uniform price. The statute sets the bond between $2,000 and $10,000; at the $10,000 maximum, ours is $100 flat.
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How much does an Illinois school materials bond cost?
$100 at the $10,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps. One sitting.
Statutory bonds like this are the simplest thing in surety. Here's the entire process:
Apply online
Business details and an effective date. That is the application. No credit check.
Pay & e-sign
Fixed-amount bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase.
File it with your statement
Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with the sworn statement of prices the School Code requires. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Illinois protects school districts buying textbooks and instructional materials by requiring publishers and dealers to commit to fair, uniform pricing. Under 105 ILCS 5/28-1 of the School Code, a publisher files a sworn statement of its lowest net prices and backs it with a bond payable to the People of the State of Illinois, in an amount of not less than $2,000 nor more than $10,000.
The bond guarantees three things: that the publisher will furnish materials to any Illinois school district at the lowest net prices in its statement and keep those prices uniform statewide; that it will reduce its Illinois prices whenever it reduces them elsewhere in the U.S., never charging Illinois more than the rest of the country; and that it will not enter any agreement to fix prices or restrict competition in the sale of instructional materials.
It is not insurance for you. If a publisher breaks those pricing commitments and the State is harmed, the bond is a backstop — and if the surety pays, the publisher repays the surety. This page is the $10,000 maximum; if your filing calls for a smaller amount within the statutory range, send it over and we will issue it.
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 $10,000 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 it with your statement. Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with the sworn statement of prices the School Code requires. Wet-ink original mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $100 at the $10,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
No credit check.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual issuing fields. No credit check.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
School materials bond, issued today.
$100 flat, no credit check, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.