Illinois has about 1.4 million small businesses, 99.6% of all businesses in the state, according to the US Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. A virtual office gives a business without premises a downtown Chicago address for its mail and, in some plans, a receptionist and meeting rooms.
If a provider receives your mail as a commercial mail receiving agency, USPS rules require you to complete PS Form 1583 and show two current forms of ID, signed in front of the agent or a notary.
Among the providers below that publish prices, a virtual office in Chicago with an address and mail handling starts at $69 a month, paid annually, and a package with a receptionist answering calls in the company’s name costs $263.20 a month. For how the arrangement works, see what a virtual office is.
Amata
Amata sells its virtual plans at 77 West Wacker Drive in the Loop. The Business Address plan covers the address and mail, which can be held, forwarded or scanned. A receptionist for your calls is an add-on, and the $205 Virtual Office plan adds day use of Amata’s five locations.
Worth knowing: The address plan includes no workspace, so a business that meets clients gets more from the $205 plan.
Price: From $69/month
Contact: 312 924 0200
Learn more: Amata 77 W Wacker Dr
Servcorp
Servcorp occupies the 17th floor of River Point, 444 West Lake Street, in the West Loop, with a staffed reception and meeting rooms on the floor. The Address Package covers the business address, mail and courier management, an hour a day in the coworking lounge and pay-as-you-go meeting rooms. The Virtual Office, $263 a month, adds a local number answered by a dedicated receptionist, 24/7 voicemail and 60 hot desk hours a month. It suits firms that want calls answered in the company’s name, and clients met at the address. Most of the value sits in the receptionist and the staffed floor, so a business that only needs its post handled would use little of either package.
Price: From $143.20/month
Contact: 312 416 8500
Learn more: Servcorp 444 W Lake Street
Chicago Virtual Office
Chicago Virtual Office, which also trades as Avenue Business Centre, operates from Suite 810 at 205 North Michigan Avenue, on the Loop side of the Chicago River. Its site lists virtual offices with mail forwarding, trained receptionists, a multi-line telephone service for a local number, on-site administrative services and meeting rooms, alongside office suites and coworking. It publishes no virtual office plans or prices, so the package is set on enquiry. It suits a business that wants staff on hand for its calls and visitors. The centre is built around receptionists, administrative help and rooms on site, so the value sits in those services more than in an address alone.
Price: From $60/month
Contact: 312 238 7930
Learn more: Chicago Virtual Office 205 N Michigan Ave
Expansive
Expansive runs flexible workspace at several Chicago addresses and sells its virtual office at its Magnificent Mile centre, on the fourth floor of 605 North Michigan Avenue. The plan covers use of the business address, with mail forwarding and electronic mail scanning available. The product page’s questions and answers walk through the USPS Form 1583 that each client completes, including the identification it needs, before mail is received at the centre. It suits a business that wants a North Michigan Avenue address for its mail. The virtual office listing names the address and mail handling but no phone line or meeting room time, so its value sits in the address alone.
Price: From $60/month
Contact: 312 500 8170
Learn more: Expansive 605 N Michigan Ave
Regus
Regus, part of IWG, runs several Chicago centres, and this entry covers Suite 1700 at 111 West Jackson Boulevard in the Loop. Regus sells virtual office plans through its centres; Regus quotes the plan contents and price for this address, and prices for its other Chicago centres are separate. It suits a business that wants a Loop address from a provider with centres across the city and in other cities. With no plan details published for this centre, a business that wants its calls answered should confirm which plan includes them.
Price: Contact Regus for pricing
Contact: 312 675 6000
Learn more: Regus, 111 W Jackson Blvd
Choosing the right virtual office in Chicago
If the address is mainly for mail and keeping your home address private, an address plan covers it. A registered agent for an LLC or corporation is a separate role, so ask whether the provider offers it before using the address on a state filing.
If you are based outside Chicago, check whether mail is scanned, forwarded or held for collection, and expect the USPS form and ID checks before the first item arrives.
If clients phone you, call answering usually sits in a higher plan or an add-on. If clients visit, look for a staffed front desk and meeting rooms, and ask how room time is charged. The Chicago virtual office directory lists more addresses across the city.
