Illinois automatic renewal law
Illinois's automatic-renewal law for subscription businesses: 6 cited requirements (disclosure, consent, acknowledgment, notice windows, cancellation), effective dates and who can sue. Generated from Checkbox's legal catalog; pending attorney review.
At a glance
| Applies to | Consumers in Illinois, wherever the business is located |
| Laws | Illinois Automatic Contract Renewal Act |
| Effective | 2005-01-01 (amended; latest change effective 2025-01-01) |
| Status | In force |
| Requirements in the catalog | 6 (2 with a notice window) |
| Private right of action | via general consumer law |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
Federal law applies on top of this: see federal subscription law.
The law
Illinois Automatic Contract Renewal Act
- Citation: 815 ILCS 601
- Effective: 2005-01-01
- Status: In force
- Verified: 2026-10-29, official text read in full (confidence: high)
Offer terms next to consent; consent before charging; acknowledgment; trial/promo notice (15+ days, at least 3 days before the deadline); 30-60 day written notice for 12-month+ contracts; online cancellation for online sign-ups. Violations are Consumer Fraud Act violations (good-faith-error defense with refund).
Scope: Consumer contracts (not business-to-business). Exempt: banks and other financial institutions, utilities under Art. XXII of the Public Utilities Act, Department of Insurance-regulated parties, and contracts extended because the consumer changed the terms.
| Amendment | Effective | Change |
|---|---|---|
| P.A. 102-517 | 2022-01-01 | Cancellation mechanism and online cancellation for online offers. |
| P.A. 103-70 | 2024-01-01 | Offer terms, consent, acknowledgment; B2B exclusion. |
| P.A. 103-919 | 2025-01-01 | Notice during free trials/promotional periods of 15 days or more. |
Requirements
Each row is one obligation in the catalog, in plain English, with the provision it comes from. "Applies when" lists the conditions under which it applies (otherwise it always applies to covered offers). The ids are stable and match the dataset and Checkbox API results.
At sign-up
| Requirement | Applies when | Effective | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
Disclose the automatic renewal offer terms clearly and conspicuously next to the consent request Disclose clearly and conspicuously in the contract, before the subscription is fulfilled and in visual proximity (for voice offers, temporal proximity) to the consent request, the automatic renewal offer terms: that the subscription continues until cancelled; the timeframe in which the consumer must cancel to avoid the next charge; the recurring charges (and any change); the renewal term length or that service is continuous; and any minimum purchase obligation. US-IL.601.10.a.i | always | 2024-01-01 | 815 ILCS 601/10(a)(i); 815 ILCS 601/5 |
Obtain consent before charging Do not charge the consumer's card or other payment mechanism for an automatic renewal without first obtaining the consumer's consent to the contract containing the automatic renewal offer terms. US-IL.601.10.a.ii | always | 2024-01-01 | 815 ILCS 601/10(a)(ii) |
After sign-up (acknowledgment)
| Requirement | Applies when | Effective | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
Send a retainable acknowledgment; explain how to cancel a free trial before paying Provide a retainable acknowledgment with the automatic renewal offer terms, the cancellation policy and how to cancel (a link to platform-specific instructions is acceptable). If the offer includes a free gift or trial, disclose how to cancel and allow cancellation before the consumer pays. US-IL.601.10.a.iii | always | 2024-01-01 | 815 ILCS 601/10(a)(iii)-(iv) |
Before charges (notices and reminders)
| Requirement | Applies when | Effective | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
Notice during a free trial or promotional period of 15 days or more If the contract includes a free trial or promotional period lasting 15 days or longer, notify the consumer during that period, at least 3 days before the cancellation deadline in the automatic renewal offer terms, using a method the consumer is accustomed to using with the business. US-IL.601.10.a-5 | free trial, trial ≥ 15 days | 2025-01-01 | 815 ILCS 601/10(a-5) |
Written renewal notice 30-60 days before the cancellation deadline (12-month+ contracts) For a contract with a term of 12 months or more that renews for more than one month, give written notice 30 to 60 days before the cancellation deadline, disclosing clearly and conspicuously and in retainable form: that it will renew unless cancelled; a cancellation mechanism offered in a manner the consumer commonly uses with the business; and the deadline to cancel to avoid the next charge. US-IL.601.10.b | term ≥ 12 months | 2005-01-01 | 815 ILCS 601/10(b) |
Cancelling
| Requirement | Applies when | Effective | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
Online offers: cancellation mechanism, and online sign-ups can cancel exclusively online A business making automatic renewal or continuous service offers online must provide a toll-free number, email, postal address (if billing directly) or another cost-effective, timely and easy-to-use cancellation mechanism; a consumer who accepted online must be allowed to terminate exclusively online (e.g. a pre-formatted termination email or a link to a website or online service for cancelling). US-IL.601.10.b-5 | online sign-up | 2022-01-01 | 815 ILCS 601/10(b-5) |
Notice windows
When each notice must be sent. A notice outside its window does not count, so schedule sends against the exact dates.
| Notice | When | Applies when | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice during a free trial or promotional period of 15 days or more | at least 3 days before the cancellation deadline | free trial, trial ≥ 15 days | 815 ILCS 601/10(a-5) |
| Written renewal notice 30-60 days before the cancellation deadline (12-month+ contracts) | 30-60 days before the cancellation deadline | term ≥ 12 months | 815 ILCS 601/10(b) |
Several states use overlapping windows; one email can often satisfy all of them. See free-trial notices and price increases.
Who can sue, and remedies
Private right of action: Indirectly: private suits go through general consumer-protection law.
Violations are Consumer Fraud Act (ICFA) violations: private suits with attorney's-fee shifting (FloSports $1.55M); forecast to lead the 2026-27 multistate wave.
Remedy figures come from the cited statutes and from public enforcement records summarized in Checkbox's litigation research; figures from secondary sources are marked "unverified" where they appear.
Earlier versions
Obligations the law replaced. They still apply to conduct before the date shown.
| Requirement | In force until | Citation |
|---|---|---|
Disclose the automatic renewal clause, including the cancellation procedure (2005-2023 text) US-IL.601.10.a.2005 | 2024-01-01 | 815 ILCS 601/10(a) (P.A. 93-950; through Dec. 31, 2023) |
Check your subscription flow
Checkbox evaluates these requirements automatically: the sign-up page, the emails and the cancellation flow are checked against Illinois's rules (and every other jurisdiction's) on every check. 20 machine checks cover this page.
- Free to start: get test API keys or connect the MCP server at
https://app.checkbox.site/mcpfrom your coding assistant. - Preflight a disclosure, a Stripe Checkout Session or an email before you ship: preflight checks (
--jurisdictions US-ILlimits a check to Illinois's rules). - Start from the subscription compliance checklist.
Data and citation
This page is generated from the open subscription law dataset (catalog 2026.11.01.1, CC BY 4.0), available as JSON and CSV. Cite it as: Checkbox, "Illinois automatic renewal law", checkbox.site/laws/illinois, catalog 2026.11.01.1 (last reviewed 2026-10-29). Report an error: support@checkbox.site.
Checkbox is compliance software, not a law firm; nothing in these docs is legal advice (details). You remain solely responsible for your subscription program, and Checkbox takes on no legal liability for it (Terms). Checkbox is a System1 company; Trust center · Status. For AI agents: every page is available as Markdown at the same URL plus .md; the index is /llms.txt.