Illinois License & Test Fees

$20

Source: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, Chapter 1: Driver's License/State ID Card Fees, p. 11 · Verified Sep 2026

$0 (no separate fee)

Source: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, Chapter 1: Driver's License/State ID Card Fees, p. 11 · Verified Sep 2026

$0 (no separate fee)

Source: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, Chapter 1: Driver's License/State ID Card Fees, p. 11, which lists every driver's license and permit fee and has no exam fee; Chapter 2: Driver's License Exams, p. 13: "You are allowed three attempts to pass each exam within one year from the date you paid your application fee." The Secretary of State's published fee schedule at ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/basicfees.html likewise lists no driving or written exam fee. · Verified Sep 2026

What a first license costs in Illinois depends on age, and for the readers of this book the published age bands are the wrong place to look. The Secretary of State's schedule runs $30 for ages 21 to 68, $5 for ages 18 to 20, $5 for 69 to 80, $2 for 81 to 86 and free from 87. There is no band below 18, in either the schedule or the manual's fee table, and that absence is not an oversight: a driver aged 16 or 17 reaches a license through the instruction permit, which costs $20, and the schedule notes that an applicant who receives the license before the instruction permit expires may not need to pay an additional fee. The permit is valid for 24 months, which is longer than the nine-month hold, so a teenager who moves through the graduated stages on schedule usually pays the $20 once and nothing again at issue. Budget the $20 permit fee as the real cost, treat the $5 as what applies if the permit has lapsed and the applicant is 18 to 20 by then, and check the current schedule before quoting any of it, because the manual prints its fee table under a warning that fees are subject to legislative change and sends readers to ilsos.gov for current figures.

Source: Illinois Secretary of State, Fees, checked 2026-09-21: "Driver's License or Renewal - Persons ages 18 to 20 $5"; "Driver's License - Persons ages 21 to 68 $30"; "Instruction Permit (Class D) - Original $20" with the note "If you receive your license prior to the expiration of your instruction permit, you may not need to pay an additional fee." Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, Chapter 1: Driver's License/State ID Card Fees, p. 11, prints the same bands and likewise carries no band below age 18; p. 12 adds "Fees are subject to legislative change. For up-to-date fee information, visit ilsos.gov." Chapter 3, p. 17, states the waiver directly: "If you receive your driver's license before the expiration of the instruction permit, you will not be required to pay an additional fee when applying for your driver's license." The 24-month permit validity is at Chapter 3, p. 16. · Verified Sep 2026

$30 (ages 21-68)

Source: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, Chapter 1: Driver's License/State ID Card Fees, p. 11 · Verified Sep 2026

$20 (ages 18-64)

Source: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, Chapter 1: Driver's License/State ID Card Fees, p. 11 · Verified Sep 2026

The handbook does not list a separate retake charge; it says the application fee buys three attempts at each exam within one year of payment. After that the applicant must re-apply and pay again.

Source: Illinois Rules of the Road 2026, Chapter 2 'Driver's License Exams', p. 13: "You are allowed three attempts to pass each exam within one year from the date you paid your application fee." · Verified Aug 2026