Selling and marketing
Illinois Licensing to Sell Baked Goods From Home: 1 Rule
Find the Illinois cottage food checklist, the exact label wording, and what to confirm before you sell.
On this page
- What the Illinois checklist actually asks you to confirm
- Licensing questions to settle before you take an order
- A worked example you can copy into your own numbers
- How to read the checklist for your own product line
- What to keep in your records after you start selling
- How to compare a flat fee with a commission before you choose a shop
- Mistakes that cost you money before your first sale
- What to check before you commit to a sales channel
What to remember
- Open the Illinois Extension cottage food checklist before you print labels.
- Use the exact label sentence from the checklist.
- Add ingredients, labor, and overhead before you set a price.
- Brevl is $20 a month with 0% commission.
The Illinois licensing required to sell baked goods from home kitchen question starts with the checklist, not with a label printer. Read the checklist before you print labels or take a deposit, and keep a copy with your records. Then set up your shop so the label and the money side are ready on day one.
What the Illinois checklist actually asks you to confirm
The checklist is the document to open first, and the same guide specifies the label wording you see in the answer. Read it before you print labels or take a deposit, and keep a copy with your business records. If you want the Illinois steps in one place, see sell baked goods from home in Illinois.
The checklist covers cottage food and the label wording, but it does not replace your own reading. Open it before you buy packaging or set up your shop, and check it again when you add a new product. Keep your product list next to the checklist so you can match each item to the wording.
Licensing questions to settle before you take an order
Write down what you sell, where you sell it, and who you sell to before you take an order. The checklist is where you confirm those details, so keep it with your product list and your sales notes. For a short list of permits to check, see what permits you need to sell baked goods from home.
Do not guess from a label you saw at a market, and use the checklist for your own products. If you change your product line, read the checklist again before you print new labels. Write down the market name and dates for market sales, and the platform and pickup plan for online sales.
Open the cottage food checklist
Start with the cottage food checklist before you buy packaging or print labels.
Copy the exact label wording
Use the sentence from the checklist word for word on your label.
Cost one product fully
Add ingredients, your labor, and overhead. Brevl is $20 a month with 0% commission.
Set up how you get paid
Use your own Stripe or Square account for cards, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash.
Keep the checklist with your records
Save a copy so you can check your label and your sales details later.
A worked example you can copy into your own numbers
A price is not a margin, because the margin is what is left after ingredients, your labor, and overhead. Use your own receipts and your own hourly rate, and treat the $20 monthly Brevl fee as overhead. The only number in this example is the $20 monthly Brevl fee and the 0% commission.
Use one product and one month, and write your sales for that product on the first line. Write ingredient total on line two, labor total on line three, and $20 for Brevl on line four. Brevl takes 0% of sales, so there is no commission line to subtract from your sales. Subtract ingredients, labor, and the $20 from sales, and the number left is your margin after all three costs.
How to read the checklist for your own product line
The checklist is not a one-time read, because each product you sell must match the label wording. Keep a product list next to the checklist and mark each item you have confirmed. When you add a new product, read the same guide again before you print a new label.
Do not copy a label from another seller, because your products and your kitchen are not the same. Use the checklist for your own items, and write down any question you cannot answer. Ask the same guide again when your product line changes, and keep the answer with your records.
What to keep in your records after you start selling
Keep the checklist, your label file, and your cost sheet together in one folder so you can find them. Save a copy of each label you print, and write down your sales by product and by month. Keep your ingredient receipts and your labor hours so you can check your margin later.
If a rule or a price changes, you update one place instead of hunting through papers. That record also shows you which product pays for its ingredients, labor, and overhead after all three costs. Use it before you set a new price or add a new product to your shop.
How to compare a flat fee with a commission before you choose a shop
Brevl is $20 a month with 0% commission, so compare that with any cut of sales you are offered. A commission grows when your sales grow, but a flat fee stays the same each month. Put both numbers on your cost sheet before you choose a shop so you can see the difference.
Use your own sales numbers to see which cost is lower for your shop before you commit. If you sell more, a commission takes more, while the $20 fee does not change. That comparison belongs on the same cost sheet as your ingredients, labor, and overhead after all three costs.
Mistakes that cost you money before your first sale
The first mistake is printing labels before you read the checklist, and the second is pricing from ingredients alone. The third is paying a commission when a flat fee would do, so compare Brevl at $20 a month. For the wider rule check, see Illinois cottage food regulations before you print labels or take orders.
Another mistake is setting a price before you know your labor cost for each product. Time is a real cost even when you bake at home, so add your labor to the cost sheet. Then check the margin after ingredients, labor, and the $20 overhead before you quote a price.
What to check before you commit to a sales channel
Check the label wording first, and then check how you get paid before you open a shop. Brevl works on a computer and on a phone, so you can set up from either. It gives you a shop with your photos, your colors, and your own web address. You can take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash.
A 14 day free trial lets you test the setup before you commit. We set it up with you, and we move your old shop over: products, photos, reviews, and dates. A real person answers, usually within minutes, so you can ask about labels or costs.
Try the free bake pricing calculator
Free, no signup.
- What Is Required to Sell Baked Goods From Home: 3 Rules
- Can You Legally Sell Baked Goods From Home? (2026)
Common questions
Do I need a license to sell baked goods from my Illinois home kitchen?
Start with the Illinois Extension cottage food checklist. It is the document that tells you what applies to your products and sales. The checklist also gives the exact label wording to use. Confirm your own situation before you print labels or take orders.
What label wording does Illinois require?
The checklist specifies: “This product was produced in a home kitchen not subject to public health inspection that may also process common food allergens.” Put that wording on your label. Check the checklist for any other label details before you print.
Can I sell from my home kitchen in Illinois?
The checklist is the place to confirm what you can sell and how. It covers cottage food and the label wording. Read it before you buy packaging or set up your shop. Then keep a copy with your records so you can check it later.
What does Brevl cost?
Brevl costs $20 a month flat, with 0% commission. The 14 day trial is free. You take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. That makes the monthly fee easy to compare with your sales.
How do I price baked goods after I get the label right?
Add ingredients, labor, and overhead before you set a price. Brevl costs $20 a month and takes 0% of sales, so that is your overhead number. Use the free pricing calculator to see the margin after all three. Do not price from ingredients alone.
Sources
General information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your own Illinois requirements with the Illinois Extension checklist.