Start a Free LLC in Connecticut

Per the Connecticut Secretary of the State, as of September 2026, Connecticut charges $120 to file the Certificate of Organization. After that, the Annual Report costs $80 every year. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year Connecticut registered agent service, so year one costs $219.

Many online filings are accepted within minutes through Business.CT.gov. Paper filings by mail or hand delivery take much longer. Expedited filing is available for $50 extra, completed within 24 hours of receipt, but only for filings submitted online through Business.CT.gov. Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Connecticut, choose an available name, appoint a Connecticut registered agent, and file the Certificate of Organization with the Connecticut Secretary of the State for $120. Then sign an operating agreement, get a free EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account and register for any state taxes. LLC Register files it for you as part of the $99-a-year registered agent service.

Yes. You can file online through Business.CT.gov, or on paper by mail or hand delivery. The Certificate of Organization costs $120.

In Connecticut you form an LLC by filing the Certificate of Organization with the Connecticut Secretary of the State. Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $120.

Yes. Expedited filing is available for $50 extra, completed within 24 hours of receipt, but only for filings submitted online through Business.CT.gov. Many online filings are accepted within minutes through Business.CT.gov. Paper filings by mail or hand delivery take much longer.

Use the Connecticut Secretary of the State's free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Connecticut LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "LLC" (a professional LLC must use "P.L.L.C.", "PLLC" or "Professional Limited Liability Company"). It must be distinguishable from every other active, reserved and registered name on file with the Secretary of the State.

Your Connecticut LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or "LLC" (a professional LLC must use "P.L.L.C.", "PLLC" or "Professional Limited Liability Company"). It must be distinguishable from every other active, reserved and registered name on file with the Secretary of the State. The rules are set by the Connecticut Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 613a, §§ 34-243 to 34-283d).

Yes. You can reserve a name for $60; the reservation lasts 120 days. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every Connecticut LLC must have a registered agent. An individual registered agent must be a Connecticut resident with a Connecticut residence address (no P.O. box) and consent to the appointment. A business agent must be an entity on record with the Secretary of the State with a Connecticut business address.

Yes. Any Connecticut resident, including a member or manager of the LLC, can serve as its registered agent by giving a Connecticut street address and signing to accept the appointment. The LLC itself cannot be its own agent. Your address becomes public record, and someone must be there during business hours to accept legal papers.

Not as your registered agent's address. An individual registered agent must be a Connecticut resident with a Connecticut residence address (no P.O. box) and consent to the appointment. A business agent must be an entity on record with the Secretary of the State with a Connecticut business address. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Connecticut.

File the Change of Agent (Change of Agent's Address if only the address changes) with the Connecticut Secretary of the State. The fee is $50.

Serving as your own Connecticut registered agent is free if you qualify. Commercial registered agents charge a yearly fee. LLC Register's Connecticut registered agent service is $99 a year and includes LLC formation and annual report filing.

Yes. Connecticut LLCs must file the Annual Report every year. The state fee is $80.

The Annual Report is due between January 1 and March 31 every year. Your first one is due between January 1 and March 31 of the year after your LLC is formed. It is filed with the Connecticut Secretary of the State.

Per the Connecticut Secretary of the State, as of September 2026, the Annual Report state fee is $80. It is due between January 1 and March 31 every year. LLC Register files it for you at no extra service fee while your registered agent service is active.

There is no late fee, but the Secretary of the State will not issue a certificate of legal existence until you file, and an LLC more than a year in default can be administratively dissolved. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

Connecticut has no franchise or privilege tax on LLCs. The former Business Entity Tax was eliminated for tax periods beginning after December 31, 2018.

Connecticut taxes an LLC according to its federal classification, so profits of a default LLC pass through to the members' Connecticut income tax returns; an LLC taxed as a C corporation instead pays the corporation business tax, and partnership-taxed LLCs may elect the optional pass-through entity tax. Federally, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC like a partnership, unless it elects to be taxed as a corporation.

If you sell taxable goods or services, register for a Sales and Use Tax Permit with the Department of Revenue Services through myconneCT for $100 before making any sales; the permit renews automatically every two years at no cost.

Before you hire, register for income tax withholding with the Department of Revenue Services through myconneCT, and for unemployment insurance with the Department of Labor through ReEmployCT. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Connecticut regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the Business.CT.gov.

Connecticut does not require an operating agreement, and you never file one with the state. The law lets an agreement govern relations among members, but adopting one is optional. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every Connecticut LLC it forms.

You need an EIN if your LLC has employees or more than one member, and most banks ask for one to open a business account. A single-member LLC without employees can use the owner's Social Security number for federal taxes, but an EIN keeps it off business paperwork.

Apply for free on the IRS website once the state has approved your LLC; online applicants receive the EIN immediately. Owners without a Social Security number can apply with Form SS-4 by fax or mail.

Yes. You do not have to live in Connecticut or be a U.S. citizen to form a Connecticut LLC. You do need a registered agent with a physical address in Connecticut. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. Connecticut allows an LLC with a single owner. By default the IRS taxes a single-member LLC like a sole proprietorship, reported on the owner's personal return.

No. Connecticut's Uniform Limited Liability Company Act has no provisions for a domestic series LLC.

Yes. Licensed professionals can form a professional LLC when every member holds the required license, the LLC renders only one type of professional service (with limited exceptions), and the name contains P.L.L.C., PLLC or Professional Limited Liability Company.

No. Connecticut does not require newspaper publication to form an LLC.

Order a Certificate of Legal Existence (Short-form Certificate of Existence for Limited Liability Companies) from the Connecticut Secretary of the State for $50. Banks, lenders and other states often ask for one as proof your LLC is current with the state.

An LLC formed in another state registers to do business in Connecticut by filing the Foreign Registration Statement with the Connecticut Secretary of the State. The fee is $120, and the LLC needs a Connecticut registered agent.

File the Certificate of Amendment with the Connecticut Secretary of the State for $120. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Certificate of Dissolution (BUS-035) with the Connecticut Secretary of the State for free. Before you file, wind up the business: pay debts, close tax accounts and distribute what is left to the members.

File a Trade Name Certificate with the town clerk where your LLC's principal place of business or trade name address is located, for $20; under Public Act 24-111 it is valid for five years. A DBA lets your LLC trade under another name without forming a new company.

Yes. An eligible LLC can elect S corporation tax status by filing IRS Form 2553. The election can reduce self-employment tax once profits are high enough to pay yourself a reasonable salary. Connecticut taxes an LLC according to its federal classification, so profits of a default LLC pass through to the members' Connecticut income tax returns; an LLC taxed as a C corporation instead pays the corporation business tax, and partnership-taxed LLCs may elect the optional pass-through entity tax.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Connecticut it costs $120 to form and the Annual Report is $80 every year.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. A Connecticut LLC costs $120 to form and protects your personal assets, with the same pass-through taxes by default.

Usually not if your business operates in Connecticut. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Connecticut for $120 and keep a Connecticut registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year Connecticut registered agent service. The state still charges its $120 filing fee, which we pass through at cost.

For $99 a year plus the $120 state fee: Connecticut LLC formation in year one, a Connecticut registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Annual Report every year. Renewal is $99 a year. State fees are passed through at cost.

No. FinCEN has exempted companies created in the United States from beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting. Only foreign companies registered to do business in a U.S. state still have to report.

The Connecticut Secretary of the State, Business Services Division, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at 165 Capitol Avenue, Suite 1000, Hartford, CT 06106 (delivery); P.O. Box 150470, Hartford, CT 06115-0470 (mail).

Yes, you should. Mixing business and personal money can weaken the liability protection your LLC gives you. Banks usually ask for your filed Certificate of Organization, your EIN and your operating agreement.