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The Connecticut LLC is created by one document, the Certificate of Organization. The state's forms list calls it "required, including appointment of statutory agent". It costs $120 at the Secretary of the State's Business Services Division and is filed on Business.CT.gov. The forms and fees page for domestic LLCs lists every charge, and our Connecticut guide covers searching the register.
What does a Connecticut LLC cost to start and keep?
The numbers below come from that forms page and from Conn. Gen. Stat. 34-243u.
- Certificate of Organization: $120, once.
- Annual report: $80 each year.
- Name reservation (optional): $60.
- Expedite (optional): $50 per transaction, online only.
Mail filings are slower and cannot be expedited. The pages we read publish no standard processing time, so ask for the expedite if you have a deadline.
What goes on the Certificate of Organization?
Section 34-247 of the Connecticut statutes lists the content. You need:
- The LLC name, which must follow the naming section.
- The street and mailing address of the principal office.
- Your registered agent, with a street and mailing address in Connecticut.
- The name, business address and residence address of at least one manager or member.
- An email address for the company.
- The company's NAICS code.
Item 4 is the unusual one. Many states ask only for an organizer. Connecticut wants a person tied to the company and a home address. If public disclosure could put that person at significant risk, the Secretary of the State can accept a business address when good cause is shown. Decide who you list before you start the form.
Which name can you use?
The name must end in Limited Liability Company, LLC or L.L.C. Ltd. and Co. are allowed as short forms of Limited and Company. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. 34-243k the name has to be distinguishable on the records of the Secretary of the State, and words that show the entity type are ignored when two names are compared. So "Harbor Light LLC" is likely to be refused if "Harbor Light Inc." is already on the register.
Search the register first with the steps in our Connecticut guide, and read the name availability guide. To hold a name, file an Application for Reservation of Name. It lasts 120 days, counting the filing date as day 1 (Conn. Gen. Stat. 34-243l). More on this in the name reservation guide.
Who can be your statutory agent?
Connecticut asks for a resident individual or a listed entity with a place of business in the state. You can name yourself if you live there. Otherwise name a person or business that agrees to take legal papers for you. The full rules, the $50 change fee and resignation are on our Connecticut registered agent page.
How do you file step by step?
- Create or sign in to a Business.CT.gov account.
- Choose Certificate of Organization from the LLC forms list. The system walks you through the fields.
- Enter the details from the list above and pay the $120, plus $50 if you want the expedite.
- Save the approved certificate when it arrives, along with your filing history in the account.
What do you do after approval?
Write an operating agreement so the members agree in writing on money, votes and exits. Then get a free EIN from the IRS using our EIN guide. Banks usually want your EIN and formation papers to open an account, so check what yours asks for.
What yearly upkeep does Connecticut require?
LLCs file the annual report online between January 1 and March 31 each year, for $80. All annual reports must be filed online. A late filer receives a Notice of Intent to Dissolve or Revoke, and a Certificate of Reinstatement costs $120. The annual report deadlines table puts Connecticut next to other states.
Trade names are not filed with the Secretary of the State. You file them with the town clerk.
If you also look at neighbours, compare the New York LLC, Massachusetts LLC and Rhode Island LLC steps.
Ready to file? Use the start an LLC form.
After approval, check the rules in our Connecticut business license guide.