How to Start an LLC in Connecticut (2026)
Filing your Connecticut LLC costs $120 and requires a certificate of organization submitted to the Secretary of the State. This guide walks you through every step, from choosing a name to opening your business bank account.
In This Article
- Overview
- Quick Facts
- Introduction
- Choose a Name for Your Connecticut LLC
- Choose a Registered Agent in Connecticut
- File Your Certificate of Organization with Connecticut
- Get an EIN for Your Connecticut LLC
- Create an Operating Agreement for Your LLC
- Open a Business Bank Account for Your Connecticut LLC
- Federal BOI Reporting
- Top 3 LLC Services
- FAQ
- Next Steps
What You'll Learn in This Guide
This guide walks you through every step to legally form a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in Connecticut, from picking a name to staying compliant year after year. We've kept it practical, current, and free of unnecessary fluff.
Note
Connecticut LLC formation costs $120 in state fees. You can file DIY or through a formation service starting at $0.
Connecticut LLC: Quick Facts
Last Verified: Oct 2026- Filing Fee (Online)
- $120
- Processing Time
- Many online filings accepted…*
- Expedited Available
- Yes (online only / $50)
- Annual Report
- $80 (annual)**
- State Income Tax
- Yes
- Sales Tax Rate
- 6.35%
- Filed With
- Secretary of the State
- Last Verified
- October 20, 2026
* Processing Time: Many online filings accepted automatically
** Annual Report: $80, due March 31 each year
What You Need to Know About Forming an LLC in Connecticut
If you want to start an LLC in Connecticut, you can follow six steps. An LLC, or limited liability company, keeps your personal assets apart from the debts of the business. You file one form with the Secretary of the State and then take a few more steps.
Before you start, make two choices. You can be your own registered agent, which is the person or company that receives legal mail for your business, or you can hire one. You can also file online or by mail. The steps cover the name, agent, filing, federal tax number, operating agreement and bank account.
Connecticut charges $120 to form an LLC. Each year you file an $80 annual report online between January 1 and March 31. Your first report is due in the calendar year after the year you form. Connecticut no longer charges a business entity tax.
Choose a Name for Your Connecticut LLC
Your LLC name must include LLC or a similar phrase and differ from the other names on file in Connecticut.
Connecticut requires every LLC name to include the words limited liability company, or the letters LLC or L.L.C. Your name must differ from every other name on the Secretary of the State's records, including names someone else has registered or reserved. Your name may state only purposes that the LLC law allows.
Search available names →Connecticut LLC Naming Rules
Optional Name Reservation
- Search the names on file with the Connecticut Secretary of the State
- Reserve a name for 120 days for $60 if you are not ready to file
- If the name is open and you are ready, file without a reservation
State Specific
Connecticut lets you reserve a name for 120 days for $60. Only you can use the name during that time. You can also transfer the reservation to another person for $60.
Pro Tip
Search the business names on file before you settle on a name. If a name on file is too close to yours, choose another.
Choose a Registered Agent in Connecticut
Every Connecticut LLC needs a registered agent. This is the person or company that receives legal mail for your business.
A registered agent receives legal papers for your LLC, such as notice of a lawsuit. An agent can be a Connecticut resident or a company with a Connecticut business address. A person gives a business address and a home address, and a company gives its business address. Neither street address can be a P.O. box. A person who serves also signs to accept the appointment.
Your Registered Agent Options
- You can be your own agent if you live in Connecticut and have a street address
- A friend or family member who lives in Connecticut can serve if they agree and sign
- A company that can act as an agent can serve for you, and its fees vary
Pro Tip
An agent who is a person gives a home address and a business address on the form. If you would rather list a company, ask one to serve as your agent.
File Your Certificate of Organization with Connecticut
You form your LLC by filing the certificate of organization with the Secretary of the State, online or by mail.
You start your Connecticut LLC by filing the certificate of organization. The fee is $120 online or by mail, and it covers the appointment of your registered agent. Online, you file at business.ct.gov with a card, and the state accepts many filings automatically. Mail is the slowest way and takes a check or money order. Expedited service costs $50 and is online only.
File Online
File by Mail
Information You'll Need to File
- Your LLC name, with LLC or a similar phrase
- Street and mailing address of your main office. The street address cannot be a P.O. box
- Your registered agent's name, Connecticut address and signed acceptance
- Name, business address and home address of at least one member or manager
- An LLC email address, a six digit NAICS code (industry code) and the $120 fee
State Specific
Connecticut no longer charges a business entity tax, so you owe none when you form your LLC.
Recommended: Northwest Registered Agent
$39 + state fee. Includes registered agent, business address, domain, website, email, and phone. No upsells.
Get an EIN for Your Connecticut LLC
An EIN is the federal tax number you need to open a business bank account. The IRS issues it for free.
Apply for your EIN on the IRS website. It is free. You finish the application in one session, and it times out after 15 minutes of inactivity, so have your details ready. The IRS says you apply in minutes, and your EIN is issued right away if approved. You need your LLC's legal name, its address and the responsible person's Social Security number. A one-member LLC should still get an EIN instead of using the owner's Social Security number.
Apply for your EIN on IRS.gov →Create an Operating Agreement for Your LLC
Connecticut lets you form an LLC without a written operating agreement. Writing one helps you and any co-owners agree on the rules.
An operating agreement sets the rules for your LLC. It covers who owns what, how profits are split, how decisions are made and what happens if a member leaves. Connecticut law lets an operating agreement be oral, implied or written. A written one gives you and any co-owners the same record to read, even if you are the only member.
Key Sections to Include
State Specific
Connecticut does not require a written operating agreement to form an LLC, and the law counts an oral or implied agreement too. Banks may ask to see a written one.
Open a Business Bank Account for Your Connecticut LLC
A business bank account keeps your personal money and business money apart. That helps you keep your liability protection.
Keep business money in a business account and personal money in your own. If you mix the two, a court may treat you and your LLC as one. You could then be held personally responsible for business debts. A business account also gives you a clear record of what the business earns and spends, which makes tax time easier.
What to Bring to the Bank
- Your filed certificate of organization, or the state's confirmation
- Your EIN confirmation letter from the IRS
- A government photo ID
- Your operating agreement, if the bank asks for it
- Money for the first deposit. The amount depends on the bank
Pro Tip
Compare a few Connecticut banks and credit unions before you choose. Ask about monthly fees and the minimum deposit.
Federal BOI Reporting
No. FinCEN exempted every company formed in the United States from beneficial ownership reporting in an interim final rule published 26 March 2025 and applied from 21 March 2025, then made that exemption permanent in a final rule published 11 August 2026 and effective 14 August 2026. Only entities formed under foreign law and registered to do business in a US state still report.
Top 3 LLC Formation Services
We've independently reviewed the top LLC formation services in Connecticut. Here's how they compare.
| Feature | Northwest Registered Agent Best Overall | ZenBusiness Best for LLC Formation | Tailor Brands Best for Branding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $39 + state fees | $0 + state fees | $0 + state fees |
| Formation Speed | Same-day only on the $199 package | 7-10 days, 1 day on Pro | 1-14 business days |
| Support | Lifetime Corporate Guides | Phone, chat, Velo AI 24/7 | Phone, Chat, Email |
| States Covered | 50 states | 50 states | 50 states |
| In Business Since | 1998 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Get Started → | Get Started → | Get Started → |
Frequently Asked Questions
What to Do Next
Once your Connecticut LLC is approved, take these steps to set your business up for success.
Get an EIN
Apply online at IRS.gov for your EIN, the federal tax number you use to open a business bank account. It is free, and the IRS issues it immediately once your application is approved.
Open a Business Bank Account
Bring your EIN, your certificate of organization, and a government photo ID when you open the account. A separate account keeps business money apart from your personal finances.
Create an Operating Agreement
Even if Connecticut does not require one, an operating agreement protects your liability shield and defines how the LLC is managed.
File Your Annual Report
File the $80 annual report online between January 1 and March 31 each year. Connecticut adds no late fee, but the Secretary of the State can dissolve an LLC that stays in default over a year.
Paying contractors
Connecticut is in the IRS forwarding program, so an e-filed 1099-NEC can reach the state. Check the Connecticut floor before you skip a form under $2,000.
Ready To File?
Start your Connecticut LLC with Northwest Registered Agent. $39 + state fee includes registered agent, business address, domain, and more.
About the Author
Editor, StartupOwl
Eliot leads StartupOwl's state data research. He maintains the site's fifty state records of LLC filing fees, annual costs, processing times, and small business grant programs, checking each figure against the state office that publishes it and logging the date it was verified. Based in New Jersey, he has spent his working life in and around small businesses, and he writes for the founder who wants the real number rather than the advertised one. Every figure under his byline traces to a named source, and when a state proves a number wrong, the correction is published, not buried.
Was this article helpful?
Questions about forming an LLC in Connecticut
No comments yet. Ask the first question and a member of our team will answer.
Leave a comment