To start an LLC in CT, you file a Certificate of Organization with the Connecticut Secretary of the State, pay a $120 filing fee, and complete a short list of follow-up tasks that get the business operating and keep it in good standing. The whole formation step can be done online through the Business.CT.gov portal, and standard processing runs about two to five business days. The sections below walk through each piece in the order you’ll actually do them.
Pick a Name That Will Clear
Your LLC’s name has to be distinguishable from every other business entity already on file with the Secretary of the State. Connecticut General Statutes § 34-243k sets that standard, and the state will reject a filing outright if the name is too close to an existing one.1Justia. Connecticut General Statutes 34-243k – Permitted Name The name must also carry a legal designator: “Limited Liability Company,” “LLC,” or “L.L.C.” You can abbreviate “Limited” as “Ltd.” and “Company” as “Co.”
Before you file anything, search the Secretary of the State’s online business database and check availability. If the name is open but you aren’t ready to file formation paperwork, you can reserve it for 120 days by submitting a separate application and paying a $60 fee.2State of Connecticut. Domestic Limited Liability Companies Forms and Fees The day you file the reservation counts as day one.3CT.gov Business. Reserving a Business Name Reservations can’t be renewed. If the 120 days lapse without a filing, the name goes back into the pool.
Line Up a Registered Agent
Every Connecticut LLC must designate a registered agent, meaning a person or business that accepts legal documents on the company’s behalf. The agent needs a physical street address in Connecticut; P.O. boxes don’t qualify, because a process server has to be able to hand-deliver papers. The agent can be any Connecticut resident age 18 or older, any business entity on file with the Secretary of the State that has a Connecticut address, or you yourself if you live in the state.4CT.gov Business. Who Can Be an Agent
You can also hire a commercial registered agent, which is a company that provides agent services professionally and files a listing with the Secretary of the State.5CT.gov Business. Commercial Registered Agents A commercial agent must be a business entity, not an individual. Annual fees typically run $100 to $300. People use them to keep a home address off public filings and to guarantee someone’s available during business hours.
File the Certificate of Organization
The Certificate of Organization is the document that legally creates your LLC. Connecticut General Statutes § 34-247 spells out what has to be in it.6Justia. Connecticut General Statutes 34-247 – Formation of Limited Liability Company, Certificate of Organization You’ll provide:
- The exact legal name of the LLC, including the required designator.
- A principal office address, which must be a physical street address where business activities happen or records are kept.
- The name and street address of the registered agent.
- Whether the LLC will be member-managed (all owners run the business) or manager-managed (designated individuals handle operations).
- The signature of at least one organizer. The organizer doesn’t have to be a member of the LLC; they’re just the person handling the paperwork.
Everything you enter becomes part of the public record. Anyone searching the Secretary of the State’s database can see the business address, agent information, and management structure, which is worth remembering when you decide whether to list a home address or use a commercial agent.
Fees and Processing Time
The fastest route is online through Business.CT.gov after creating an account. The $120 filing fee is payable by credit card or electronic funds transfer and is non-refundable whether the state approves or rejects your filing.2State of Connecticut. Domestic Limited Liability Companies Forms and Fees Online filings generally process in two to five business days.
Paper filings are still accepted by mail or in person at the Secretary of the State’s office in Hartford, but processing takes one to two weeks. For faster turnaround the state offers 24-hour expedited service for an additional $50 per transaction on top of the standard fee.7Justia. Connecticut General Statutes 3-99a – Fees for Filing, Recording and Copying Documents, Expedited Services Watch your email after filing. If the state finds an error, you’ll get a “returned” notice explaining what to fix.
Get an EIN From the IRS
An Employer Identification Number is a nine-digit number the IRS assigns to your business for tax purposes. You need one to open a business bank account, hire employees, and file federal tax returns. A single-member LLC with no employees can technically use the owner’s Social Security number, but a separate EIN keeps your personal SSN off invoices and business paperwork.
If you or another responsible party has a Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, you can apply online through the IRS website and receive the EIN immediately. If none of the responsible parties has a U.S. taxpayer identification number, submit a paper Form SS-4 and enter “foreign” on the line requesting that number.8Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 Paper applications take four to six weeks.
Register With Connecticut Revenue Services
The EIN handles the federal side. For state taxes you register through the myconneCT portal to obtain a Connecticut Tax Registration Number.9Connecticut State Department of Revenue Services. Registering Your Business with DRS Have your EIN, legal business name, business address, and the Social Security numbers of all owners or officers ready before you start.
Which tax accounts you set up depends on what you do. Selling goods, renting tangible property, or providing a taxable service means you need a Sales and Use Tax Permit. Having employees means registering for income tax withholding. Each tax type is a separate registration inside the same portal.
How Your LLC Gets Taxed
By default the IRS treats a single-member LLC as a disregarded entity (taxed like a sole proprietorship) and a multi-member LLC as a partnership, with income passing through to each member’s personal return. If you’d rather be taxed as a corporation, you can file IRS Form 8832 to elect C-corporation status or Form 2553 to elect S-corporation status.10Internal Revenue Service. About Form 8832, Entity Classification Election These elections change only how the IRS taxes the business, not its legal form under Connecticut law.
Connecticut also offers an optional Pass-Through Entity Tax that multi-member LLCs can elect. The LLC pays state income tax at the entity level and members get a corresponding credit on their personal Connecticut returns. The election is made annually and is irrevocable for that tax year, so talk to a tax professional before opting in.11State of Connecticut Department of Revenue Services. Connecticut Pass-Through Entity Tax General Instructions
Put an Operating Agreement in Writing
An operating agreement sets out how your LLC runs: how profits are split, how decisions get made, what happens when a member leaves, how disputes are handled. Connecticut General Statutes § 34-243d recognizes operating agreements as the primary governance document for an LLC.12Justia. Connecticut General Statutes 34-243d – Operating Agreement, Scope, Function and Limitations You don’t file it with the state, but banks and investors will often ask to see one.
Connecticut doesn’t require the agreement to be written. Under the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, it can be oral, implied, or in writing.13Connecticut General Assembly. Chapter 613a – Uniform Limited Liability Company Act Relying on a handshake is asking for trouble, though. If a member dispute lands in court, an oral understanding is nearly impossible to enforce. Put it in writing, even for a single-member LLC. Without any agreement, the state’s default statutory rules govern the business, and those defaults may not match what you actually want.
Check Licenses, Permits, and Trade Name Filings
Connecticut doesn’t issue a statewide general business license. Whether you need a local one depends on your municipality and what the LLC does. Some towns license specific activities like food service or mobile vending; others require nothing for a typical office-based business. Call your city or town clerk’s office to confirm.
If your LLC will operate under a name different from its registered legal name, file a trade name certificate with the town clerk in the town where you primarily do business. The filing fee is $20.14CT.gov Business. Trade Names
Certain professions need state-level credentials before you can legally operate. Connecticut regulates over 850 credential types through agencies including the Department of Consumer Protection, the Department of Public Health, and the Department of Banking.15State of Connecticut. License Lookup Contractors, healthcare professionals, real estate agents, cannabis retailers, and many others all need active state licensing. Use the state’s eLicense portal to check what applies to your line of work before you open for business.
File an Annual Report Every Year
Every Connecticut LLC files an annual report with the Secretary of the State. The filing window opens January 1 and the report is due by March 31. The fee is $80.16CT.gov Business. Domestic Annual Report Forms and Fees You can file through Business.CT.gov in a few minutes if none of your information has changed.
Missing the deadline has real consequences. The Secretary of the State gives LLCs roughly three months after the due date before moving forward with administrative dissolution, which the state calls “forfeiture.”17CT.gov Business. Administrative Dissolution Once your LLC is forfeited, the name becomes available for anyone else to claim. Reinstatement is possible, and you keep your original formation date, but it means extra fees and paperwork that are easily avoided by filing on time. The state mails dissolution notices to the principal business address on file, so keeping that address current is worth the two minutes it takes.
What About Federal Beneficial Ownership Reporting?
If you’ve seen references to Beneficial Ownership Information reporting with FinCEN, a Connecticut LLC doesn’t have to worry about it. An interim final rule published on March 26, 2025, exempted all domestic entities, including LLCs formed in any U.S. state, from BOI reporting obligations.18Federal Register. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Requirement Revision and Deadline Extension The reporting requirement now applies only to foreign companies registered to do business in the United States. A Connecticut LLC formed through the Secretary of the State does not need to file a BOI report.