Frequently Asked Questions About
Starting a Connecticut LLC

There are a few different options when it comes to starting a business in Connecticut. From a legal perspective, there are three main types of Connecticut for-profit business entities: LLCs, S Corporations or C Corporations. For many entrepreneurs, we believe an LLC provides the right ratio of liability protection and ease of administration.

In order to create an LLC in the state of Connecticut, there are some minimum requirements you must meet. These include a completed Certificate of Organization, a business name and a fee you pay to the CT Department of Economic and Community Development. We recommend taking some additional steps before formally starting your LLC:

• Research your target market to make sure there’s a demand for the products and services you provide.
• Read industry guides to give you a starting point in your niche.
• Create a comprehensive business plan that defines the most important aspects of your Connecticut business.
• Write an Operating Agreement that covers how you will run your LLC.

After you’ve created your Connecticut LLC, you will also need to review your business license requirements, understand ongoing filing needs, set up a separate business bank account and get an accountant.

In Connecticut, you register a business by completing and filing your Certificate of Organization with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD). You will need to gather information about your business, fill out the form and send it to the Department along with your filing fee. This will formally create your LLC in Connecticut.

You can file your Certificate of Organization via the Connecticut DECD business portal website or mail it in. Alternatively, Incfile can guide you through every step of the process by getting details from you and filing the form on your behalf — for free! There’s no additional charge for our basic LLC filing service, so all you need to do is pay the Connecticut state filing fee.

At the time of writing the fee charged by the Connecticut Secretary of State, DECD is $120. You can always check the latest Connecticut filing fees here. You can also pay an additional $50 for expedited filing through Incfile, which will create your LLC faster. Some LLC filing services do charge you extra to prepare and submit your filing documents, but at Incfile, we do this for free — so you only pay the state fee.

Once you’ve gathered together all of your information and filed your Certificate of Organization (or had Incfile do it for you), it can take up to a week for the Connecticut Secretary of State, DECD to legally create your LLC. If you pay an additional $50 expedited fee, your LLC can be formed in as little as 24 hours.

The name of your Connecticut LLC needs to be unique, so you’ll need to check if it’s already being used by another business. You can do that via the Connecticut Secretary of State, DECD website, or by using our fast and simple Business Name Search tool.

There are a few ways to register your Connecticut LLC name. 

• If you’re establishing a new business and your business name is unique in Connecticut and meets state naming rules, you simply include it in your Certificate of Organization.
• If you want to change the legal name of your business, file a Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State, DECD.
• If you just want to do business under a different name, you'll need to register a trade name with your town clerk or have Incfile do that on your behalf.

If you want to prevent people from using your business name across the U.S., you can file a trademark for the name. We can help.

In other states, the formal documents that you file to form a corporation or LLC might be known as Articles of Incorporation. In Connecticut, this document is called your Certificate of Organization, and it performs the same functions as the Articles of Incorporation.

No, the State of Connecticut does not have a Series LLC offering. A Series LLC is a special type of LLC where you create one “overall” business and then have individual, series LLCs within it, each counted as separate legal entities.

Yes, all legal business entities in Connecticut, including LLCs, must have a Registered Agent at all times. Here at Incfile, we provide a free Connecticut Registered Agent service for the first year if you file through us.

If you wish to change your Connecticut Registered Agent you can do so by filing a Change of Agent form with the Secretary of State. Here at Incfile, we provide a free Connecticut Registered Agent service for the first year if you file through us. If you’ve been using a different Registered Agent and want to switch to us, we’ll file the Change of Agent form on your behalf.

If you need to know the Registered Agent of a specific Connecticut business, you can perform a Connecticut Registered Agent search within the state's business database.

As an LLC, any business profits you earn will be reported on your personal 1040 filing and reported and taxed as “pass-through” income. You will typically need to pay:

• Self-employment or payroll tax on all business profits
• Federal income tax on profits after you meet your tax-free allowance
• Sales tax for selling taxable products and services

Connecticut charges a 6.35 percent state sales and use tax on all retail sales, leases and rentals of most goods. You will also need to pay sales tax if you provide a taxable service. You can find a full list of taxable services here.

You will need to register as a sales tax vendor with the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services You can complete this process online using the myconneCT portal.

The base rate for Connecticut sales tax is 6.35 percent, and there may be additional sales tax depending on your region, county or city. Once you know your overall sales tax amount, calculate the value of all your taxable products and services. Then, multiply that by your sales tax rate to understand how much you will need to pay.

Once your LLC’s sales tax application is approved, you will receive a letter with instructions on how often you must file a sales tax return and pay sales taxes. Returns and payments may be due monthly, quarterly or annually.

Some businesses will need to pay a corporate franchise tax (otherwise referred to as Corporation Business Tax) in Connecticut, however it does not apply to LLCs unless your LLC is treated as a C Corporation for tax purposes.

If you plan on operating as a business within the state of Connecticut, you'll likely need some type of business license to remain in operation. The types of business licenses you need will vary depending on your type of business, industry, location and various other factors. We can research the types of business licenses you might need for you.