Connecticut New-Business Startup Cost Calculator (2026)

How to start an LLC in Connecticut

Forming a limited liability company (LLC) in Connecticut is quick, inexpensive and done online through the Secretary of the State's Business Services portal at business.ct.gov. Here's the usual order of steps.

1. Pick an available name. Search the CT business records to make sure your name is distinguishable from existing businesses. It must include “LLC,” “L.L.C.” or “Limited Liability Company.”
2. Choose a registered agent. Every CT LLC needs an agent with a Connecticut address to receive legal papers. You can serve as your own agent if you live in CT. A commercial agent costs extra each year but keeps your home address off the public record.
3. File the Certificate of Organization. The state fee is $120, and filing online is usually approved fast. Keep the filing receipt; banks ask for it.
4. Get a free EIN from the IRS. Apply online at irs.gov. It takes minutes and costs nothing. Skip any website that charges you for an EIN.
5. Write an operating agreement. Connecticut doesn't require you to file one, but banks often ask for it, and it spells out who owns and runs the business.
6. Register with CT DRS if needed. If you'll sell taxable goods or services, you need a Sales and Use Tax Permit ($100). If you'll have employees, you also register for withholding with DRS and unemployment with the CT Department of Labor.
7. Open a business bank account. Keeping business money separate protects your liability shield and makes bookkeeping and taxes much easier.
8. Set up your tools. Professional email (for example Google Workspace), bookkeeping software (for example QuickBooks Online) and a way to take card and ACH payments.
9. Calendar the annual report. Every CT LLC files an annual report between January 1 and March 31 each year, starting the year after it forms. The fee is $80. Missing it can eventually lead to the state dissolving your LLC.

What about taxes?

A single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship by default. Profit flows to your personal return, and you pay self-employment tax on it. Connecticut’s $250 business entity tax ended for tax periods beginning after December 31, 2018 (CT DRS), so LLCs don't owe a separate yearly state entity tax. Once profits grow, an S-Corp election can lower self-employment tax; see our LLC vs. S-Corp calculator.

Do it yourself or get help?

Plenty of owners file on their own. Where people usually get stuck is the setup around the filing: choosing the right tax treatment, connecting the bank, bookkeeping and payments correctly, and staying on top of deadlines. That's what our Business Launch Setup packages cover.