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Starting a Connecticut LLC
A Connecticut Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a legal structure used to protect your personal assets (home, car, bank account) in the event your business is sued.
An LLC can be used to operate a business, or an LLC can be used to hold assets (such as real estate, vehicles, boats, or aircraft).
How to form an LLC in Connecticut:
- Search your Connecticut LLC name in the state’s database
- Choose who will be your LLC’s Connecticut Registered Agent
- File your Connecticut Certificate of Organization and pay the state’s $120 LLC filing fee
- If you file online, LLC approval takes 2-3 days
- If you file by mail, LLC approval takes 1-4 weeks
Note: Filing times may take longer due to the current global situation and government delays. Please see how long does it take to get an LLC in Connecticut.
How much is an LLC in Connecticut explains all the fees you’ll pay.
After your Connecticut LLC is approved:
- Complete and sign your Connecticut LLC Operating Agreement
- Get a Connecticut EIN Number (also known as a Federal Tax ID Number) from the IRS
- Check what kind of Connecticut Business Licenses or Permits your LLC needs
And every year for the life of your LLC:
- Make sure to file your Connecticut LLC Annual Report to keep your LLC in good standing with the Connecticut Secretary of State
- And file any Connecticut LLC Taxes that apply
Need to save time? Hire a company to form your LLC:
Northwest ($39 + state fee) or LegalZoom ($149 + state fee)
(check out Northwest vs LegalZoom)
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.
CONNECTICUT LLC GUIDE
Follow the lessons below to form your Connecticut LLC.
HI MATT
YESTERDAY I WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP A PLLC USING YOUR GUIDANCE. IT SEEMED TO GO THROUGH, ATLEAST I GOT AN EMAIL INDICATING SUCH. TODAY I TRIED TO FIND MY INFO ON LINE AND IT APPEARS TO HAVE VANISHED. I’M GOING TO START OVER, FRUSTRATED.
Hi Deb, if the filing went through and you got an email confirmation, then the LLC went into existence. I would not file again.
Hello Matt,
Thanks for the great job explaining the LLC instructions and formation.
My question is are you do the same with Non Profit Organization, or if you know any link you can direct or send to me please.
Best Regards,
Gilbert
i’m looking at getting into LLC’s for rental property. i would like to use the street address as the name of the LLC, but i can’t form the name before i purchase property which i don’t know if i would even be able to without forming a LLC first and applying for loans through the LLC. any thoughts?
Hi John, if the contract is assignable, you, as buyer, can be “John Doe and/or assigns”. Once you find the property and have an agreement of sale in place, you’d form the LLC (since you have the address now). Then you’d assign the contract to your LLC. Ask the lender if they can work with something like that. Title company, too. Hope that helps.
Hi Matt,
I’ve been finding it difficult to form an LLC anonymously in CT. Whether or not you register as a domestic LLC or foreign LLC, they require the residential address of at least one member or principal. So for single-member LLCs there is no way to protect your privacy. Do you think I could protect my anonymity if I first form a revocable trust and then name the trust as the only member/principal when creating the LLC? Does CT allow this? I’m not trying to dodge any responsibilities by doing so, I just like being private. Thanks for the informative site.
Hi Scarlett, you could have the LLC Member be an out-of-state LLC (i.e. a New Mexico LLC, which doesn’t have an Annual Report requirement) or a Trust. The Connecticut Certificate of Organization and the Annual Report do require a “principal” (see LLC Member vs LLC Manager) to be listed, so it could just be another LLC’s name or a Trust’s name. Either one is allowed. There are no restrictions on who can be members in Connecticut. Hope that helps.
Hi if i want to have my business name as an acronym for example L.e.L.e when I register it for the llc should I lead with the full meaning of the acronym and the the short hand in parenthesis or the other way around
Hi Patrick, neither. If your LLC wants to do business under a shortened/abbreviated version of its full, legal name, it will need to register a DBA/Doing Business As (aka Trade Name). For example, if you form an LLC called “Lee Ester, Lee Ester, LLC”, you’d then file a Trade Name called “L.e.L.e.”. Hope that helps.
yes that was a huge help and clarified so much for me. Would I do that at the same time when creating the llc or a separate transaction.
Hi Patrick, you would first form the LLC and wait for it to be approved. Then the LLC would file for the Trade Name.