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How to file the Connecticut Certificate of Organization and form your LLC
In this lesson we will walk you through starting a Connecticut LLC by filing your Certificate of Organization with the Connecticut Secretary of State.
This is the document that officially forms your Connecticut LLC.
Methods of filing an LLC in Connecticut
You can file your Certificate of Organization by mail or online.
In both cases, the Connecticut LLC filing fee is $120. (see Connecticut LLC Cost to learn about all fees)
Or, you can hire a company to form your LLC instead. Check out Best LLC Services in Connecticut for our recommendations.
If you file your LLC by mail
Your Connecticut LLC approval time can be as quick as 7-10 business days (plus mail time). However, if the state is backed up, approval time can take longer, so don’t panic if your documents haven’t come back yet.
If you file your LLC online
Your Connecticut LLC approval time takes 2-3 business days.
Note: Filing times may take longer due to government delays. For the most up-to-date LLC processing times, check how long does it take to get an LLC in Connecticut.
Our Recommendation: We recommend filing your Certificate of Organization online as the approval time is much faster. The state will also send you back a copy of your approved Certificate of Organization (at no extra charge).
If you file by mail, the state charges $40 for a copy of your approved Certificate of Organization. The instructions on this page are for the online filing only. However, if you are not very “tech comfortable” and prefer to file by mail, you can follow the Connecticut Certificate of Organization by mail lesson instead.
Note: The “LLC filing fee” (the fee to create a Connecticut LLC) is the same thing as the “Certificate of Organization fee”. The Certificate of Organization is the document that, once approved by the Secretary of State’s office, creates your Connecticut LLC.
Prior LLC University® lessons
Before filing your Connecticut LLC Certificate of Organization, make sure you have read the prior lessons:
Need to save time? Hire a company to form your LLC:
Northwest ($39 + state fee) or LegalZoom ($149 + state fee)
(Learn why Northwest is #1 in Northwest vs LegalZoom)
Forming your LLC at the end of the year? Here’s how to save $80
If you’re forming your LLC towards the end of the year (October – December), but you don’t need your LLC open right away, we recommend waiting until January to form your LLC.
This way, you will save $80 because this pushes the due date of your first Annual Report ahead by more than one year.
For example: If your Connecticut LLC was formed on November 10th 2024, your first Annual Report would be due in 2025. However, by waiting until January 2025 to form your LLC, then your first Annual Report wouldn’t be due until January 2026.
How to File the Connecticut LLC Certificate of Organization Online
Note: Connecticut previously used an online system called CONCORD for online filings. CONCORD was phased out in June 2021. Going forward, all online filings will be processed through Connecticut’s new “One Stop” business center. The instructions on this page have been updated to reflect the new system. If you have a CONCORD login, this no longer works. You’ll need to create a new account.
The first step to forming a Connecticut LLC online is to create a One Stop account.
If you already have a One Stop account, login (CT.gov: Login), then go to your Business Dashboard.
Create a “One Stop” Account
- Visit the CT.gov: Account Creation page.
- Enter your contact information and then click “Sign Up”.
- Go to your email, get the confirmation code, and then enter it.
- You can now sign in.
If you’re taken to your profile page, just click this link to go to the online filing: CT.gov: My Dashboard.
(Tip: We use 1Password to save all of our passwords. You might like it, too.)
Filing your LLC documents online
Get started:
- Go to CT.gov: Registering Your Business
- Click “Register your Business“
Important: If you use a pop-up blocker, you will need to turn it off during the online filing.
Are you registering a new business in Connecticut?
Note: The instructions on this page are for forming a new LLC in Connecticut (aka a Domestic LLC). They are not for registering a Foreign LLC in Connecticut, however, the steps will be similar.
Click “Domestic“.
Will your business be any of these common legal structures?
Click “Limited Liability Company (LLC)“.
Notes:
- If you plan to have your LLC taxed as an S-Corporation, you should still select “LLC“. Don’t select “Stock Corporation“.
- Non-profit LLCs can only be formed if the LLC is owned by a company that is already tax-exempt by the IRS.
Did you previously pay to reserve a business name?
An LLC name reservation is not required to form an LLC in Connecticut. Most people select “No” because they didn’t reserve a name.
If you reserved an LLC name ahead of time, select “Yes“.
Business name
Enter your Connecticut LLC name exactly as you would like it. Include your preferred capitalization, punctuation (commas, periods, etc.) and the designator (the ending).
Remember, Connecticut allows the following designators at the end of your LLC name:
- LLC (most common)
- L.L.C.
- Ltd. Liability Co.
- Ltd. Liability Company
- Limited Liability Co.
- Limited Liability Company
Tip 1: Your LLC name can use a comma or you can leave it out. For example, “Nutmeg Builders LLC” and “Nutmeg Builders, LLC” are both acceptable.
Tip 2: You can ignore the list of designators at the bottom of the One Stop online filing page.
If you enter a name that is not available, you’ll need to come up with a variation or a new LLC name altogether.
Business email
Enter your best email address. This can be a personal or business-purpose email address.
The Secretary of State will use this email to send notices to your LLC.
NAICS Code
An NAICS Code for an LLC is used by the Secretary of State to classify your LLC’s business activity. It’s used for statistical purposes.
You will tell the state which NAICS Code applies to your business. If your LLC’s activities change in the future, you can update this code on your LLC Annual Report.
You can search using keywords (like “restaurant” or “car wash”), or you can browse through the categories.
If you can’t find an NAICS Code for your business, just choose one that is similar or kind of related.
Tip: If your LLC will run multiple businesses, you just need to enter one NAICS Code. The state doesn’t investigate or enforce NAICS Codes. Again, they are just used for statistics.
Business survey (optional)
This section is optional.
You can complete it if you’d like, or you can skip it. Your LLC formation will not be affected either way.
If you want to skip it, select “Prefer not to Answer” in the first list. And then “Opt-out of sharing email address” in the second list.
Business Address
This page asks for both the Principal Office Address and the Mailing Address for your LLC.
Principal Office Address
Enter your Connecticut LLC’s Principal Office Address.
What is a Principal Office Address?
It’s where the primary business activities take place and/or where your LLC records are kept.
Your Connecticut LLC’s Principal Office Address can be:
- located in Connecticut
- located in any state
- located in any country
- a home address
- an office address
- a mailbox rental address
- a virtual office address
- the address of your Connecticut Registered Agent (if your Registered Agent allows it)
Note: A PO Box address can’t be used in this section. If you hired Northwest Registered Agent, you can use their address for your LLC’s Principal Office Address.
Mailing Address
If you would like to receive mail at an address other than your Principal Office Address, enter that address here. Otherwise, check the box for “Same as principal office address“.
Your Connecticut LLC’s Mailing Address can be any type of address (in any state or country). Additionally, PO Box addresses are allowed.
Add an agent (Registered Agent)
In this section, you’ll tell the state who the Registered Agent is for your LLC.
(Make sure you understand the difference between a Registered Agent vs LLC Member before completing this section.)
Click “Add agent details“. A pop-up window will appear.
If you, a friend, or family member are your LLC’s Registered Agent:
- Select “Individual“.
- Enter their contact information.
- Enter their addresses:
- Business address: Can be in any state or any country
- Connecticut residence address: Must be in Connecticut
- Connecticut mailing address: Must be in Connecticut
Note: For most people, all three addresses will be the same. However, they don’t have to be.
If you hired a Commercial Registered Agent:
- Select “Business“.
- Enter their company name in the search box and then select them from the list below.
- Click “Next” and enter their email address and phone number. Ignore that it asks for a mobile number. Use their office phone number.
- Review and proceed to the next step.
Tip: If you hired a Commercial Registered Agent, please call or email them to get their proper contact information.
If you hired Northwest Registered Agent, enter support@northwestregisteredagent.com and 509-768-2249.
Important: Your LLC Registered Agent will be sent an email and/or text message after you complete your filing. They must click the acceptance link within 72 hours or your filing will be rejected. If a friend or family member is your Registered Agent, tell them to be on the lookout. Commercial Registered Agents typically click the link within 24 hours. If you don’t receive confirmation of this happening, please give them a call.
Principals (Members and/or Managers)
- Related articles: Please read Who can be an LLC Member and LLC Member vs LLC Manager before proceeding.
Your Connecticut LLC must list at least one Principal. A Principal means an LLC Member or an LLC Manager.
Click “Add a principal“.
If your Registered Agent is also a Member or Manager of your LLC, click “Yes” and then select their title on the next page. Otherwise, click “No“.
Select whether the Member or Manager is a person or company.
If they are a company outside of Connecticut, click “Add manually“. Then enter their contact information and select their title. Email address is optional.
If they are a person, enter their name and select their title. Email address is optional. The system will ask whether the Principal has a business address.
- If you say no, it will prompt you for their residential address.
- If you say yes, it will require both a business and residential address.
Tip: If you hire Northwest Registered Agent, you can use their address for all of these fields.
Review and Signature
Review your information for accuracy and check for any typos. If you need to make any changes, click the “Edit” links. If all looks good, proceed to the next step.
Acknowledgement
- Related articles: LLC Organizer vs LLC Member and Registered Agent vs LLC Organizer
The LLC Organizer is the person who submits your filing to the state.
Most people filing their own Certificate of Organization are also the Organizer. If this is the case, agree to the terms, select your name from the list, and go to the next step.
Note: The Filer’s signature isn’t editable on this page. If you want to edit it, please go to your account profile.
Payment
Check the box agreeing to the terms and click “Continue to Payment“.
Enter your billing information and submit your filing to the state.
Congratulations!
Your Connecticut LLC has been filed for processing!
Now you just need to wait for approval :)
Connecticut LLC Approval Time
The Secretary of State will process and approve your Connecticut LLC in 2-3 business days.
Once your LLC is approved:
- The state will email you an approved Certificate of Organization.
- They’ll also email you an Acceptance Letter.
Note: Sometimes they arrive in the same email, or sometimes you will receive 2 separate emails.
Connecticut Secretary of State
If you have any questions, you can contact the Connecticut Secretary of State at 860-509-6002.
Their hours are Monday through Friday, 8am – 4:30pm Eastern time.
Search your domain name
If you plan on building a website, you can quickly register your domain name. Creating a website with your business name as the domain name can help people find your business online. You can easily search and purchase a domain name through GoDaddy.
Find a domain name
References
CTNext: New Business Resources
CT Data Collaborative: NAICS Code Lookup
Connecticut LLC Act: Section 34-247e Filing requirements
Connecticut LLC Act: Section 34-247f Effective date and time
Connecticut LLC Act: Section 34-251a Liability of Members and Managers
Connecticut LLC Act: Section 34-247 Formation of Limited Liability Company
Connecticut LLC Act: Section 34-255f Management of the Limited Liability Company
Connecticut LLC Act: Section 34-247b Signing of records delivered to Secretary of the State
Connecticut Secretary of State: New Business Checklist
Connecticut Secretary of State: Frequently Asked Questions for Business Entities
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
Looking for an overview? See Connecticut LLC
Hello Matt, thank you for the super helpful website. I am starting an e-commerce brand and we will be shipping product across the U.S. and in some cases setting up pop-up shops in different states. We do not have to register a foreign entity in each state, correct? We just pay taxes to each state.
Hi Abigail, you’re very welcome. That is known as interstate commerce (as opposed to intrastate commerce). Your LLC doesn’t need to foreign qualify in those states. The LLC will need to collect and remit sales tax in states where the LLC crosses the nexus threshold(s). If the pop-ups become a regular and repeated pattern, that could be considered intrastate commerce, aka “doing business” in that state. Hope that helps.
Hi, when I set up my LLC I used the office address of my sole proprietorship. How do I change to my new address or do I not have to? I’m needing to open a new business account.
Hi Korin, you can use the address you used for your Sole Proprietorship. You don’t have to use a different one. However, if you would like to change an address, it depends on which address on the Certificate of Organization you’re referring to. You can look on your approved Certificate of Organization or you can search your LLC name online (see Connecticut LLC Name Search). Connecticut LLC’s have a Registered Agent address, a business address (aka Principal Office Address), and an address for each principal (Members or Managers). Here is information on banking: LLC bank account. Hope that helps.
So even though my physical business address will change I can still use the old address on my new business account? Because I want everything to be the same
Hi Korin, usually it’s fine, however, we recommend calling the bank and checking ahead of time. Some banks like to see the address on your Certificate of Organization be the same as the address on your EIN Confirmation Letter (CP 575), however, some banks don’t care.
Matt, thank you so very much for your clear, step by step directions for filing an LLC in the state of CT. It was very easy to follow and was a tremendous help.
Hi David, you are very welcome! So happy to hear that :-)
Yes, it helped. I thought as much myself. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome Nicholas :)
Thank you much for putting together this highly resourceful and precious website.
I currently live in New City, NY, and Stamford, CT but I’m setting up my warehouse and office in Philadephia, PA where I’m actively considering relocating to in the Spring of 2019.
However, I still have a Connecticut Driver License that I don’t to change to another State yet until I make sure my new business survives in PA.
Considering the above scenario, should I form an LLC in Pennsylvania or Connecticut? New York is definitely out of consideration.
Thank you.
Hey Nicholas, you’re welcome! I’d consider just forming the LLC in Pennsylvania since that is ultimately where you will end up doing business. If you need a Foreign LLC registration in Connecticut, you could always file one and then cancel/withdrawal when you move from Connecticut. Hope that helps.
Hi!
I found this very helpful when doing my process for the LLC.
I just wanted to ask you a question. If the name of my company is July LLC, but i will be doing business as July, do i need a trade name? it will be for marketing purposes and since is an e-commerce do i need my website to have the llc
Hi Valeria! If your LLC name is “July LLC”, but you want to do business as “July”, then yes, you’ll need to file a Trade Name owned by your LLC. Your website address and logo don’t have to include the LLC name. Hope that helps.
I formed an LLC in CT for my consulting business. I am moving to VA, can I still operate under the CT LLC? Do I need a member to be a resident of CT?
Thanks,
Hi Paul, how long will you be living in Virginia for and running the business from there? You can still operate the Connecticut LLC without being a resident of Connecticut, however, if you’re doing business in Virginia, you should either 1.) register your Connecticut LLC as a Foreign LLC in Virginia (keeps EIN and bank account), 2.) dissolve Connecticut LLC and form a Virginia LLC (needs new and new bank account), or 3.) merge/redomesticate, which is moving the jurisdiction of the LLC if the states allow it (keeps EIN and bank account). Hope that helps.
Hi Matt, this is a great site, thank you. Question, are there any other documents I need to file for an e-commerce store? I’m assuming I have to file something federally too, right? I’m debating whether I need to hire an attorney to do this or not. You made the CT portion seem easy.
Thanks.
Hi Christine, you’re very welcome! Federally, you’ll get an EIN for your LLC and then file your taxes each year. You can file the LLC yourself, but we recommend working with an accountant for taxes. Taxes are usually filed and/or paid on 3 levels: federal, state, and local. Hope that helps!
Dear Matt,
Hello. What a wonderfully informative and helpful website you’ve created!!! I am hoping that you may be able to help me with something. My husband and I let our LLC (which we created in 2004) become inactive…now we would like to reactivate it…. is that something we can do online? We live in CT. Many thanks for your help!!!
Yours, Maureen
Hi Maureen, thanks so much!! Glad you’ve found us helpful :) You can file what’s called an LLC Reinstatement. In Connecticut though, you cannot do this online. You actually need to call the state and request a “Reinstatement Packet” be sent to you. You can call them during the week at 860-509-6003. You’ll have to pay any outstanding penalties and also file a current Annual Report in addition to the other forms for LLC Reinstatement.