Cheapest LLC formation in Connecticut

What does the state of Connecticut charge to form an LLC?

The Secretary of the State sets these fees, and no provider can discount them. Formation packages are priced before them.

The one charge every new Connecticut LLC pays is $120 for the certificate. The fee schedule describes it as including appointment of statutory agent, so naming the agent on the certificate adds nothing. A service never lowers this figure; it can only add its own charge.¹

A name reservation costs $60. It is optional, and the state's fee page doesn't say how long a reservation lasts.¹

The annual report is also fixed, at $80, but it is not due in the formation year, because the first report is due the year after formation. From then on it falls due from January 1 to March 31 each year. There is no separate franchise tax on top (the Business Entity Tax ended under Public Act 19-117).^{1, 5}

An LLC already formed elsewhere pays a $120 foreign registration fee to work in Connecticut instead of the formation fee.⁶

What raises the cost of a Connecticut LLC?

Four things lift the bill above the state's fees: the registered agent, expedite, report-filing services, and add-ons sold at checkout. Each is a choice, and each can be priced before you file.

The registered agent

Every Connecticut LLC needs an agent with a place of business in the state (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 34-243n). A paid agent bills every year, unlike the one-time certificate fee. There are three routes.⁷

1. Act as your own agent. The statute allows a "Natural person who is a resident of this state", so a resident owner pays nothing. Your address then sits in the agent field of the public record, and you have to be there to accept papers. The Connecticut registered agent guide explains who may serve.⁷
2. Take a first year bundled with formation. Some packages include it, Bizee's Basic among them; the agent then renews at the provider's yearly price.
3. Buy the agent on its own at one of the standalone prices further down.

If a renewal arrives at a price you don't want, a Change of Agent filing costs $50. File it and make sure it is accepted before you cancel the old provider. How to change a registered agent gives the steps.¹

Expedite

Connecticut's expedite is $50 per transaction, for online filings only. The state says most online filings are accepted automatically, and it doesn't publish how much time expedite saves. Paper filing requires a check or money order (no credit cards), and the state calls it the slowest option. Some providers also sell their own rush handling, which is their charge rather than the state's.^{8, 9}

Annual report services

Connecticut gives these services a real filing every year. The cheapest way to handle it is to file the report online yourself and pay only the state fee, with no provider charge on top of it. Paying a provider adds its own fee, and most list the state's $80 as extra. LegalZoom lists $99 + state filing fees, bills once; InCorp lists $89 + state fees; ZenBusiness sells Annual Report Filing $100 per report; and Swyft sells ComplianceGuard $199/year. Northwest enrolls its agent customers in its report service at $100 + state fees, charged at filing, so ask how to switch it off if you plan to file yourself.^{10, 11, 12, 13, 14}

Add-ons and upsells

Checkouts offer an EIN (the federal tax ID), an operating agreement, a business address and bookkeeping or legal subscriptions. Each is a separate decision, and none is part of the state's filing. Free trials that convert to paid plans deserve a calendar reminder.

A lapse that leads to reinstatement

If an LLC goes without an agent, the Secretary of the State may dissolve the LLC by forfeiture. Reinstatement costs $120, and the state's combined form includes the annual report. Staying compliant in Connecticut explains how to avoid getting there.^{15, 16}

Which providers have the lowest published prices for a Connecticut LLC?

The table shows each provider's agent price, renewal and lowest-priced formation package. Rows follow our score, highest first, ties in editorial order, not price.

Below, in the same order, is what each provider's lowest option adds to the $120 state fee in the first year and what it costs to keep.

Tailor Brands. The Lite package is $0 plus state fees, and its details don't list an agent, so add $199/year or act as your own. Its Essential plan, $199/yr plus state fees, includes annual report filing but is a yearly charge. Tailor Brands review.^{17, 18}

ZenBusiness. Starter costs $0 + state fees (does not renew). The agent is an add-on (+$199/yr), with 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC, and renews at $199/yr. Starter also bundles Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr); the first report opens the January after formation, so check whether the free year reaches it. ZenBusiness review.^{19, 20}

LegalZoom. The lowest package is $0 + state filing fees. Its agent costs $249/year (first-time registered agent customers) and auto-renews at the purchase rate each year until you cancel. LegalZoom review.^{21, 22}

Bizee. Basic is $0 + state fee, and the agent is free for the first year with any Bizee formation package. That makes the state fee the whole first-year bill; the second year brings the $149/year (ongoing annual fee) agent renewal and the state's report fee. Bizee review.^{4, 23}

Swyft Filings. Basic is $0 + state fees, without a listed agent. The agent is $149 per quarter ($596/year), billed quarterly, so total it for the year before comparing. Swyft Filings review.^{24, 25}

doola. Starter costs $297/yr and includes the agent. The plan itself renews yearly, so the second-year cost is the plan price, not an agent fee. doola review.²⁶

Northwest Registered Agent. Formation is $39 + State Fees, described on Northwest's corporation page as a total that includes one year of registered agent service; confirm that applies to an LLC. The standalone agent is $125 per year, with no separate renewal price published. Northwest review.^{27, 28, 29}

Rocket Lawyer. The first registration is free with a Rocket Lawyer membership. Standard is $149/year and excludes the agent; the agent, $125 with a Plus or Pro membership, needs Plus ($249/year) or Pro ($349/year). Count the membership as part of the yearly cost. Rocket Lawyer review.^{30, 31, 32}

InCorp Services. Formation is priced starting at $99 plus state fees, with the registered agent sold separately at $129 per state per year, described as a $129 per year flat rate. InCorp review.^{33, 34, 35}

Harbor Compliance. Formation starts at $99 plus state fees. The agent starts at $99 first year (new customers) and renews at $159 annually, and stopping it takes notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term. Harbor Compliance review.^{36, 37, 38}

Agent-only prices across the country are on cheapest registered agent services, and package details for Connecticut are on Connecticut LLC formation services compared.