Connecticut Certificate of Authority / Fees
What a Connecticut certificate of authority costs
Connecticut charges a stock corporation $385 for its certificate of authority, with $285 of it a license charge, and a nonstock corporation $40. The annual report then costs $435 or $50. We add $199 for the preparation.
The application fee, by entity
| Entity | Filing | Connecticut fee | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock corporation | Application for Certificate of Authority | $385 | License charge of $285 inside |
| Nonstock corporation | Application for Certificate of Authority | $40 | Printed on the form as an exception |
| LLC | Foreign Registration Statement | $120 | Different statement, no license fee shown |
| LLP | Foreign Registration Statement (or the Certificate of Authority form) | $120 | Same price for either |
Filings after approval, for corporations
| Filing | Stock corporation | Nonstock corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly report | $435 | $50 |
| Agent change | $50 | $20 |
| Interim notice of a new officer or director | $20 | $20 |
| Change of business address | $50 | $50 |
| Name change | $100 | $20 |
| Corrected annual report | $100 | Quoted when you order |
| Certificate of withdrawal | $0 | $0 |
First-year arithmetic
| Case | Adds up as | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Stock corporation, application only | The application fee | $385 |
| Stock corporation, with one annual report | $385 and $435 | $820 |
| Nonstock corporation, application only | The application fee | $40 |
| Nonstock corporation, with one annual report | $40 and $50 | $90 |
| LLC, with one annual report | $120 and $80 | $200 |
The annual report window for LLCs is January 1 to March 31. A corporation reads its report date from its Business.CT.gov dashboard. For an LLC the report is $80, and a mid-year manager or member change is a $20 notice. The LLC window opens on January 1 and closes on March 31, so a registered LLC files once in that window each year.
Certificates of legal existence
Connecticut's certificate of legal existence is a separate purchase. For a corporation the express form is $50 and the short form $80; for an LLC either form is $50. Verification is free once you are signed in, as is looking at past certificates. The long form is for Connecticut-formed businesses only and cannot be expedited. The office issues none while an annual report is overdue.
Holding a name before you apply
Registering a corporate name or reserving one costs $60. A reservation keeps the name from anyone else for 120 days, and the day you file counts as the first. That is useful when the authority application has to wait for the agent's consent or a home-state document.
What our fee covers
For $199 we do the preparation: gathering the corporation details, comparing the name with the home-state record, entering the agent, completing the application, filing it online and paying Connecticut. We send back the record and a short cost sheet for the years ahead. At checkout the state fee gets its own line. Our agent service is covered by the fee for year one, with the renewal shown at checkout.
Expedite, and when it helps
Online filings can be rushed for $50 per transaction, a choice that appears as the last step. The state adds that most filings are approved at once. A mailed application cannot be expedited. Because unauthorised work costs $300 a month, the rush option is worth considering only when the 90-day grace is nearly gone.
Costs that sit outside our fee and the state fee
A certificate or good standing document from the home state is priced by that state; Delaware's costs $50, and Wyoming's is free online. A commercial registered agent charges for its service. And if the corporation later wants a Connecticut certificate of legal existence for a bank, the state's express and short forms run $50 and $80 for a corporation.
The cost of leaving things undone
The statute for foreign corporations sets $300 for each month of unauthorized business, partial months counted. Three months comes to $900, and that figure excludes back fees. The same clause lets the Attorney General seek an order against the corporation. See the penalty page.
Registered agent: first year included, then $149 a year
$199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Fee questions
Is the license fee extra?
No. The state's $385 figure already includes the $285 license fee.
Why does a nonprofit pay less?
The application prints $40 as the filing fee for a nonstock corporation.
Which later filing carries no fee?
The certificate of withdrawal, which the state lists at $0.
Does the annual report differ by entity?
Yes: $435 with shares, $50 without and $80 for an LLC.
Our fee, then the Connecticut fee
Get authority in Connecticut
Delaware or any stateConnecticut
$199
+ $385 Connecticut fee
- The Application for Certificate of Authority, completed from what you tell us
- Home-state proof of existence, ordered if the filing needs it
- A Connecticut agent: ours, the Secretary of the State, or a person you already trust
- The filing, then your annual report dates
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Our fee and the Connecticut fee show as separate lines at checkout. A nonstock corporation pays less, and an LLC pays its own fee. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Sources
- Business.CT.gov, foreign stock corporation forms and fees
- Connecticut Secretary of the State, Application for Certificate of Authority, foreign corporation (PDF)
- Business.CT.gov, foreign annual report forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, foreign LLC forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, foreign nonstock corporation forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, foreign limited liability partnership forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, how to change a business name
- Business.CT.gov, certificate of legal existence forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, why reserve a business name
- Business.CT.gov, expedited services
- Connecticut General Statutes, chapter 601 (foreign corporations)
- Delaware Division of Corporations fee schedule (PDF)
Need authority to operate in Connecticut?
Give us the entity type and its home state. We prepare the application and settle the agent details.