The 5 Best Registered Agents in Connecticut (2026)

Full transcript

0:00 The short answer

Dan The 5 best registered agents in Connecticut in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, CT Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and Connecticut Registered Agent.co.

Maya Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. Connecticut. Does it have its own wrinkle for agents?

Dan A big one. Your LLC can't be its own registered agent there, and a change of agent costs $50, so most owners end up hiring one.

0:31 What Connecticut requires

Maya Walk me through the rule.

Dan Every Connecticut LLC has to designate and maintain a registered agent in the state. Designating one is the company's statement that the agent has agreed to serve.

Maya Who qualifies?

Dan A natural person who lives in Connecticut, a Connecticut corporation, an authorized foreign corporation, a Connecticut or registered foreign LLC, or an LLP or statutory trust. And the agent must have a place of business in the state.

Maya So can I be my own?

Dan As an individual resident, yes, including a principal of the business. The entity itself cannot appoint itself.

Maya Does the agent have to sign?

Dan Yes. The filing carries a signature accepting the appointment, unlike some of the states we've covered.

Maya I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan.

Dan Thanks, Maya. Let's meet the five.

1:21 Mainstay Filing

Maya Number one?

Dan Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, and $149 again at renewal.

Maya What does that cover?

Dan Its Connecticut address on the public record in place of your own. Served papers are scanned and uploaded the same business day at no fee, and your first three government mailings each year are scanned free.

Maya What about changing over?

Dan Mainstay files the Connecticut change of agent for you. The fifty-dollar state fee passes through at cost.

Maya And the honest catch?

Dan Two of the services below it charge $99, so Mainstay doesn't win a pure price contest.

2:02 Northwest Registered Agent

Maya Second?

Dan Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year. Its page says the price hasn't moved in twenty years, and up to ten regular mail scans a year are free.

Maya Catch?

Dan The automatic enrollment in its annual report filing service, which is $100 plus state fees per filing, until you cancel it.

Maya Connecticut's report is $80.

Dan Which means with that service switched on, it's $100 plus the $80 state fee, $180 for a filing the state lets you do online yourself.

2:39 CT Registered Agent.org

Maya Three?

Dan CT Registered Agent.org, $99 a year, the same at renewal. The office address, scanning of legal correspondence and reminders for state filings.

Maya Switching?

Dan Costs just the $50 state fee. Annual report filing is a separate service.

Maya Against Mainstay?

Dan $50 a year less. Over three years that's $150.

3:05 Bizee

Maya Four?

Dan Bizee, formerly Incfile. Free the first year with any formation package, then $149 a year on automatic renewal.

Maya And if I formed elsewhere?

Dan Then you skip the free year and start at $149.

Maya A two-year total?

Dan Free then $149 with a formation order. Without it, $149 then $149 is $298.

3:35 Connecticut Registered Agent.co

Maya And five?

Dan Connecticut Registered Agent.co, a flat $99. The address on your filings, same-day scans of state correspondence and deadline reminders.

Maya Anything different from number three?

Dan Not on the listings. Same price, same catch, and report filing costs extra.

3:54 Addresses on the form

Maya What addresses does the form ask for?

Dan Form BUS-009 asks for the agent's business address, with no post office box, and a Connecticut residence address, again no post office box. LLCs also give a Connecticut mailing address for the agent, where a post office box is acceptable.

Maya And for a business agent?

Dan A Connecticut business address, no post office box.

Maya Any rule on office hours?

Dan We didn't find one.

Maya So an individual agent gives a home address on the public record?

Dan The statute says an individual's business and residence addresses. That's one reason people choose a service.

4:39 Changing the agent

Maya How do I change it?

Dan Form BUS-009, the Change of Agent. The fee is $50, set in the statute for a change of agent or a change of the agent's address.

Maya Online?

Dan Yes, at the state's business site, or on paper to the Secretary of the State in Hartford.

Maya Do my members have to vote?

Dan No. The members or managers need not approve it. But the certificate must be signed by the newly appointed agent.

Maya Same fee for just a new address for the same agent?

Dan Fifty dollars online, yes.

5:09 If the agent resigns

Maya What if my agent quits?

Dan A certificate of resignation, another $50. It can only be filed by the agent, and it doesn't appoint a new one. That takes an additional filing.

Maya When does it take effect?

Dan On the earlier of the 31st day after it's filed or the date a new agent is designated. The agent has to immediately tell the company the date it was filed.

Maya And if I never replace them?

Dan Papers can be mailed to the company at its principal office, as shown on the most recent annual report.

5:40 Forfeiture

Maya Can the state take action over a missing agent?

Dan Yes. If a delinquent LLC has failed to maintain an agent, the Secretary can email the company at the address on record that its rights and powers are prima facie forfeited.

Maya How long does it have?

Dan Three months from the sending. If it files no agent appointment, the Secretary files a certificate of dissolution by forfeiture.

Maya Can it come back?

Dan Reinstatement is $120, with an agent appointment.

6:14 The annual report

Maya And the yearly filing?

Dan The annual report is $80, online only, filed between January first and March thirty-first. The first one comes the year after formation.

Maya Does it show the agent?

Dan Yes, it lists the agent. The state emails the address you gave about a month before it's due.

Maya So a normal year costs?

Dan With Mainstay, $149 plus $80 is $229. With a $99 agent, $99 plus $80 is $179.

Maya And formation?

Dan The Certificate of Organization is $120, which includes appointing the agent.

6:54 Doing it yourself

Maya Say I live in Connecticut and want to be my own agent. What's the trade?

Dan It's free, and you control the papers. But the statute puts an individual agent's business and residence addresses on the public record.

Maya And you need a place of business?

Dan The agent has to have one in the state, so a home with no business address is awkward.

Maya What about travel?

Dan If you're often away, a missed served lawsuit is the real risk. The agent has a duty to forward anything served, and a service that scans the same business day makes that fast.

Maya And if I'm a one-person company?

Dan A principal of the business can serve, so it's allowed. It just has to be a person, since the LLC can't appoint itself.

7:38 Picking one

Maya How would a Hartford or Stamford owner choose?

Dan Three things. Does the price hold, is the address a real Connecticut business address, and who files the $50 change.

Maya And your answer?

Dan Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Connecticut, at $149 a year.

7:58 The five in a row

Maya Let's hear all five once more.

Dan One, Mainstay Filing: $149, same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, with the report service to cancel. Three, CT Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, Connecticut Registered Agent.co: $99 flat.

Maya The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.