[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.