HARTFORD –Secretary of the State Denise Merrill on Thursday reminded businesses that they can avoid paying unnecessary fees to entities offering assistance with annual report or other business filings, by quickly and easily filing at business.ct.gov.
“Connecticut has made it easy for small business owners to file their annual reports online,” said Secretary Merrill. “Business owners should be aware that they can avoid unnecessary expenses by conveniently filing their annual reports and other business filings online at business.ct.gov. Starting a business is stressful enough – there is no reason for business owners to pay more than they need to for filing necessary forms. Connecticut is open for business!”
Over the last few weeks, some businesses have received official-looking mailers from third-party companies seeking additional fees to file annual reports for Connecticut businesses. These extra fees are not necessary and can be avoided by filing directly with the Secretary of the State.
The fee for LLCs to file annual reports is $80. The annual report fee for other business types varies by business and can be found at https://business.ct.gov/forms-and-fees.
The LLC filing period begins on January 1, the deadline is March 31. All other business entities file their annual report on the anniversary date of their formation and businesses will receive an email from the Office of the Secretary of the State 30 days before their annual report is due. The direct link for filing annual reports is: https://business.ct.gov/file-annual-report.
If businesses are ever unsure about the legitimacy of a business filing notice, or have questions about the business filing process, they can contact the dedicated business services team in the Office of the Secretary of the State at 860-509-6003 or at crd@ct.gov.
The State of Connecticut launched business.ct.gov to serve as a primary point of contact between businesses and government, giving businesses greater confidence that they are communicating with legitimate, appropriate government personnel. The portal is a joint initiative of the Department of Administrative Services, Department of Revenue Services, Department of Consumer Protection, Department of Labor, Department of Economic and Community Development, and the Office of the Secretary of the State. Governor Lamont and Secretary Merrill recently announced that Connecticut’s business registration system has been upgraded and is fully integrated with business.ct.gov.
With the Office of the Secretary of the State’s business division fully integrated, Connecticut business owners now have a seamless end-to-end experience from how to start a business, registering that business, and managing all of their critical compliance needs, including registering a new business, the hassle-free filing of annual reports and other business filings, and tracking filings, fees, and due dates all in one place.
Secretary of the State Merrill’s video with her reminder to businesses can be found here: https://vimeo.com/652216344