How to Change Your Registered Agent in Connecticut

Your registered agent is the person or business that receives legal papers and official state mail for your company. Connecticut law calls this role the statutory agent, but the Secretary of the State and most business guides say registered agent, so this article uses that term too. If the agent on file has moved, resigned, closed its office, or stopped being a good fit, you can change it. The process is a filing on Business.CT.gov, and the fee depends on your entity type.

This guide covers what Connecticut requires of an agent, what a change costs, and how to file the change without leaving a gap in your company's record. It is informational only and is not legal or tax advice. For complex situations, such as a dispute over service of process or a company with several filings in progress, talk with a qualified Connecticut attorney or CPA.

Connecticut Registered Agent Requirements

Check the replacement against the rules before you file anything. Every corporation, LLC, limited partnership and limited liability partnership formed or registered in Connecticut must appoint and continuously maintain a registered agent. The agent receives legal and official correspondence for the business, so a missing or unreachable agent can cause real problems. The core Connecticut registered agent requirements are:

• The agent must be either a natural person at least 18 years old who resides in Connecticut, or a business entity registered with the Connecticut Secretary of the State.
• The agent's address must be a usual place of business in Connecticut that is customarily open during normal business hours, with an authorized person present.
• A post office box or commercial mailbox does not qualify as the address.
• The agent's information is confirmed and updated each year when the annual report is filed.

Two details catch many owners. First, an individual agent needs both a Connecticut residence and a business address that meets the open-during-business-hours test. A home address with no set office hours may not qualify, so confirm the address before you name the person. Second, if the agent is a business entity, that entity must itself be registered with the Secretary of the State. You link it to your filing by its business ID (ALEI). If the link is missing or wrong, the filing shows an incomplete-agent message, and the change is not finished until you fix it.

What a Change of Registered Agent Costs

The fees below are the amounts the Secretary of the State lists for these filings.

Filing	Fee
Change of agent, domestic or foreign LLC	$50
Change of agent, domestic or foreign stock corporation	$50
Change of agent, domestic or foreign nonstock corporation	$20
Change of the agent's address	Same fee as a change of agent
Resignation by an LLC's agent (no form)	$50

Expedited service costs an additional $50 per transaction and is completed within 24 hours of receipt. It is available only for filings submitted online through Business.CT.gov, not by mail. The Secretary of the State says expedited service is usually unnecessary because most online filings are accepted automatically, so pay for it only if you have a specific deadline.

Changing your agent is a filing on your company's record. It is not a license, and it does not replace any trade license, tax registration or local permit your business may need.

What to Gather Before You Start

• Your company's exact legal name and Connecticut business ID, as they appear on Business.CT.gov.
• Access to your company's Business.CT.gov account, or the login of the person who manages it.
• The new agent's full legal name and its Connecticut business address.
• For an individual agent, confirmation that the person is at least 18 and lives in Connecticut.
• For an entity agent, its exact registered name and its business ID (ALEI).
• A written confirmation from the new agent that it has agreed to serve. This is not a state form, but you should have it on file.
• A payment method that Business.CT.gov accepts, sized to the fee in the table above.
• If the current agent is resigning, its contact details so you can coordinate the handoff.

Step-by-Step: How to Change Your Registered Agent

1. Pull your current record. Search your company on the Business.CT.gov business records search at https://service.ct.gov/business/s/onlinebusinesssearch. Confirm the legal name, business ID, status and current agent. If the status is not what you expect, resolve that with the Secretary of the State before you file the agent change.
2. Confirm the new agent qualifies. Compare it against the requirements above. If the agent is a business, search its business ID and confirm it is registered. If the agent is a person, confirm the age and Connecticut residence. Then call the business address during normal hours and confirm someone is there. A mailbox fails this test.
3. Choose your filing route. If you are changing agents on your own schedule, file a change of agent. If the agent wants out, an LLC agent can resign for $50 with no form, but plan the replacement so there is no gap (see the resignation section below). If your annual report is not due soon, you can also update the agent through an Amended Annual Report.
4. Log in to Business.CT.gov. Go to the Secretary of the State's filing page at https://business.ct.gov/business-services/business-forms-and-fees, sign in, and open your company's record. Select the filing that changes the registered agent.
5. Enter the new agent's information. Type the name, the business address and, for an entity, the business ID (ALEI). Enter a street address, never a post office box or commercial mailbox.
6. Pay the fee. Use the amount from the fee table for your entity type. Add the $50 expedited fee only if you need 24-hour handling and you are filing online.
7. Submit and save the confirmation. Keep a PDF or screenshot of the confirmation page and the payment receipt. If you see an incomplete-agent message, fix the entity link before you leave the page.
8. Check the record. Search your company again after filing. Confirm the new agent appears with the correct address. The Secretary of the State does not publish a standard turnaround for ordinary online or paper filings, so check the record instead of assuming it updated.
9. Tell the parties involved. Let the new agent know it is now on record and who at your company handles mail and legal papers. Notify the former agent so it can update its own files.

Resigning as an LLC's Registered Agent

An agent can step down, and an LLC agent may resign for $50 with no form. A resignation does not end your company's obligation to have an agent. Connecticut requires every LLC to continuously maintain one, so the safe sequence is to get the replacement's written agreement, file the new agent, and confirm it appears on the record before the old agent leaves. If you cannot line those up, do not let the company sit without an agent on record. The no-form resignation described here applies to LLCs. For a corporation, confirm the resignation procedure with the Secretary of the State before you act.

Using an Amended Annual Report Instead

If your annual report is not due soon, an Amended Annual Report can also update your registered agent. This lets you put the change on record without waiting for the next annual report. Confirm the fee for the amended report on the Secretary of the State's page before you file, because this article does not list it as a settled figure.

The regular annual report carries a fee of $80 for an LLC and $150 for a corporation, and the agent information is confirmed again each year when you file it. Business.CT.gov shows each entity its own next due date. For LLCs, the widely reported practice is a January 1 to March 31 window, but check your own account for the exact date. If the agent changed shortly before the report, make sure the report shows the current agent.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using a post office box or commercial mailbox as the agent's address. These do not qualify.
• Naming an individual who lives outside Connecticut or who is under 18.
• Entering an entity agent without its business ID, or with a name that does not match its registration. This produces an incomplete-agent message.
• Resigning before the replacement is on record, which leaves the company without an agent.
• Paying the wrong fee. A nonstock corporation pays $20, while an LLC or stock corporation pays $50.
• Mixing up the two changes. Changing the agent and changing the agent's address are separate filings, though both carry the same fee.
• Assuming the new agent knows. Many agents first learn of their role when papers arrive. Tell the agent in advance and confirm it can accept mail during business hours.

Tips for a Smooth Change

• Search the new agent's business ID or your own record before you start. Typos in entity names are the most common cause of a rejected or stalled link.
• Set a yearly reminder to review the agent record. The agent is confirmed each time you file the annual report, so the record should match who is actually receiving mail.
• If your company is a foreign LLC or foreign corporation registered in Connecticut, the same change-of-agent fees in the table apply.
• Keep the agent's contact details in your own company records so you can reach it quickly if papers arrive.
• Skip expedited service unless you have a specific deadline. Most online filings are accepted automatically.

What to Expect After You File

Most filings submitted through Business.CT.gov are accepted automatically. If the filing goes through cleanly, the new agent should appear on your company's record in the business search, and it should be the party that receives legal and official correspondence for the business from then on. Results depend on the accuracy of your entries, so compare the record to your confirmation page. If the change does not appear or you see an incomplete-agent message, contact the Secretary of the State's Business Services Division at https://portal.ct.gov/sots/business-services/bsd before you file again. Refiling without knowing the cause can create a second fee and a second record to correct.

Important Information

This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Connecticut fees, forms and procedures can change. The Connecticut Secretary of the State's Business Services Division and Business.CT.gov are the authoritative sources, so confirm any figure in this guide before you file. For complex situations, such as a company with pending disputes, multiple entities, or questions about how an agent change affects other filings, consult a qualified Connecticut attorney or a certified public accountant.