Connecticut Sole Proprietorship

How to Become a Connecticut Sole Proprietor

In Connecticut, becoming a sole proprietor is straightforward. There’s no formal setup process or fees involved. To operate a Connecticut sole proprietorship, just start working.

However, even though it’s easy to start, there are some extra steps you might want to consider. While not necessary, many sole proprietors find them beneficial.

DBA Acquisition

A doing business as (DBA) name is a crucial part of many sole proprietorships, as it enables you to use an assumed name for your business, rather than your own personal name. The advantages of acquiring a DBA start with image ― most customers feel that an assumed name is more professional and trustworthy than doing business with a company that uses its owner’s personal name instead.

That said, sole proprietors can sign up for a business bank account using their DBA name, which is another step that goes a long way toward making customers feel more comfortable doing business with you.

You should begin the process of acquiring a DBA in Connecticut by determining whether your desired DBA is available. To do so, you should search Connecticut’s Business Registry.

After you confirm that your name of choice is available, you must then register your DBA by filing a Certificate of Trade Name with the town clerk in the town in which you plan to do business. If you plan to do business in multiple towns, then you will need to register your DBA in each town that you plan to do business in.

You can find more information about registering your DBA in Connecticut in our detailed guide on the subject.

Determine Taxation Requirements

Sole proprietors without employees usually don’t need to acquire a federal tax ID number (EIN), because as a one-person business, you can typically just use your own social security number for most things an EIN is used for. Still, if you would rather not use your SSN for privacy purposes, it would be a good idea to get an EIN regardless.

Beyond that, the nature of your business will determine which taxes apply to you as a sole proprietor.

For example, sole proprietorships that sell or rent goods or products must register to pay sales and use tax, or if you run a bed and breakfast, you would need to pay a room occupancy tax. Luckily, the State of Connecticut makes registering for taxes quite easy with the Department of Revenue Services’ Taxpayer Service Center. This helpful online tool will help you determine which taxes your business is liable for and automatically register you to pay them.

Obtain Business Licenses and Permits

There isn’t a requirement in Connecticut for sole proprietors to acquire a general business license, but depending on the nature of your business you may need other licenses and/or permits to operate in a compliant fashion.

Connecticut has numerous licenses and permits that apply to particular industries, so you should take care to ensure that you have obtained any that may apply to your sole proprietorship. To determine which licenses that your business may need, you should use the Connecticut Economic Resource Center’s license search.

In addition, you should check to see if your business needs any licenses or permits on the local level.

Major Connecticut cities like Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Hartford, and Waterbury have their own licensing and permitting requirements and as do most smaller localities.

What Is a Connecticut Sole Proprietor?

As opposed to a corporation or limited liability company (LLC), the sole proprietorship is not a legal business entity. The sole proprietorship is a one-person business that is not considered to be a distinct entity from the person who owns it, and it is frequently operated using the owner’s personal name.

Here are the three main things you need to know:

Tax Responsibilities

Because there’s no distinction between the owner and the business itself, sole proprietors don’t need to file business tax returns ― they instead simply claim any business profits or losses on their personal tax returns.

Contracts

Sole proprietors are allowed to sign contracts using their personal name, and along those same lines, customers can write checks to the business by using the sole proprietor’s name.

More Flexible

The other big difference between sole proprietorships and more formal business structures is the fact that sole proprietors are allowed to commingle business and personal assets as much as they want to. With LLCs and corporations, ownership is required to keep their assets separate from those of the company. The downside of this aspect for sole proprietors is that if your business is sued, creditors are free to pursue your personal assets like your house, car, personal bank accounts, etc. For corporations and LLCs, creditors are limited to your business assets.