Credit card processing and merchant services in Hartford, CT
Hartford businesses that trade under a name other than their legal one file it with the Town and City Clerk. Connecticut law also rules out any fee for paying by card.
If the name over your Hartford door isn't your legal name or your company's registered name, start at the Town and City Clerk's office. The city's trade name page says the business address or principal location must be in Hartford to file there, and the application has to be completed and notarized before the trade name is issued. Recording costs $20, notarizing at the clerk's office costs another $10, and you'll need two forms of identification. An LLC or corporation must also be registered with the state and in active status.
That paperwork matters when you open a merchant account. The processor will ask for your legal name and the name you trade under, and the two should match your records. The name customers see on their card statements should be one they recognize, too, or some of them will dispute charges they don't remember making. Our guide to getting a merchant account lists what to have ready.
Card fees are off the table in Connecticut. The surcharge statute bans any charge tied to the payment method, convenience fees included, and since July 1, 2026 the price transparency law has required advertised prices to include every mandatory fee. A posted discount for cash is the legal option, and retailers generally have to accept cash. Our Connecticut page has the exemptions and sources.
Hartford adds no sales tax of its own; no Connecticut town does. Taxable goods carry 6.35% and meals carry 7.35%, so a lunch spot that also sells T-shirts needs both rates set up.
The Census Bureau put Hartford's population at 121,981 on July 1, 2025, a little below its 2024 estimate of 122,129. Every card cost here comes out of your margin, so it's worth knowing the number. A free statement review breaks your current bill down line by line, and we work with Hartford businesses remotely on interchange-plus pricing with no long-term contract.
Rules that matter in Hartford
Trade name certificates
The Hartford Town and City Clerk records trade names for businesses whose address or principal location is in Hartford, and the city says a business operating under a name different from the one registered with the Secretary of the State must register with the clerk's office. Individuals and business entities use different forms, and an entity must be registered with the state and in active status. The application has to be completed and notarized before the trade name is issued.
The clerk's office lists a $20 fee to record an application or cancellation, plus $10 to notarize at the office, and asks for two forms of identification. The city notes that the application is now on the Secretary of the State's website.
Sources: City of Hartford, Town and City Clerk: Trade name; City of Hartford, CDBG qualifying criteria business form (July 1, 2024, PDF)
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Common questions
Where do I file a trade name for a Hartford business?
With the Hartford Town and City Clerk, if your business address or principal location is in Hartford. The application must be completed and notarized before the trade name is issued, and an LLC or corporation has to be registered with the state and active. The clerk's office lists $20 to record it plus $10 to notarize there, and you'll need two forms of ID.
Does the name on my merchant account need to match my Hartford trade name?
They should line up. Your processor will ask for your legal name and the name you do business under, so if the two differ, file the trade name before you apply. The name on customers' card statements should be one they recognize, which cuts down on disputes over charges they don't remember. Our guide to getting a merchant account covers the rest of the application.
Can a Hartford business add a card fee to client invoices?
No. Connecticut's surcharge statute bars any fee that raises a transaction's total because of the payment method, so a card fee line on an invoice is out, and the Department of Consumer Protection treats a convenience fee tied to the payment method the same way. Price card costs into your rates instead. A virtual terminal lets clients pay invoices by card or through a payment link.
Is the meals tax in Hartford different from the rest of Connecticut?
No. Meals and certain beverages are taxed at 7.35% everywhere in the state: the 6.35% general rate plus an extra 1% in effect since October 1, 2019. Hartford adds nothing on top. Hotels collect the state's separate 15% room occupancy tax on rooms.
More Connecticut cities besides Hartford
Disclaimer: general information, not professional advice
This page is general educational information, not legal, tax, accounting or financial advice. Rules and rates vary by place and change, so confirm them with the official source and a qualified professional before you act. Full terms are in our Terms of Service.
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