Connecticut nonresident contractor bonds, blanket AU-961.
From $100.
An out-of-state contractor can become a “verified” contractor in Connecticut by filing a blanket verification bond (form AU-961) with the Department of Revenue Services under C.G.S. 12-430(7). One blanket bond covers your projects. Priced at 0.5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum — enter your amount to see your exact price at the application.
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How much does a Connecticut nonresident contractor bond cost?
0.5% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard verification bond — enter your amount, pay, and file the AU-961 with DRS. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your business details, the bond amount DRS required, and the effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot for most
No credit check up to $100,000, and most applicants are approved and issued the moment they pay.
File the AU-961 with DRS
Submit the executed blanket verification bond to become a verified nonresident contractor. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the verification bond actually covers
Connecticut treats an out-of-state contractor as a nonresident contractor, and C.G.S. 12-430(7) creates two classes: verified and unverified. A verified contractor has demonstrated to the Department of Revenue Services that it will meet its Connecticut tax obligations — and one way to qualify is to file a surety bond on form AU-961.
The bond guarantees the contractor’s Connecticut tax obligations — sales and use tax, withholding, and other state taxes tied to the work. Being verified matters in practice: when a nonresident contractor is unverified, the project owner or general contractor may have to hold back a percentage of the contract price for the state, so verified status keeps your payments flowing.
The blanket AU-961 covers your Connecticut projects under a single bond rather than bonding each job, and the bond term runs to a December 31 expiration on a two-year cycle. It is not insurance for you — if DRS recovers tax against the bond, you repay the surety. We issue the amount DRS named; no credit check up to $100,000, and premiums start from $100.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File the AU-961 with DRS. Submit the executed blanket verification bond to become a verified nonresident contractor. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 0.5% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $100,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with the bond amount DRS required — the executed AU-961 is generated instantly, ready to file.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Connecticut bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Verification bond, issued today.
Premiums from $100. Enter the amount DRS required and file the AU-961 the same day.