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Veteran business benefits in Connecticut (2026)

Published by the Honest MOS Editorial DeskVerified against DoD/.gov sourcesUpdated August 2026Editorial standards

Connecticut has 3 verified programs for veteran-owned businesses. Everything below is cited to the statute or official program page it came from, with the date we last checked it — because these programs get amended and repealed, and a confident page with a dead benefit on it costs you a filing fee.

Connecticut gives the largest price preference of any state we have verified — fifteen percent — and almost nobody talks about it, probably because of the word attached to it: micro. This is not a general veteran-owned business preference. It is specifically for veteran-owned MICRO businesses, capped at $3 million in gross revenue, and no disability rating is required. If you are under that ceiling, Connecticut is arguably the best state in the country to bid state work from. If you are over it, the preference does not exist for you at all.

Connecticut at a glance
Verified programs	3
Benefit types	Tax exemption, Contracting preference, Other
Last verified	2026-08-12

Tax exemption

Veterans to Agriculture — sales and use tax exemption for new veteran farmers

Connecticut relaxed the qualifying conditions for the agricultural sales and use tax exemption permit specifically for veterans, so that a veteran who has never farmed commercially — or has done so for under two years — can get the exemption on personal property used exclusively in commercial agricultural production. Normally that permit is gated behind a track record you cannot have on day one, which is exactly the barrier that stops people starting. The Departments of Agriculture, Labor and Veterans Affairs are directed to work together to help veterans start or expand an agricultural business and to provide farming education and training.

Who qualifiesVeterans who have never owned or leased property for commercial agricultural production, or who have done so for less than two years. Applies to the sales and use tax exemption on personal property used exclusively in agricultural production.

Source: Connecticut General Assembly — An Act Establishing a Veterans to Agriculture Program (HB 6375, 2015) · verified 2026-08-12

Contracting preference

15% price preference — the largest verified in this dataset

15% price preference; $3,000,000 gross revenue ceiling

Public Act 16-184 amended C.G.S. § 4a-59 to give Connecticut veteran-owned micro businesses a fifteen percent price preference in determining the lowest responsible qualified bidder, applied by the Department of Administrative Services. Fifteen percent is enormous: on a $200,000 contract it means a $229,000 bid from a certified veteran micro business can still be treated as the low bid. Compare the rest of the field — Minnesota 12%, Michigan 10%, Wisconsin and Alabama 5%. The trade-off is the revenue ceiling, and it is a hard edge rather than a sliding scale: cross $3 million in gross revenue and you lose the entire preference, not a proportion of it.

Who qualifiesAt least 51% of the business owned by one or more individuals meeting the definition of veteran in C.G.S. § 27-103(a)(1), AND gross revenue of not more than $3 million in the most recently completed fiscal year. No disability rating required. Certification is via CTDVA Form CTVOMB-1 through the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs; DAS applies the preference.

Source: Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs — Veteran Owned Micro-Business Certification (C.G.S. § 4a-59, P.A. 16-184) · verified 2026-08-12

Other

Homegrown by Heroes — a state-backed veteran mark for farm products

Free

If you sell anything you grow, this is free marketing with the state's own CT Grown branding behind it. Homegrown by Heroes lets Connecticut producers who are veterans add the Homegrown by Heroes logo to their CT Grown farm products, in a merged mark, so shoppers can identify and choose veteran-grown produce at the point of sale. The Department of Agriculture is blunt about why it works: displaying the logo invites customers to ask about it, which gives the veteran an opening to tell their story and build a lasting connection. That is a conversion mechanism, not a sticker — and it costs nothing.

Who qualifiesConnecticut producers who are veterans and are members of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Connecticut. Submit a request to the Department of Agriculture to obtain the merged Homegrown by Heroes / CT Grown logo files.

Source: Connecticut Department of Agriculture — Resources for Connecticut Veteran Farmers · verified 2026-08-12

What to do next

Check which of the programs above you actually qualify for before you spend anything on formation services. The state benefits are worth more than any discount a vendor will offer you.

Check your SDVOSB eligibility The cheapest compliant way to file

More verified states

California District of Columbia

Questions people actually ask

Does Connecticut waive business filing fees for veterans?

We found no verified formation fee waiver for veteran-owned businesses in Connecticut. That does not mean nothing exists — it means we could not confirm one against a primary source, and we will not list a benefit we cannot cite.

Is there a Connecticut state certification for veteran-owned businesses?

15% price preference — the largest verified in this dataset: Public Act 16-184 amended C.G.S. § 4a-59 to give Connecticut veteran-owned micro businesses a fifteen percent price preference in determining the lowest responsible qualified bidder, applied by the Department of Administrative Services. Fifteen percent is enormous: on a $200,000 contract it means a $229,000 bid from a certified veteran micro business can still be treated as the low bid. Compare the rest of the field — Minnesota 12%, Michigan 10%, Wisconsin and Alabama 5%. The trade-off is the revenue ceiling, and it is a hard edge rather than a sliding scale: cross $3 million in gross revenue and you lose the entire preference, not a proportion of it. Source: Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs — Veteran Owned Micro-Business Certification (C.G.S. § 4a-59, P.A. 16-184).