New York Bookkeeping Services
We have kept New York books since 2005 — and New York rewards businesses that keep them clean. The state runs a corporate franchise tax with three separate calculations, a pass-through entity tax election that closes every March 15, an LLC filing fee that scales with gross income and offers no extension, and a 2026 unemployment wage base that just jumped from $12,800 to $17,600. Every one of those numbers comes straight out of your books. Dedicated bookkeepers from $75/month keep them tax-ready, serving New York businesses remotely since 2005.
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New York businesses and their CPAs get dedicated bookkeepers — daily transaction logging, monthly reconciliations, and tax-ready financials at $15/hour ($10/hour wholesale for CPA firms), backed by a 100% money-back guarantee on your first deposit.
On This Page
- New York’s small-business tax landscape
- The corporate franchise tax comes in tiers
- PTET: a March 15 decision worth real money
- LLC housekeeping: the $9 filing and the one with no extension
- Payroll 2026: the wage base just jumped
- Personal income rates: high at the top, easing at the bottom
- New York cities we serve
- New York FAQs
New York’s Small-Business Tax Landscape
| Tax / Filing | Rate / Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate franchise tax (Art. 9-A) — business income | 6.5% up to $5M; 7.25% above $5M | 0% for qualified New York manufacturers; Form CT-3 due April 15 |
| Capital base tax | 0.1875% (0% for small business taxpayers) | Capped at $5M; computed alongside the CT-3 |
| Fixed dollar minimum | $25–$200,000 by NY receipts | $25 if receipts are $100K or less |
| NYS PTET (elective) | 6.85% ≤$2M; 9.65% $2–5M; 10.30% $5–25M; 10.90% >$25M | Annual election window: January 1 – March 15 |
| Personal income tax | Top rates 9.65% / 10.30% / 10.90% (through 2027) | Bottom five brackets cut 0.1 point in 2026 and again in 2027 |
| LLC Biennial Statement | $9 every two years | Due in your anniversary month |
| LLC/LLP annual filing fee (IT-204-LL) | $25–$4,500 by NY-source gross income | $25 if ≤$100K; due March 15 — no extension |
| Unemployment insurance (2026) | New employer 4.1% total; wage base $17,600 | Jumped from $12,800; NYS-45 filed quarterly |
| Paid Family Leave (2026) | Employee 0.432% of wages | Capped at $411.91/year |
This is bookkeeping context, not tax advice — verify current rates with the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance and your CPA before filing.
The Corporate Franchise Tax Comes in Tiers
New York’s Article 9-A franchise tax is really three calculations living in one return: 6.5% on business income up to $5 million (7.25% above it, and 0% for qualified New York manufacturers), a 0.1875% capital base tax that small business taxpayers skip entirely and that caps at $5 million, and a fixed dollar minimum that runs from $25 to $200,000 depending on your New York receipts. Which numbers land on your CT-3 each April 15 depends on figures pulled directly from your books — business income, capital, and receipts. Sloppy categorization can push you into a worse tier than you actually belong in; clean monthly books mean your CPA computes the return from real numbers instead of reconstructing your year in March.
PTET: A March 15 Decision Worth Real Money
New York’s pass-through entity tax lets partnerships and S corporations pay state tax at the entity level — at 6.85% on income up to $2 million, stepping up through 9.65% and 10.30% to 10.90% above $25 million — which many owners use with their CPAs as a federal deduction strategy. The catch is the calendar: the election is annual and the window runs January 1 through March 15. Miss it and you wait a full year. That decision requires knowing your expected entity income early in the year — which is exactly what businesses with books that are six months behind cannot do. If that is you, catch-up bookkeeping before January beats regret in April. New York City taxpayers can stack a separate NYC PTET at 3.876% on top, elected in the same window — details on our New York City page.
LLC Housekeeping: the $9 Filing and the One With No Extension
New York LLCs owe two recurring state filings that have nothing to do with income tax returns. The first is trivial but forgettable: a Biennial Statement, $9 every two years, due in the anniversary month of your formation. The second has teeth: the IT-204-LL annual filing fee, which scales from $25 (New York–source gross income of $100K or less) up to $4,500, is due March 15, and — unusually for New York — carries no extension. The fee tier is set by gross income, a number that comes straight off your books; revenue that is miscategorized, double-counted, or missing can literally change what you owe. We keep the figure clean and ready well before the deadline.
Payroll 2026: the Wage Base Just Jumped
The 2026 numbers moved more than usual. The state unemployment insurance wage base leapt from $12,800 to $17,600 — nearly $5,000 more per employee subject to SUI, under a new formula that now adjusts every January 1 — with new employers paying 4.1% total and quarterly NYS-45 filings to match. Paid Family Leave costs employees 0.432% of wages in 2026 (up from 0.388%), capped at $411.91 for the year. None of this is exotic, but all of it has to be booked correctly: wage-base caps tracked per employee, PFL withheld at the current rate, and liability accounts that reconcile to what your payroll filings actually report. Stale rate tables are the most common payroll error we clean up in New York books.
Personal Income Rates: High at the Top, Easing at the Bottom
New York’s top personal income rates — 9.65%, 10.30%, and 10.90% — run through 2027, while the bottom five brackets get a 0.1-point cut in 2026 and again in 2027. For pass-through owners, the state tax bill lands on the personal return, which makes entity-level planning (including the PTET election above) and accurate owner draws a year-round bookkeeping concern, not an April one. Clean books give your CPA the numbers to plan quarterly estimates instead of guessing.
New York Cities We Serve
Dedicated local guide: New York City — the five boroughs’ UBT, Commercial Rent Tax, 8.875% sales tax, and MCTMT, explained. We also serve Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Yonkers, and every corner of the state through our virtual bookkeeping service — one dedicated bookkeeper, wherever your business calls home.
New York Bookkeeping FAQs
What is the IT-204-LL and when is it due?
It is New York’s annual filing fee for LLCs and LLPs, scaled by New York–source gross income: $25 at the bottom tier ($100K or less) up to $4,500 at the top. It is due March 15 with no extension available — which is why we keep the gross-income figure reconciled and ready months ahead, not reconstructed the week before.
When can I elect the New York PTET?
The election window runs January 1 through March 15 each year, for that tax year. NYS rates run 6.85% to 10.90% by income tier, and New York City taxpayers can layer the NYC PTET at 3.876% in the same window. Whether it saves you money is a CPA conversation — our job is delivering books current enough that the conversation can happen before the window closes.
What changed in New York payroll for 2026?
Two things worth checking your systems for: the SUI wage base jumped from $12,800 to $17,600 (new employers pay 4.1% total, and the base now adjusts every January 1), and the Paid Family Leave employee rate rose to 0.432%, capped at $411.91 per year. If your payroll setup still carries last year’s numbers, your quarterly NYS-45 will not reconcile to your books.
Do you have a New York office?
No — we are fully virtual, founded in Vienna, Virginia on May 25, 2005 and headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico today. New York clients get a dedicated bookkeeper with plans from $75/month (see pricing), daily transaction logging, and a 100% money-back guarantee on your first deposit.
Related Resources
From the Falls to the Boroughs — Books Done Right
Dedicated New York bookkeeping from $75/month with a money-back guarantee on your first deposit.