How to Start an LLC in New York (NY LLC 2025)

A limited liability company in New York enjoys the most benefits. It is less complicated to form, has less documentation, and has more tax benefits. Having an LLC in New York requires a set of important steps. We have shared all the points you need to know on this page; read them before starting an LLC in New York.

If you are new to this business world, it is better to hire a professional service. Many top-rated services offer their basic formation package at $0. Below, we shared a video tutorial about setting up your LLC. Watch it before you start processing your papers. 🙂

How to Start an LLC in New York

An LLC (aka Limited Liability Company) is a hybrid business entity combining a corporation’s characteristics with a partnership or sole proprietorship. It separates your personal assets from your business assets, thus giving you personal asset protection. For an LLC, members’ personal assets are not affected by business debts. However, in some cases, if the LLC is sued for business debts, courts might pierce the corporate veil and use the owner’s personal assets to meet their corporate liabilities.

If you wish to start an LLC, you must file your Articles of Organization with the State and pay a filing fee of $200. While it’s the most important step, it’s not the only one. There are 5 other crucial steps to follow to get your LLC formed in New York. Below are all 6 steps that explain everything you need to do to start a New York LLC in 2025. Let’s get started! You can always hire a professional LLC formation service in New York to set up your LLC instead of doing it alone; a professional service will ensure everything is done properly.

Step 0: Decide on the Structure and Nature of the Business

Before you start filing your LLC in Alabama, you must decide on the structure of your LLC (whether it is a Single-member or a Multi-member LLC). A single-member LLC is a business structure where only one individual runs the company. This type of limited liability company (LLC) provides legal protection to its owner and enables them to operate their business while taking advantage of certain tax benefits. In contrast, a traditional multi-member LLC must have at least two members involved in the company’s management and ownership.

For both types of structures, the process of establishing is the same in Alabama. The tax burden might be different if you chose a different tax structure while filing the Articles of Organization.

LLC vs S-Corp

Many people often get confused about an S-Corporation being a corporate structure like an LLC. However, it is not. It is rather a tax structure that LLCs have at the time of filing the formation document. It’s a tax classification that might result in significant financial savings for corporations and LLCs, but in different ways. An S-Corp is similar to an LLC, except that the IRS treats it as a corporation for tax purposes.

If you want an S corp status for your business, you can always form an LLC to protect your personal assets from business debts. It takes some basic steps to have a successful S-Corporation in Alabama. S-Corps do pay corporate income taxes, but they are still treated as disregarded companies for federal tax purposes.

Step 1: Decide on a Name for Your New York LLC

The first step while forming a limited liability company in New York is to give a proper name to your LLC. Before you name your business, you must know that the name should be easy to remember, available in the state, and follow all the LLC naming guidelines.

LLC Naming Guidelines in New York

There are a few specific requirements all LLCs in New York have to follow while naming their Company. Some of the most important requirements are as follows:

• Your business name should be available, and no other existing business in New York can have the same name. LegalZoom offers unlimited business name searches without any hassle.
• “Limited Liability Company”, “LLC”, and “L.L.C.” – any one of these has to be used as a suffix in your business name.
• You cannot use any name for your business that is confusing or misleading. Terms such as “Treasury”, “State Department”, “FBI”, “CIA”, etc. shouldn’t be included.
• Terms like “Bank“, “University“, “Attorney“, “Doctor“, etc, can be added only after the additional requirements by the New York State Government are fulfilled.
• (Optional) It’s better to name your business something for which your desired domain is available.

Reserve Business Name for Future

If you do not wish to file your LLC right now but want to hold the name you have decided on, then you can reserve your LLC name for 60 days. To keep the name, you must file a name reservation application and pay $20 to reserve your name with the New York Secretary of State.

Doing Business As (DBA) or Trade Name

Once you have a legal name for your LLC, you can register it. However, it is not mandatory. You can, instead, use DBA, Fictitious Name, or Trade Name. In that case, you must register your name with the New York Secretary of State by submitting an Application to Register a Fictitious Name in New York, along with the filing fee of $100. Read the Instructions to file DBA before you proceed.

Apart from LLC formation, LegalZoom offers all types of attorney services. Not restricted to business-related services, LegalZoom offers personal legal services, as well. From forming an LLC to dissolving it, LegalZoom offers 360-degree services.

Step 2: Assign a Registered Agent in New York

The second step to forming an LLC in New York is to appoint a Registered Agent. A registered agent is a person or business entity working on your LLC’s behalf. This person or business will receive important tax forms, legal documents, all notices of lawsuits, and other official government correspondence in New York. Hence, hiring a competent New York Registered Agent for your LLC is necessary.

Make sure your registered agent is a resident of New York or has a physical street address. This address will be used as the principal address of your LLC to receive any legal documents. Most LLC formation companies also provide registered agent services. Below are two great LLC formation services; even if you buy their cheapest plan (normally $0), you also get registered agent service and other services at a very reasonable price.

LLC Service	Our Rating & Pricing	Top Features	Learn More
#1 TOP PICK	5/5 $0 + State Fees	1-day rush filing (add-on) Attorney help (legal plan) 100% accuracy guarantee	Start My LLC
	4.5/5 $0 + State Fees	Fast LLC filing Worry-Free Compliance 4.8/5 Trustpilot	Compare Plans

These two are our top recommendations for LLC service, as they are competent and authorized to conduct business in New York. Some LLC formation services also offer standalone New York registered agent services. You can purchase only Registered Agent services without purchasing any other LLC formation services. This standalone service might become handy if you are doing it yourself and don’t want to disclose your home address, or you don’t want to pierce the corporate veil.

Registered Agent Consent Application

In New York, there is no separate Consent Letter to be produced to the Secretary of State. This consent letter assures that the Registered Agent has given their nod for the service of process as an Agent. They can reject the appointment, too, by filing a Rejection of Appointment. At the time of change of Registered Agent (or the name or address), the new Registered Agent has to sign the consent letter. It comes with the Application form to Change the Registered Agent. The filing fee of $30 should be paid for it.

Step 3: File Articles of Organization in New York

The third and most important step in forming an LLC is to file the Articles of Organization. This New York Articles of Organization is a legal document that is required to register your business with the New York Secretary of State. It costs $200 (by mail and online) to file your formation certificate in New York. (Read more on LLC costs in New York).

The Articles of Organization include details like the name of the LLC, the registered agent’s name, address, employees’ details, and the company’s structure (member-managed or manager-managed). Before hiring employees in New York LLC, one should know the rules and regulations thoroughly. Also, if you are expanding your existing business (an LLC) in other states to New York, you must register as a New York Foreign LLC.

Processing Time: Normally, it takes around 5 business days (approx) to get your LLC formed in New York. The processing time for online filing might be a little faster than offline filing. However, the document processing time can be changed due to various factors.

Every LLC owner has to pay the filing fees to register their business in New York. This fee is mandatory but also tax-deductible. If you’re doing it yourself (filing on your own), it will not cost you any additional service fee. However, it is not feasible to do that as the DIY process might be delayed, complicated, and messy, especially if you’re a novice entrepreneur. Hence, it is recommended to get professional guidance to get your LLC formed in New York.

Step 4: Meet New York LLC Publication Requirements

Every LLC in the state of New York needs to publish a notice in two separate newspapers (one daily & one weekly) within 120 days of the formation. There are some New York publication requirements every LLC must follow. This notice of publication should be published for 6 weeks continuously. LLCs cannot choose any newspapers. The papers must be approved by the local county clerk of the county where your LLC is located (according to the Articles of Organization). After the publication, LLCs will receive one affidavit of publication from each publisher.

To file the Certificate of Publication, LLCs need to submit the Certificate of Publication form along with the Affidavits of publication received from the publishers to the following office,

Step 5: Create Your LLC Operating Agreement in New York

Moving on to the fourth step, filing your operating agreement. An operating agreement is an internal document that legally outlines the proprietorship and operating procedures of your LLC. For an LLC with your spouse, you need an operating agreement for that. This document is vital as it ensures that all business owners are on the same page regarding how they operate, thus reducing future conflicts.

When it comes to filing a New York LLC Operating Agreement, the state does require you to have a comprehensive operating agreement. The operating agreement has to be created before, at the time of filing, or within 90 days of filing the articles of organization. This document would be useful if you want to dissolve New York LLC later.

The operating agreement draft can be created for free if you don’t hire a professional. However, there is an advantage to appointing a proficient person/service. You will get a businesslike quality operating agreement at a very cheap fee, which will help you in the future. Hiring a professional service means you can sleep well at night 🙂

Step 6: Filing a New York LLC EIN

The Employer Identification Number (aka EIN) is a nine-digit number given by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to make it easier to identify the type of business for tax purposes and taxes in general. The EIN is necessary for any active business or any form of business, for that matter.

An EIN number in New York is needed when the LLC hires employees. Hiring employees in a New York LLC requires following specific rules and regulations. On the other hand, an EIN for a New York foreign LLC should be obtained if your LLC is based in another state.

To obtain an EIN (aka FEIN), one has to fill out a form (Online or by mail) and submit it to the IRS. Enter details of your LLC, and finally, complete the form and send it to the address given. You can also get an EIN Assistant to help you with the process.

Mail to: Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999

Fax: (855) 641-6935 | Fee: Free

Note: You don’t need a Social Security number when getting an EIN. You can proceed to fill out the I.R.S. Form SS-4 and leave section 7b blank. You must then call the IRS at (267) 941-1099 to complete your application. Agents or employees will help you with that.

Congratulations, you are now done with all the necessary steps to form your Limited Liability Company in New York. If you do it yourself, it should take you a long time to understand and do all the steps properly.

However, if you use LegalZoom, it should be way faster. You will always have a live chat option and phone support with experts for any help you need. Their worry-free service will make things easier for you.

After Starting Your New York LLC

After forming your LLC, there are still some things that you will need. The most important thing is to separate your business and personal assets. LLCs have limited liability protection that protects your personal assets from business liability. This is called a corporate veil. However, the corporate veil can be lifted or pierced by the court if the LLC is sued. In that case, the owners of the LLC become personally liable for their corporate debts. A few things, like appointing a legit registered agent, having enough capital, and filing all the major documents with the state, can save the LLCs from being pierced through the corporate veil.

Apart from that, there are a few things you need to take note of,

• Get a company business bank account, business credit card, and other business accounting tools. Even if you have an informal business structure, after registering your business, you need to have proper business accounting tools.
• File New York business permits & licenses. Besides, get the details of the business licenses you need before you obtain them. To run legitimate businesses, it is mandatory to have licenses.
• Get general liability insurance and professional liability insurance with coverage for employees. Now, even for a simple business structure, you need to protect your employees.
• File a New York LLC annual report or biennial report.

This page has provided you with steps for LLC formation and filing processes. You now have to remember upcoming filing deadlines and filing fees or filing costs, including fees for late filings, to make sure your LLC is up-to-date.

The LLC formation processing time in Wyoming is 8 months if filing offline (by mail). The process starts immediately if filed online. Check how long it takes to form an LLC to know about the tentative timelines.

Cost of Starting an LLC in the State of New York

LLCs can be formed for a very low price, considering they have the pass-through taxation. Apart from the mandatory state filing fees, you don’t have to bear additional service charges if you do it yourself. The following are the fees and taxes LLCs in New York must pay to register and run a business in the state. Forming an LLC is no doubt cost-effective compared to other business structures. However, the fees and charges (tax-deductible) that you must pay to the state, such as name reservation fee, name filing fee, LLC filing fee, and Franchise Tax & Sales Tax (If applicable). Here are the main fees and taxes you must pay while forming your limited liability company in New York,

In New York, an LLC name reservation is not mandatory. You can register your LLC name at the time of registering your LLC. If you wish to hold the name for some time without registering your LLC, then you can do that online. Your LLC name will be reserved for 60 days without registering your LLC. It can be done by paying $20.

In New York, a Biennial Report has to be produced every 2 years. It costs $9. Also, the State of New York requires LLCs to pay a Sales Tax of 4% every year. Other than this, there are business insurance coverage costs. Read our guide on LLC costs in New York for more information.

New York Foreign LLC

If you are interested in forming a Foreign LLC in the state of New York, then you need to file the Certificate of Foreign LLC with the New York Secretary of State. Foreign LLCs allow you to operate your business in more than one state. Along with the Certificate of Foreign LLC, you need to submit some more documents, like the Certificate of Good Standing, etc., to the New York SOS to form your foreign LLC in the state of New York. To know more in detail, check out our guide on New York Foreign LLC.

Reasons to Start an LLC in New York

Are you aware of the fact that many top-ranked global businesses are based in New York? The reason behind this is the business-friendly environment that makes New York the most favorable destination for business in the world. Hence, you will get potential customers easily here. As it is the most popular business state, you might get additional customers for your start-up. To start an LLC in the state of New York, business owners need to get different permits, such as building permits, signage permits, and health permits if it is a restaurant or food-related business. With a proper permit, you can conduct business with ease in New York. Besides, LLCs do not have double taxation. In double taxation, every business has to pay income taxes twice, once as a business and then as an individual entity. Here in LLC, there is no such case of double taxation.

When it comes to business structure in New York, a sole proprietorship and an LLC are the two best options. However, single-member LLCs are similar to sole proprietorships. It is much easier for entrepreneurs to get business licenses, permits, and other documents. On the other hand, tax liabilities are much lower in LLCs. It is easy to get business funding for LLCs. Not only LLCs but any startup can get business funding if they have proper business plans. On the tax front, there are no additional taxes other than federal income taxes levied on individual income. On the other hand, corporations must pay a handful of federal taxes, including self-employment taxes, along with federal income taxes.

Moreover, for start-ups, the New York government has many tax benefits, like reducing tax liabilities, and incentives, like business funding options, that will help entrepreneurs start an LLC in the state of New York. Here are the insights.

Start-Up New York Program

The start-up New York program is a tax benefit program introduced by the state government to bring new start-up ideas and investments into the state. Under this program, a start-up company has to enroll itself and select based on criteria fixed by the government. All those companies that get selected are eligible for a tax-free operation at some state locations for a period of a whopping 10 years.

Federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)

Under this program, a tax rebate is provided to LLCs located in New York based on hiring people belonging to a special group. These special groups are those people who have to follow issues at every step in their journey when they step out for employment. That is why the government is helping hand such people and wants the LLC to hire such people in New York.

For this task, the company will enjoy a tax credit of a minimum of $1200 to a maximum amount of $9600. This amount varies depending on how many employees of this category are hired by you and the salary they are taking out of the LLC accounts. Some of those groups are:-

• People who are unemployed veterans due to a disability. They are highly qualified.
• Recipients from the list of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
• Community residents living in special empowerment zones or rural areas of the country are still under renewal.
• People who have food stamps.
• Individuals who are in their rehabilitation period are referred by their centers.

IDA Commercial Tax Incentives

The IDA commercial incentive is a program in which an LLC going through changes in their existing building or starting the work of new construction is provided a rebate on the land taxes for up to 25 years, depending on the construction they are proceeding with. Also, the state sales tax is waived for purchasing construction and renovation materials, which is around 8.875%. Read more on New York’s classification of LLC tax.

Best Businesses in New York

When you want to form an LLC in the state of New York, you must have complete knowledge of the state’s business environment. To help you in this process, we have mentioned some valuable information below.

Financial Services

How can a person forget the Wall Street of Manhattan when talking about New York Businesses? The state’s stock exchange and Silicon Valley have been continuously growing since 1817, impacting the whole world with one action. The contribution of this incredible sector to the economy is $211 billion.

Manufacturing Business

Most of the products that are manufactured in the state are basically for exports. Only a small amount of goods is kept for local use. General software, mobile devices cover the manufacturing industry’s biggest chunk and clothes manufacturing. The contribution of this sector is $64.83 billion, and it is also indirectly supporting the export sector. It accounts for $84.7 billion, which includes vegetables and manufactured products.

Media and Entertainment

The most prominent media houses of the USA are present in the state that is controlling global trends. Some of the biggest ones are CNN, News Corporation, The New York Times Company, etc. These media houses alone have helped many people generate their livelihood and have contributed around $9 billion to the GDP. The tax that this industry failed in 2014 accounted for $240 million, which is enormous for the non-manufacturing sector.

Agriculture

The modern state of New York is also rich in its agricultural activities due to its deep, fertile soil. Crops produced in the state are pears, strawberries, dairy goods, etc. 25% of the total area allocated to the state is consumed for farming purposes, which have recently contributed around $4.28 billion to the state’s GDP.

Some small businesses that are thriving well in New York are:-

• Food delivery business
• Property management
• Online trading

New York LLC Formation Review

F.A.Qs

In Conclusion

When it comes to forming an LLC in New York, it is much simpler than other business structures. In New York, starting a small business or a start-up is easy because of its diverse resources. For small budget holders, forming a limited liability company is desirable. The steps explained in this article are generic steps for starting a business in New York. It is recommended to consult an attorney or service provider.

In New York, while establishing an LLC, make sure you check with the local bodies like the city council and district office to get updated on local regulations. We recommend LegalZoom, one of the best LLC services that offers LLC formation at $0 (+ state filing fees). Hiring a professional service would make things easier. From having a registered agent to complying with the local and state government, everything will be smoother than doing things all by yourself.