If you’re interested in starting a business in New York, one of the first steps you’ll want to take is register your limited liability company (LLC).

A New York LLC will separate and protect your personal assets – that’s what the “limited liability” in a limited liability company means. It will also legitimize your business in the eyes of your potential customers.

This article will walk you through all the steps on how to start an LLC in New York in order to make sure your business gets started on the right foot. Be sure to bookmark this page, as the process may take you a few days from start to finish.

See how they compare to other formation companies in our Best LLC Services review.

Steps to Form a New York LLC

Forming an LLC in New York on your own doesn’t have to be difficult. Just follow these simple steps below and your new business will be up and running in no time!

Step 1. Choose a Name for your New York LLC

The first step to forming a New York LLC is to choose a name for your business. Deciding on the perfect name for your new business is one of the most crucial parts of starting a company. Choosing a name that’s easy to remember and stands out in search engine results will help you get more customers, which means more revenue, which leads to more growth!

When choosing a name, there are a few searches that you need to complete before you settle on the final option:

1. New York LLC Name Search – Search here – This is the database of all “taxable entities” in Nebraska. Essentially, your name must be unique to all existing entities in the state.
2. Domain Name Search – Search here – You’ll want to ensure that your business’s name is available as a URL so that you can keep up your branding online. In many cases, the .com name may be taken. If this is the case, you can try adding “modifiers” to your name or use a different TLD (.co, .net, .biz, etc…) until you find an available domain name. Don’t skip this step. Even if you aren’t ready to start a website today, it’s important to register your domain name so that no one else snaps it up in the meantime.

3. Social Media Search – Depending on your business, you may want or need to have a strong presence on the different social media platforms. Even if you don’t think you’re going to use them, it’s still wise to search Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and any other socials to see if your handle is available.

Nebraska LLC Naming Rules

The New York Department of State has a few rules when it comes to naming LLCs:

• You must use an LLC designator (ie. “LLC” “L.L.C.”, or “Limited Liability Company”, etc…) in your LLC’s name.
• You cannot use a designator that could confuse your LLC with another business type (ie. “Corp”, “Inc”, “Non-Profit”, etc…).
• To use a term like “bank”, “university”, “law center” or other assuming words in your name, you must obtain approval from the proper authorities. This generally requires that your business hold the correct charters or have members with certain licenses before applying.
• Your name can’t be so similar to another business name that it could confuse customers.

It’s worth noting that you should be fairly certain that the name you select is the name you are going to stick with. Changing an LLC’s name isn’t impossible, but there are a lot of headaches and fees associated with the process.

If down the road, you do decide that your LLC’s name no longer serves the branding of your business, a simple solution would be to create an assumed name (also known as a DBA). An assumed name allows you to keep your LLC name the same and operate under a trade name different from the LLC’s.

Once you’ve decided on a name that follows all of the guidelines above, move on to the next step.

Step 2. Assign a Registered Agent in New York

The New York Department of State requires all LLCs to appoint a registered agent.

A registered agent is a person or entity that is assigned to receive tax forms, legal documents, official notices, and any other documents or correspondence from the government on your business’s behalf. This person can be yourself, a friend or family member, another member of your business, or a hired registered agent service.

In order to act as a registered agent, the person or entity must:

• Have a physical street address in New York (not a P.O. Box)
• Be available at all normal business hours to accept service of process (official documents)

The registered agent will be assigned on the Certificate of Formation when filed.

Should You Be Your Own Registered Agent?

A common question is whether or not you should “be your own registered agent”. Taking this position for your business is absolutely possible, but there are some downsides that you should think about before making this decision.

The first and most important downside in acting as your own agent is that you lose any anonymity that your LLC would have provided you. Since your LLC formation is a public record, this means that your name, address, and any other contact information will be available for anyone to see. This generally results in lots of junk mail, solicitations, and possibly even unwanted visitors at your home address.

The second issue is a bit less common but just as important for some folks. If you don’t have a physical address in Nebraska, then you won’t be able to file for an LLC. This affects non-residents or those trying to form a foreign llc.

Fortunately, using a registered agent service solves all of these issues at a very low cost. These service providers hold a physical office in each state and make the process simple for small businesses.

Want to learn more about registered agents? Check out these articles for a deeper dive into their services:

• Why You Need a Registered Agent
• Benefits of a Registered Agent Service
• Best Registered Agent Services
• How to Find a Registered Agent in Another State

Step 3. File Your Nebraska LLC Articles of Organization

After choosing your registered agent, the next step is to file the LLC Articles of Organization with the Nebraska Secretary of State. This is the document that actually forms your LLC as a separate legal entity.

With your application, you’ll need to pay the New York LLC Filing Fee: $200.

The simplest way to file this document is online with the New York State Online system. You’ll need to create an account using the name of your business, an active email address, and a credit card that you’ll use to complete your purchase. The system isn’t extremely user-friendly, but everything you’ll need is there.

If you don’t want to use the online system, you can also apply by mail. If you choose this option, you’ll need to download the New York Articles of Organization Form and fill it out completely and accurately. Mail the form and a check or money order (not cash) for the $200 fee to:

Department of State Division of Corporations State Records and Uniform Commercial Code
One Commerce Plaza
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12231

Step 4. Complete New York Publication Requirements

After you completed filing your New York Articles of Organization, you can now proceed with the publication requirement. The State of New York requires LLCs to publish their Notice of LLC Formation in two newspapers (one weekly circulation and one daily circulation) for six consecutive weeks.

This must be done within 120 days from the date your LLC is formed and in the same county as the principal address of the LLC. The newspapers you will run the ad with must be approved by the county clerk you designated in your Articles of Organization. Make sure to have this done within 120 days from the date your LLC was formed.

The newspaper company will send your Affidavit of Publication after your ad run has been completed. Make sure to keep a copy of this document for your business records.

After that, you will have to file the Certificate of Publication together with your Affidavit of Publication. Mail the form along with the $50 filing fee payable to the State to:

New York Department of State
Division of Corporations
One Commerce Plaza
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12231

Step 5. Create Your New York LLC Operating Agreement

Once you’ve filed your Affidavit of Publication, your next task is to complete your New York LLC Operating Agreement.

A Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement is a governing document that lays out the inner workings of your business’s structure. Think of this document as something similar to a prenup, except a lot simpler and less expensive. It will protect the interests of all parties involved in the case of any sort of trouble in the future.

There are six articles in a standard Operating Agreement:

1. Organization – Lays out the members and business structure of the company (ie. single-member, multi-member, series LLC, limited partnership, etc…)
2. Management and Voting – Goes over how the management operates and votes about changes in the LLC
3. Capital Contributions – Discusses initial and subsequent capital contributions made by members
4. Distributions – Explains how the profits and losses will be distributed among members
5. Membership Changes – Outlines how members are added and removed from the company
6. Dissolution – Describes how the affairs of the LLC will be wound up in the event of dissolution

In New York, you don’t need to file your operating agreement with the state, but this doesn’t mean that you should skip this step. If you don’t have this document in place and something happens to you or another member, it’s possible that the state could step in to settle any disputes. It’s better to have everything lined up at the beginning, rather than wait until it’s too late.

If your business needs a New York Sales Tax License to operate, you will be required to submit your operating agreement in that application. More about tax licenses later.

Step 6. Get an EIN (Employer Identification Number)

The last formation step for your business is to get an EIN (Employee Identification Number). An EIN is essentially like a social security number for your LLC. The IRS issues EINs and will use it to keep track of your business’s tax reporting.

The main reasons that you’ll need an EIN are:

• Opening a business bank account and/or credit card
• Hiring employees
• Tax purposes
• Further separates your personal identity from your business

To get your EIN, head to the IRS EIN Assistant and fill out the form. One of the requirements to obtain an EIN for your business is that you’ll need to enter either your personal Social Security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). If you don’t have either of these, then you’ll need to jump through a few more hoops to get your EIN.

Step 7: File a BOI Report

Starting January 2024, the vast majority of LLC owners will be required to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report with the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Existing LLCs will be able to file anytime between January 1, 2024, and January 1, 2025, while new LLCs will have up to 90 days to do this (30 days for LLCs formed after the start of 2025).

Keep in mind that failure to file your LLC’s BOI report on time can result in exorbitantly high fines (i.e., $591 per day) or even jail time (up to two years).

Note: Not every LLC owner is required to file a BOI report. For example, companies with more than 20 full-time employees, accounting firms, and banks are exempt. For a full list of filing exemptions, you can have a look at FinCEN’s website.

Steps After Forming Your New York LLC

First off, congratulations on forming your LLC! Taking this first big step shows that you are serious about your new business and shows its legitimacy to the rest of the world!

Now that your LLC is formed and you have a separate legal business entity, you’ll need to take care of a few more things before you start selling.

Open a Business Bank Account

The main job of an LLC is to separate the business’s assets from you, the business owner’s personal assets. This separation is called the corporate veil. Essentially, it ensures that if your business is ever sued or has any other financial debts that your personal assets are sheltered from these liabilities. This is where the “limited liability” in LLC comes from.

The easiest way to break your corporate veil is to mix your personal bank account with your business’s. This mixing of funds is called commingling. This opens your personal bank account up to undue exposure and completely breaks the asset protection that your LLC was meant to provide.

The good news is that avoiding this danger is extremely simple. Open a business bank account using your EIN number, transfer any initial funds (keep a record of this transfer), and do your best to never cross personal and business funds in the future.

If you ever need to take money out of the business or invest more of your personal funds in just be sure to keep records of these transactions. This includes the transfers you make when paying yourself a “salary”.

Build Your Business Website

No matter what type of business you operate, you need a website in order for your customers to take you seriously. Almost all businesses transactions today start with an online search, so if you aren’t there to be found then your customers will find your competition. It’s that simple.

Luckily, it’s gotten a lot simpler to build and maintain a website on your own without any prior experience or knowledge of data science or code. Drag-and-drop website builders have improved to the point that anyone can get their business online with about a day’s work.

Get the Proper Licenses, Permits, and Insurance

When starting a business, there are often several licenses and permits required before transactions can begin. Which licenses you need will depend greatly on the type of business you plan to operate and the location.

Nebraska Business Licenses and Permits

Finding the specific licenses and permits your business needs to operate will start with a few simple searches. To get started, you’ll need to quickly search the websites of:

• The state-level (New York Business Express)
• The county-level
• The city-level

Once you’ve identified the different location-based permits, you’ll need to acquire any licenses required by your industry. This includes licenses like the New York real estate license, the New York insurance license, the New York liquor license, and so on.

New York Business Insurance

Once you’re up and running, it’s important to have the proper insurance policies in place for your New York business. Some coverages will be required by the state if you have employees, while others will be required by landlords. Others still are “optional” but widely accepted due to their protective nature.

A few of the most common business insurance policies are:

• General Liability Insurance – Protects against claims of bodily injury, personal injury, or property damage. This coverage is generally required to rent office or warehouse space and to bid on certain jobs.
• Professional Liability Insurance – Protects against claims of inaccurate or negligent work. This coverage is most common in the “professional” space where businesses offer services or advice to other businesses or consumers.
• Workers’ Compensation Insurance – Protects your employees from on-the-job injuries or illnesses. New York requires to carry workers’ compensation coverage for businesses that have one or more employees.

Register Your LLC for a New York State Tax Permit

Certain businesses will need to apply for a New York State Sales Tax Permit. Not all businesses are required to register for sales tax, but if your Texas-based business engages in any of the following, then you will need to apply:

• If your business sells or leases personal property (tangible items)
• If your business offers taxable services

To apply, visit the New York Department of Revenue and Finance’s website and get the Sales Tax Certificate of Authority.

New York LLC Biennial Statement

Every two years, your New York LLC is required to complete and submit a biennial statement report. This is due by the end of the month your LLC is formed and is required for all New York LLCs and corporations.

This could be filed online at the New York eStatement Filing System. The filing fee for the biennial report is $9.

This report can be quite complicated depending on your business operations, so we recommend working with a licensed CPA to ensure you are filing correctly.

New York Department of State Contact Information

Mailing Address

Department of State
Division of Corporations, State Records, and Uniform Commercial Code
One Commerce Plaza
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12231
Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm

Contact Information

Email: corporations@dos.ny.gov
Phone: (518) 473-2492