How to Register an LLC in New York

What registering an LLC in New York means

New York keeps the register of companies formed under its law. Your LLC is on it the moment the New York Department of State files Articles of Organization. From that day the company can open a bank account, sign contracts and be sued in its own name rather than yours. The registration does not include a federal tax number, a New York tax account or a local business license; those come after and are separate registrations with other offices.

People use "register", "form" and "file" for the same act. In New York the act is one document, Articles of Organization, and one fee, $200. The step-by-step for everything around it, from the operating agreement to the bank account, is in how to start an LLC in New York; this page is about the registration itself.

What it costs to register an LLC in New York

The filing fee is set by New York and is the same whether you file it yourself or a service files it for you. New York charges $200 for the Articles of Organization.

State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices. Yearly costs, the five-year total and how New York compares are in New York LLC cost.

Step 1: Confirm New York is the state to register in

Register where the company will actually operate. An LLC that does business in New York but registers elsewhere has to register in New York anyway, as a foreign LLC, and pay two states.

Wyoming, Delaware and Nevada come up because of privacy, case law or taxes. They make sense for a holding company or a business with no fixed location. A company that operates in New York and registers somewhere else ends up registered in both. The comparison is in cheapest states to form an LLC.

Step 2: Clear the name with New York

New York requires a name distinguishable from every company on its records, with an LLC designator. Search the state's business records at dos.ny.gov before you file.

Rules on designators, restricted words and the distinguishability test are in LLC name rules. A rejection for a name conflict costs days and, in some states, a second fee.

Step 3: Name a New York registered agent

No registered agent required; Secretary of State is designated agent. A post-office address (any location) to which Secretary of State mails process is required. Most owners still name an address they check, so legal papers have a known destination.

Who may serve, whether the agent signs, and what becomes public: New York registered agent requirements.

Step 4: Prepare Articles of Organization

The New York form asks for the company name with its LLC designator, the registered agent and its New York street address, the principal or mailing address, and the organizer who signs. 'Any person or business entity may be an organizer, and organizers need not be members.' The filer cannot be the LLC being formed. Everything on it becomes a public record; what New York shows is listed below.

The document itself, and what every state's version asks for, is explained in articles of organization.

Step 5: File Articles of Organization and pay the $200 fee

Filed with the New York Department of State (dos.ny.gov). The state fee is $200, paid once. New York does not publish a standard processing time for LLC filings that we could verify; the filing portal shows the current turnaround when you file.

Faster review: Online filings need no expedite. Paper: $25 for 24-hour, $75 same-day, $150 2-hour.

New York takes the filing from the public at dos.ny.gov. Ready to file? The Articles of Organization prepared and filed for you, with the state fee on its own line: form your New York LLC at america-llc-filing.com.

Step 6: Complete the New York registrations that follow

5 registrations follow in New York: (1) Publish a copy of the articles or a notice in two newspapers (designated by the county clerk of the county of the office) once a week for six consecutive weeks; (2) File Certificate of Publication with the newspapers' affidavits of publication; (3) Adopt a written operating agreement (not filed); (4) Biennial Statement; (5) LLC filing fee (Form IT-204-LL) with the Department of Taxation and Finance, once the LLC has New York income. Then the federal tax number and the operating agreement.

The order and the deadlines are in what to do after forming an LLC. The recurring state report is the one owners forget.

What becomes public when you register in New York

Everything on Articles of Organization is a public record once New York files it; anyone can pull it from the state's business search. On the New York filing: Organizer printed name and signature; filer name and mailing address. No members/managers listed. Service-of-process mailing address is public.

'Any person or business entity may be an organizer, and organizers need not be members.' The filer cannot be the LLC being formed. The operating agreement, the ownership split and the tax election are not filed with New York and stay private. Do you need an operating agreement?

How long New York takes to register an LLC

New York does not publish a standard processing time for LLC filings that we could verify; the filing portal shows the current turnaround when you file. Paid faster review is offered: Online filings need no expedite. Paper: $25 for 24-hour, $75 same-day, $150 2-hour. The figures are the state's own and move with its workload; a rejection for a name conflict or a missing agent consent restarts the clock. Every state's published time is in how long it takes to form an LLC.

After registration in New York

The state registration is the first of several. These are the ones New York owners run into, in the order they usually come up.

• Publish a copy of the articles or a notice in two newspapers (designated by the county clerk of the county of the office) once a week for six consecutive weeks. Due within 120 days after filing of the Articles; otherwise authority to do business is suspended. Cost: newspaper charges vary widely by county (typically far higher in NYC counties).
• File Certificate of Publication with the newspapers' affidavits of publication. Due within the same 120 days. Cost: $50.
• Adopt a written operating agreement (not filed) Due within 90 days after filing the Articles. Cost: $0.
• Biennial Statement. Due every two years in the calendar month of original filing. Cost: $9.
• LLC filing fee (Form IT-204-LL) with the Department of Taxation and Finance, once the LLC has New York income. Due march 15 each year for the prior year. Cost: $25 for a single-member LLC; multi-member based on New York income ($25 minimum).
• Federal tax number (EIN). Issued by the IRS after the state registration, at no charge; the bank asks for it. How to get one: New York EIN number.
• Operating agreement. Not filed with New York, but required by the state: adopt a written operating agreement (not filed), within 90 days after filing the Articles.

The recurring report is where most companies lose good standing. When it is due, file the New York report at america-llc-filing.com, or the New York LLC annual report page has the due date, fee, late penalty and portal.

Before you file in New York

From New York's published forms and filing instructions:

• County of the LLC's office, which must be a New York county.
• The county also determines which newspapers are used and the publication cost.
• Post-office address where the Secretary of State mails served process.

Sources

The New York facts on this page come from the state's own forms, fee schedules and statutes, read for the October 2026 fee audit. Fees change; the state's page is the final word.

• dos.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/01/1336-f.pdf
• dos.ny.gov/articles-organization-domestic-limited-liability-company-0
• dos.ny.gov/forming-limited-liability-company-new-york
• dos.ny.gov/expedited-handling-services-division-corporations
• dos.ny.gov/beneficial-ownership-disclosure-frequently-asked-questions