Checklist for Starting an LLC in New York


A New York limited liability company (LLC) offers the benefits of limited liability protection and tax options. We’re here to help you get started in just 5 steps with this Checklist for Starting an LLC in New York.

Recommended: Start your LLC with Northwest for $29 (plus state fees).

Or, use our guide to help ensure that you have everything you need to start your New York LLC:

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New York LLC Formation Checklist

Launching a New York LLC for your small business but not sure where to begin? This LLC creation checklist is your guide to the important steps to LLC formation, including:  

  1. Naming Your New York LLC 
  2. Choosing a Registered Agent 
  3. Filing Formation Documents with the State of New York
  4. Drafting an LLC Operating Agreement
  5. Publishing Notice of Your New LLC
  6. Getting an EIN

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Step 1: Name Your LLC

Your business’s name is one of the first — and arguably most important — decisions you make when forming an LLC in New York. When selecting the name for your LLC, there are a few things to keep in mind: 

  • Your state’s naming requirements 
  • Whether the name is available in New York
  • Whether there is a matching domain name (URL) available

Naming Requirements

Each state has its own requirements for naming a business entity.

New York LLC Naming Rules:

  • Your name must include the phrase “limited liability company” or one of the following abbreviations: “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” “Limited,” “Ltd.,” “Company,” or “Co.”
  • Your name cannot include words that could confuse your LLC with a government agency (e.g., FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.).
  • Restricted words (e.g., Bank, Attorney, University, etc.) may require additional paperwork and a licensed individual, such as a doctor or lawyer, to be part of your LLC.
  • Read the New York state statute about LLC names for a complete list of naming rules.

Name Availability

The first step in naming your LLC is to make sure it is available. In New York, your business name must be unique. To make sure your business name meets this requirement, use our New York LLC Name Search guide to confirm the availability of your chosen LLC name.

Domain Name Availability

Before you decide on a business name, it is important that you check if the matching web domain name is available.

Find a Domain Now

Need Help Naming Your Business?

Fortunately, choosing a business name for an LLC is super easy with the help of our free business name generator. Simply include a keyword and industry to explore potential business names with available domain names at no cost to you. 

For more help, visit our How to Name a Business in New York guide.

Step 2: Choose a Registered Agent

A registered agent is responsible for accepting legal and tax documents on behalf of your business. A New York registered agent can be an individual or a business entity (such as a professional service).

In New York, the Secretary of State acts as your agent for service of process by default.

An agent for service of process is another name for a registered agent. A registered agent's main purpose is to accept service of process. Service of process is basically the act of serving a lawsuit to a person or business.

In New York, the Secretary of State must always act as your agent to receive service of process. But, you can also appoint a registered agent. If you decide to appoint a registered agent, the Secretary of State will forward service of process and other notices to your registered agent.

In certain NY counties, it can make financial sense to appoint a registered agent. This is because new LLCs must publish notice of formation in a county paper in the county of the registered agent, or the business address if there isn't a registered agent.

For LLCs in the New York County and other counties whose newspapers charge high fees to publish notices, it would make sense to appoint a registered agent in a less expensive county. 

Learn more about NY publication fees in our guide.

Form an LLC and get free registered agent service for the first year with Northwest.

Step 3: File Formation Documents

To officially start a New York LLC, you need to file the Articles of Organization with the state. You can form an LLC on your own or with the help of an LLC formation service.

You can file Form DOS 1336-f: Articles of Organization with the New York Department of State online, by mail, by fax, or in person, along with a nonrefundable $200 filing fee.

For help with completing Form DOS 1336, visit our New York Articles of Organization guide.

Recommended: Check out our Best LLC Services review to learn more about choosing the right service to form your LLC.

Step 4: Draft an LLC Operating Agreement

Now that you’ve officially formed your LLC, the next step is to draft an LLC operating agreement.

An LLC operating agreement outlines the ownership and membership duties of your LLC. In essence, this document allows the business owner(s) to clearly define both the financial and working relationships between each business owner or “members” as well as the members and managers. 

This makes managing your business not only easier but also more streamlined, thanks to a solidified set of rules that inform voting rights, ownership stakes, and more.

How to Draft an LLC Operating Agreement

Here’s the good news, drafting an LLC Operating Agreement is easy and free using our operating agreement tool or by downloading this free operating agreement template. If you’d prefer to create your own, here are the six articles you can generally expect to cover: 

  • Organization 
  • Management and voting
  • Capital contributions
  • Distributions
  • Changes to the membership structure
  • Dissolution

Visit our full How to Create a New York LLC Operating Agreement guide to learn more.

Step 5: Publish Notice of Your New LLC

New York requires that within 120 days of formation all LLCs publish a copy of the articles of organization or a notice related to the formation of the LLC in two newspapers (one weekly and one daily).

New York City has fees upwards of $1500-$2000 for newspaper publishing. One way to save on fees is to designate a registered agent service that’s located outside of the city.

Recommended: ZenBusiness Registered Agent Service is located in Albany, where typical newspaper publishing fees range from $80 - $100.

Step 6: Get an EIN

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is like a Social Security number for your LLC. Besides allowing the IRS to identify your business for tax reporting, an EIN allows you to get a bank account for your LLC. If you’re not sure if you need an EIN for your business, here are some circumstances that require LLCs to obtain an EIN. 

Your LLC is required to get an EIN if: 

  • Your LLC has employees
  • Your LLC files excise tax 
  • Your LLC withholds taxes for nonwage income paid to a nonresident alien

The benefits of having an EIN outweigh the disadvantages and most banks require LLCs to have an EIN to open a checking account. Not to mention, it is free and easy to file for an EIN using the IRS website.

After You've Formed Your LLC

There are some important tasks you need to complete after forming your LLC, from obtaining the right permits to developing a strong web presence.

These are some of the most important things you need to do after forming your LLC:

Open a Business Bank Account and Credit Card

Opening a business bank account and getting a business credit card before you start operating is one of the most important things to do to maintain your LLC’s liability protection — also known as its corporate veil.

Limited liability protection means that the personal assets of the owner are not in danger if the business is sued or goes into debt. This is one of the biggest benefits of forming an LLC.

The easiest way to lose personal liability protection is to mix your personal financial accounts with the business.

Hire an Accountant

You might be thinking about doing your own accounting and avoiding hiring a professional to save some money. While this might be possible (especially with the help of accounting software), hiring an accountant is likely to save you money in the long run — not to mention help you avoid potential legal troubles.

Some of the advantages of hiring an accountant for your LLC include:

  • Prevents the business from overpaying on taxes and helps it avoid penalties and fines
  • Gives you more time to focus on your growing business instead of doing accounting and bookkeeping
  • Can discover areas of unforeseen loss or extra profit

Take advantage of a free tax consultation with our trusted partners.

Research and Register for Business Licenses

Getting the right New York business licenses and permits is one of the most important things to do after forming an LLC.

This can sometimes be an intimidating step, as the business license and permit requirements vary considerably from state to state and even between counties and cities. Different types of businesses may also have different licensing requirements, like seller's permits.

There are three main licensing jurisdictions: federal, state, and local.

To find out which business licenses you might need and how to get them, check out our How to Get a Business License guide.

Get Business Insurance

Every LLC should have some type (or types) of business insurance.

At a minimum, your LLC should have general liability insurance, which is a broad insurance policy that protects your business from lawsuits. 

Before you decide on which business insurance to get for your LLC, check out our review of the 7 Best Small Business Insurance Companies.

Establish Your Web Presence

All businesses should have an internet presence. This includes having:

  • website
  • Social media accounts
  • A YouTube channel

The style of your website could vary greatly depending on the type of business you have as well as your own personal preferences.

If you don’t feel comfortable making your own website, there are a lot of tools and website builders that can help you create your own business website.

Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

How to Start an LLC

Forming an LLC is easy. There are two options for forming your LLC. You can use one of the Best LLC Services for a very low fee or use our free form an LLC guides.

Recommended: Use our free New York LLC guide to Start an LLC in New York yourself.

New York LLC Checklist FAQ

How long does it take to get an LLC in New York?

The average time it takes to process NY LLC formation documents in New York is 3 days.

What are the requirements for an LLC in New York?

To form an LLC, you need to file the Articles of Organization with the NY Secretary of State online, by mail, by fax, or in person, along with a $200 filing fee.

Learn more by visiting our full How to Start an LLC in New York guide.

How much does an LLC cost per year in New York?

In the state of New York, LLCs are required to complete a biennial report every other year. There is a $9 filing fee to complete this requirement.

How much does it cost to start an LLC in New York?

If you are filing New York LLC formation documents yourself, you will only need to pay the $200 filing fee.

If you choose to hire one of these Best LLC Services to complete your filing, you’ll be charged a small additional fee.

What do you need to start a business?

To start a business, you’ll need a few things such as:  

  • A business idea 
  • A business name 
  • A business plan
  • A business structure
  • Funding 
  • Licensing and permits 
  • Business insurance 

In addition to this, you need to satisfy any state or federal requirements as well as any requirements unique to your business. For a more in-depth guide to starting a business, visit our How to Start a Business in New York guide.

How do you set up your own LLC?

Starting an LLC on your own is simply done by submitting completed formation documents such as Articles of Organization to appropriate government agencies for your state (typically, the Office of the Secretary of State). This filing can usually be done online or by mail, depending on the state you’re located in. 

For help with completing these steps, visit our How to Start an LLC in New York guide.

Can I be my own registered agent in New York?

Yes, New York does allow you to be your own registered agent. However, before you decide to act as your own registered agent, there are a few things you need to consider: 

  • You’ll have to maintain normal (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) business hours at the address you provide.
  • If you run your business from home, you’ll be required to make your personal address public.
  • You must keep up on important notices, dates, and deadlines.
  • You could be served in front of your family or coworkers.

Check our New York registered agent guide for more details.

What is better: a DBA or LLC?

Unlike an LLC, a “doing business as” (DBA) name is not a business structure. Therefore, it is difficult to compare DBA vs. LLC. Generally, however, we recommend forming an LLC for your business. If you choose to form as a sole proprietorship or would like to operate under a different business name than the one you have registered, filing a DBA is a great option.