State guide · New York
New York: the filing is easy; the publication requirement is the bill nobody quotes you.
New York's Articles of Organization are unremarkable. What surprises founders is Section 206 of the LLC Law: you must publish notice of your LLC's formation in two newspapers in the county of your registered office, for six weeks, and file a certificate of publication — a step whose cost swings from modest upstate to four figures in New York City.
NY-1Form the entity
- Search the name in the NY Department of State corporation and business entity database.
- File Articles of Organization with the Department of State, filing fee $200. The articles name the county where the LLC's office sits — that choice sets your publication cost, which is why it is a real decision and not a formality.
- Designate the Secretary of State as agent for service (standard in NY) with a current address for forwarding — if that address goes stale, process is served and forwarded to a door nobody opens.
- Publish. Within 120 days: notice in two newspapers designated by the county clerk — one daily, one weekly — for six consecutive weeks, then file the Certificate of Publication with affidavits, fee $50. Skipping publication suspends your authority to carry on business in NY until cured.
- Operating agreement — New York requires one (LLC Law § 417), adopted within 90 days. EIN free from the IRS.
NY-2Stay compliant
| Obligation | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Biennial statement | Every 2 years, anniversary month | Fee $9, filed with the Department of State; updates the address for service of process. The cheapest filing in NY and the one whose neglect quietly breaks your service address. |
| Publication certificate | Within 120 days of formation | One-time, but unforgiving — see above. |
| LLC filing fee (state tax) | Yearly | New York imposes an annual LLC filing fee scaled to NY-source gross income, separate from the Department of State filings. |
NY-3Should you form in New York at all?
If your work, customers, and premises are in New York, yes — the publication cost is the price of the jurisdiction and it is a one-time toll. If you operate in Pennsylvania and were told to form in New York for prestige, the honest arithmetic is: $200 filing + publication + biennial statements + NY tax fee, plus a Pennsylvania foreign registration and PA annual reports, because the work is in PA. Founders near the PA/NY line should read the Pennsylvania guide first and let the quiz below sort the route.
Where this route hands off
Operating in New York or several states? RA Navigator runs the registered-agent and service-of-process desk nationally. Operating in Pennsylvania? PA CROP is the specialist on that stretch.
Continue to RA Navigator →
Or PA CROP Services for Pennsylvania →
Guide content is general information, not legal advice. Fees and deadlines reflect state practice as of October 2026 — verify current figures with the New York Department of State before filing. CXI is operated by PA Registered Office Services, LLC, 924 W 23rd St, Erie, PA 16502.