Learn about the annual report and tax filing obligations for New Hampshire limited liability companies.
If you wish to create and maintain a limited liability corporation (LLC) in New Hampshire, you’ll need to prepare and submit a number of paperwork with the state. This article discusses the most significant New Hampshire LLC continuing reporting and state tax filing obligations.
The Annual Report
The state of New Hampshire requires you to produce an annual report for your limited liability company. You may submit the report by mail or online at the Secretary of State’s website. To use the online form, you’ll need your LLC’s state-issued Business ID number.
Every year, the annual report must be submitted by April 1. A New Hampshire LLC’s annual report filing cost is $100.
State Corporation Tax
Most LLCs are pass-through tax corporations when it comes to income taxes. In other words, the burden for paying federal income taxes is passed via the LLC to the individual LLC members. LLCs do not pay income taxes by default; only its members do.
New Hampshire, on the other hand, is uncommon in that it imposes many taxes directly on LLCs with income or other values beyond specific thresholds. The first is the business gains tax, which applies to LLCs with gross business revenue before costs of $50,000 or higher. Second, there is a business enterprise tax, which applies to LLCs with either more than $200,000 in gross business revenues or a so-called enterprise value tax base that exceeds $100,000.
These assessments are made payable to the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration (DORA). The DORA website has forms for both tax returns (Form BET and Form NH-1065). You may also submit these taxes electronically using an efile system. For additional information on New Hampshire’s numerous business taxes, see
Employer Taxes in the State
Do you have workers in your LLC? If this is the case, you must pay employer taxes. Some of these taxes are paid to the federal government (the IRS) and are not addressed in this section. (However, it is important to understand that federal employer tax duties begin with getting a federal employer identification number (EIN).) Employers in New Hampshire, however, must additionally pay a state unemployment insurance (UI) levy.
The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security is in charge of the unemployment insurance tax (NHES). First, you must register with NHES, which may be done online. Following that, you must submit an Employer Status Report when you recruit your first employee. Then, you must submit reports and payments with the NHES on a quarterly basis. The Employer Status Report and quarterly reports may be filed online using New Hampshire’s WebTax system. The NHES website has both the Employer Status Report and quarterly report forms accessible for download. Check with NHES for further information on this tax, including rates.
Taxes on Sales and Use
New Hampshire is one of just five states that does not have a sales tax. As a result, unlike LLCs in most other states, if your LLC sells items in New Hampshire, you will not be required to pay sales tax to the state.
Other States Registration
If you want to do business in states other than New Hampshire, your LLC may need to be registered in any or all of those states. The exact states concerned will determine if you are needed to register: each state has its own regulations for what defines conducting business and whether registration is required. For registration reasons, having a physical presence (a business location) in a state, recruiting personnel in a state, or soliciting business in a state (through telephone, print advertisements, mail, or the Internet) are sometimes considered conducting business. Obtaining a certificate of authority or comparable document is normally required for registration.