Long Island tax rates start with sales tax, and the two counties are no longer the same. Nassau charges 8.625 percent and Suffolk charges 8.75 percent. Both counties also sit inside the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District, so the payroll mobility tax applies on top. Every rate below links to the New York State page that publishes it.
Nassau 8.625 percent, Suffolk 8.75 percent
Suffolk rose on 1 March 2025, Nassau did not
MCTMT thresholds and Zone 2 rates
Every figure links to the state page that publishes it
A Long Island main street or a register at a counter.
Overview
Long Island tax rates start with sales tax, and the two counties are no longer the same. Nassau charges 8.625 percent and Suffolk charges 8.75 percent. Both counties also sit inside the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District, so the payroll mobility tax applies on top. Every rate below links to the New York State page that publishes it.
Long Island sales tax rates
Nassau County is 8.625 percent and Suffolk County is 8.75 percent. Those are the combined rates you charge at a register, on an invoice, and in an online checkout.
Each is three parts stacked together. The state portion and the MCTD surcharge are identical in both counties, so the whole difference is the county share:
Suffolk, 8.75 percent. 4 percent state, 4.375 percent county, and the same 0.375 percent MCTD surcharge.
Suffolk's county share used to be 4.25 percent, the same as Nassau. It rose by 0.125 percent, a change that took effect on 1 March 2025, which is where the gap between the two counties comes from.
One exception worth knowing. Residential energy sources and services in Suffolk stayed at the previous 8.625 percent rather than moving up with everything else.
If a register, invoice template, or shopping cart was set up before March 2025 with a single Long Island rate, it is charging Suffolk customers the old figure. The tax is owed either way, so the shortfall comes out of margin when the return is filed.
Clothing under $110 on Long Island
Clothing and footwear under 110 dollars is only partly exempt here. New York State takes its 4 percent off, and Nassau and Suffolk both keep charging their local portion.
This is the rule most often set up wrong, because the state guidance describes the exemption and a reader stops there. A shop that codes those items as fully exempt is under-collecting the county share and the MCTD surcharge on every one of them, and it pays that difference itself when the period is reconciled.
Employers are subject once payroll expense across the district passes 312,500 dollars in a quarter. Long Island sits in Zone 2, where the rate steps up with payroll. For quarters beginning on or after 1 July 2025:
0.055 percent on payroll expense up to 375,000 dollars
0.115 percent from 375,000 to 437,500 dollars
0.34 percent from 437,500 to 2,500,000 dollars
0.635 percent above 2,500,000 dollars
Read it a quarter at a time. A business with seasonal staff can cross the threshold in summer and sit under it in winter, and the tax follows the quarter rather than the year.
Self-employed owners with net earnings above the threshold owe a 0.34 percent version of the same tax.
Where to register and file
Sales tax registration, returns, and the current rate schedules all run through the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. A business selling in both counties reports Nassau and Suffolk sales separately, because the return reports tax by jurisdiction and one blended rate does not survive a review.
If you would rather not handle any of this, the sales tax work is something we do as part of monthly bookkeeping, at a flat fee.
Long Island sales tax at a glance
The two county rates, what each is made of, and the filing schedule.
Nassau is 8.625 percent and Suffolk is 8.75 percent. Both include the 0.375 percent MCTD surcharge.
What changes a Long Island tax bill
The levers that move an owner's personal return here, and what to check on each.
Property tax relief does more work here than in most of the state.
Where Long Island businesses find capital
Three lanes, and what each one expects before it will look at you.
Each source expects its own package. The projections are the part we prepare.
What it costs
A flat monthly fee, quoted from your transaction volume, your accounts, and whether you run payroll. You get the number in writing before any work starts. Catch-up work is quoted separately so it does not inflate the ongoing fee.
Basics
$250per month
Solo owners and single-location businesses under about $50k of monthly expenses.
Monthly bank and card reconciliation
Expense categorization with bank rules
Profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow every month
Sales tax return prepared and filed at your county rate
Ro Sokhi is a New York licensed CPA. The person who signs off on your numbers is the person who can tell you what they mean for your tax bill.
Flat monthly fee
You know the number before the month starts. No hourly meter, no surprise invoice for a phone call in March.
On Long Island, not a call center
Staffed offices in Melville and Hicksville. We will come to the shop if the shoebox is easier to hand over than to scan.
Catch-up work is normal here
Most businesses that call us are behind. Some by a quarter, some by three years. That is the job, and it is quoted separately so the monthly fee stays clean.
Our offices
Both offices are staffed. Most work happens electronically wherever you are, and the offices are there for the businesses that would rather hand something over in person.
Suffolk County Office
68 S Service Rd #100 Melville, NY 11747
On the South Service Road off the LIE, serving Suffolk County and eastern Long Island.
Sales tax rates by county.Publication 718: New York State Publication 718 lists the combined rate for every jurisdiction, including Nassau at 8.625 percent and Suffolk at 8.75 percent.
Suffolk's rate change.Sales tax rates bulletin: Suffolk raised its local rate from 4.25 to 4.375 percent effective March 1, 2025, which is why the two counties no longer match.
Clothing under $110.Publication 718-C: Publication 718-C sets out which localities exempt clothing and footwear under $110 and which continue to tax their local portion.
MCTMT employer rates.MCTMT employer rates: The payroll expense threshold and the Zone 2 bracket rates that apply to Nassau and Suffolk employers.
CPA licence verification.NYSED licence register: The New York State Education Department register, where any CPA licence can be checked, including ours.
Every rate on this page links to the New York State authority that publishes it. Figures are current as of the date shown above. They explain how the numbers work and are not tax advice for your situation.
Nassau County Clerk Business certificates and filings, at 240 Old Country Road in Mineola.
Suffolk County Clerk Business certificates and filings, at 310 Center Drive in Riverhead.
Every rate on this page links to the New York State authority that publishes it. Figures are current as of the date shown above. They explain how the numbers work and are not tax advice for your situation.
Questions
What is the sales tax rate in Nassau County?
Nassau County is at 8.625 percent. That is the state's 4 percent, the county's 4.25 percent, and the 0.375 percent Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District surcharge. The rate is the same everywhere in the county.
What is the sales tax rate in Suffolk County?
Suffolk County is at 8.75 percent: the state's 4 percent, the county's 4.375 percent, and the 0.375 percent MCTD surcharge. Residential energy sources and services are the exception and stayed at the previous 8.625 percent.
Why is Suffolk higher than Nassau?
Both counties charge the same state portion and the same MCTD surcharge. Suffolk's county share rose by 0.125 percent effective 1 March 2025 and Nassau's did not, which is the whole of the difference. Anything set up before that date is still charging Suffolk the old rate.
Is clothing tax free on Long Island?
Only partly. The state takes its 4 percent off clothing and footwear under 110 dollars, and Nassau and Suffolk both continue to charge their local portion, so those items still carry county tax and the MCTD surcharge. Coding them as fully exempt is the most common register error we correct.
Does my business owe the MCTMT?
If you are an employer, it applies once payroll expense across the district passes 312,500 dollars in a quarter. Long Island is Zone 2, where rates run from 0.055 percent to 0.635 percent depending on payroll size. Self-employed owners above the earnings threshold owe a 0.34 percent version.
How often do these rates change?
Rarely, and without much warning when they do. Suffolk's increase in March 2025 is the recent example on Long Island. We re-check every rate on this page against the state before we touch it, and the date this page was last updated is shown below.
How much does a bookkeeper cost on Long Island?
Our plans start at $250 a month for a solo owner and run to $850 for a multi-entity business, set by your monthly expense volume rather than by the hour. You get the number in writing before any work starts. Independent bookkeepers on Long Island often quote hourly, which looks cheaper until a busy month arrives; a flat fee is a number you can budget.
My books are two years behind. Is that a problem?
It is the most common reason people call. We work backwards from the last filed return, rebuild the periods in between, and reconcile to the bank rather than to whatever the prior file says. You get a clean starting balance and a written list of what changed. Catch-up is quoted as a one-time project, usually one to two months of the recurring fee.
Do you file sales tax returns?
Yes, and on Long Island that matters more than most places. Nassau charges 8.625 percent and Suffolk charges 8.75 percent, so a business selling in both counties collects at two rates and has to report them separately. We register you if you are not registered, review what you are collecting, and file on whatever schedule the state has put you on.
Are you a CPA firm?
Ro Sokhi is individually licensed as a CPA in New York and leads the work. The operating entity is a business corporation and is not registered with NYSED as a public accounting firm, so we do not perform audits, reviews, or compilations. If your bank or a buyer needs assurance work we will tell you plainly and point you to a registered firm.
What is the difference between a bookkeeper and a CPA?
A bookkeeper records what happened. A CPA is licensed, can represent you before the IRS, and can tell you what the numbers mean for your tax position and your decisions. Most small businesses are sold one or the other. Here the bookkeeping is done to a standard a CPA is willing to sign off on, and the same person handles the return.
Do you work with QuickBooks, or do I have to switch?
QuickBooks Online for most clients, and Xero where a business is already on it. We do not force a migration for its own sake. If you are on spreadsheets, a shoebox, or a system your last bookkeeper set up badly, that is a normal starting point and we will move you when moving is worth it.
How long does it take to get started?
A first call takes about twenty minutes and a quote follows the same day. Once you accept, we need read-only access to your bank and card feeds and your last filed return. Most businesses are fully onboarded inside two weeks; a business needing catch-up work takes longer, and we tell you how much longer before you commit.
Do we have to meet in person?
Only if you want to. Most clients send documents electronically and talk to us on a call. The Melville and Hicksville offices are there for the businesses that would rather hand over a box of receipts than scan them, and for anyone who wants to meet the person doing the work before handing over the books.
Can you handle payroll as well as the books?
Yes. We process payroll, file the NYS-45, and track the MCTMT, which applies here because Nassau and Suffolk are inside the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. We also review worker classification, because contractors who work like employees are the payroll issue New York challenges most often.
What happens if I get a letter from New York State or the IRS?
Send it to us the day it arrives. Most notices are routine and are resolved with a reconciliation and a reply. Ro is a CPA and holds unlimited representation rights before the IRS, so if a notice turns into something more, you are not looking for help at that point.
Are you taking new clients right now?
Yes. We keep the client list small enough that the same person reviews your file every month, so there are periods when onboarding runs a few weeks out, and we tell you that on the first call rather than after you sign.
