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Can You Start a Business With an ITIN? A Step-by-Step Guide for Queens

The tax steps in the order you take them, for immigrant entrepreneurs opening a business in Jamaica and across Queens.

Published October 4, 2026 by Hillside Accounting Services

In short: Yes. The IRS issues an Employer Identification Number (EIN) online, free, when the person responsible for the business has an ITIN instead of a Social Security number. From there the steps are the same for every owner: choose a structure, get the EIN, register for New York sales tax at least 20 days before you sell, publish your LLC within 120 days if you form one, and plan for estimated tax, payroll and 1099s. An ITIN is a tax number only, so ask an immigration attorney if you're unsure whether your status lets you run a business.

Step 1: Choose How the Business Is Set Up

Most new owners start as a sole proprietor, reporting profit on Schedule C with their personal return, or form an LLC with the New York Department of State for $200. A single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietor unless it chooses otherwise. We compare the options with you; our small business page covers partnerships, corporations and the S corporation election.

Step 2: Get an EIN With Your ITIN

The EIN is the business's tax number. You need one to hire employees or to form an LLC with more than one owner, most banks ask for one to open a business account, and it keeps your ITIN off forms you give customers and suppliers. The IRS issues EINs online for free to a U.S.-based business whose responsible person has an SSN or ITIN, one per person per day. Never pay a website to get one.

Step 3: Register for Sales Tax Before Your First Sale

If you'll sell taxable goods or services, register through New York Business Express at least 20 days before you begin, and display the Certificate of Authority once it arrives. Selling without one can cost up to $500 for the first day and $200 for each day after, up to $10,000. The quarterly due dates and New York City's 8.875% rate are on our sales tax page.

Step 4: If You Formed an LLC, Publish It

Within 120 days, a new New York LLC publishes a notice in two newspapers chosen by the county clerk (the Queens County Clerk for a Queens address) for six weeks in a row, then files a Certificate of Publication with a $50 fee. Until it does, its authority to do business is suspended. Two reports new owners hear about mostly don't apply: New York's LLC Transparency Act covers only LLCs formed outside the United States, and the federal beneficial ownership report is no longer required from companies formed in the U.S.

Step 5: Open a Business Bank Account and Keep Books From Day One

Run all business income and spending through one business account, and keep receipts, sales records and a mileage log. The 2026 standard mileage rate is 72.5 cents a mile for January to June and 76 cents for July to December. Clean books make sales tax returns, estimated tax and your year-end return far easier; see our bookkeeping services.

Step 6: Pay Tax as You Go

No one withholds tax from business profit. Most owners pay estimated tax four times a year; for 2026 the dates are April 15, June 15 and September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. Profit of $400 or more also brings self-employment tax, which the IRS puts at 15.3%. Individuals can no longer enroll in EFTPS, so pay through IRS Direct Pay or your IRS Online Account.

Step 7: Hiring Workers or Paying Contractors

  • Employees: register for payroll before the first payday. 2026 W-2s are due by February 1, 2027.
  • Contractors: collect a Form W-9 before you pay. For 2026 payments, send a 1099-NEC to anyone you paid $2,000 or more, by February 1, 2027.

Payment apps and online marketplaces send a 1099-K only when your payments through them top $20,000 and 200 transactions in a year, but that income is taxable either way, and card processors report card sales of any amount. Payroll details are on our payroll page.

Step 8: Know When City Business Tax Starts

New York City's unincorporated business tax applies to sole proprietorships, partnerships and LLCs taxed as either: 4% of taxable income from the city, with a return due once total gross business income passes $95,000. A credit wipes out the tax when it's $3,400 or less.

Doing It All in Your Language

Registrations, notices and returns all come in English. We set them up with you, explain each one in Bangla or English, and keep your books, payroll and sales tax on schedule from 167-13 Hillside Ave, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, Queens, NY 11432. Call (646) 403-6500.

বাংলায় সংক্ষেপে

হ্যাঁ, আইটিআইএন (ITIN) দিয়ে ব্যবসা শুরু করা যায়। ব্যবসার দায়িত্বে থাকা মানুষের আইটিআইএন থাকলেও আইআরএস বিনা খরচে অনলাইনে EIN দেয়। ধাপগুলো: ব্যবসার ধরন ঠিক করা, EIN নেওয়া, প্রথম বিক্রির অন্তত ২০ দিন আগে নিউ ইয়র্ক সেলস ট্যাক্সে নিবন্ধন, এলএলসি হলে ১২০ দিনের মধ্যে পত্রিকায় প্রকাশ, তারপর এস্টিমেটেড ট্যাক্স, পে-রোল আর 1099। আইটিআইএন শুধু ট্যাক্সের নম্বর; আপনার ইমিগ্রেশন স্ট্যাটাসে ব্যবসা চালানো যাবে কি না, সে বিষয়ে একজন ইমিগ্রেশন অ্যাটর্নির পরামর্শ নিন। আমরা সব নিবন্ধন ও ফাইলিং বাংলায় বুঝিয়ে দিয়ে করে দিই।

Sources

Checked September 29 and October 4, 2026.