How to Choose a Bookkeeper in New York (2026)

To choose a bookkeeper in New York, check the firm on the state's own records, confirm any CPA claim on the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, State Board for Public Accountancy lookup, and get the fee and the monthly close date in writing. Plan to ask about price: only 9 of the 122 New York firms we list publish one.

What a New York bookkeeper keeps track of

A New York bookkeeper keeps the records behind the filings below. Which of them reach your business turns on your entity, your sales, your payroll and the schedule each agency sets, so read this as general information rather than tax advice.

• Sales and use tax. Most vendors start as quarterly filers, with returns due 20 days after each sales tax quarter ends. The Tax Department can make you an annual filer when you owe $3,000 or less a year, and annual returns are due March 20. Once taxable receipts, purchases, rents and amusement charges reach $300,000 in a quarter, you file monthly part-quarterly returns. Source: New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, checked September 26, 2026.
• Income tax withholding. Every employer required to withhold New York tax files Form NYS-45 each calendar quarter, generally even when no wages were paid. Once accumulated withholding reaches $700, you file Form NYS-1 and pay after that payroll. Smaller amounts ride along with the quarterly NYS-45. Source: New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, checked September 26, 2026.
• Unemployment and wage reporting. Unemployment insurance and quarterly wage reporting go on the same Form NYS-45 as withholding. It's due April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31, and no extensions of time to file or pay are allowed. Source: New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, checked September 26, 2026.
• Biennial statement. Business corporations and LLCs file a Biennial Statement with the Department of State every two years. The filing month is the calendar month the entity's original formation or authority document was filed, and the fee is $9. Source: New York Department of State, checked September 26, 2026.
• CPA title. Only a person licensed or otherwise authorized under Article 149 of the Education Law may use the title certified public accountant or the designation CPA in New York. Source: New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, checked September 26, 2026.

How to check a New York firm yourself

If a firm says it's a CPA practice, the New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, State Board for Public Accountancy lookup is where to confirm it. For the business itself, search its legal name on the New York entity search. Someone trading under their own name may not be there at all, and that's normal. New York publishes these records as open data, so our lists already carry the checks: we matched a registration for 55 of the 122 New York firms we list. The New York CPA register isn't one we can search automatically, so a CPA license on these pages reads Not verified until someone checks the board by hand.

What New York firms put in writing

111 of the 122 firms we list in New York say nothing about fees on their websites, and 9 publish a price or a starting price, 7% against 10% nationally. 16 of 122 say how often reports arrive (13%, against 21% nationally), 23 describe onboarding and 8 offer catch-up or cleanup work. QuickBooks is the software named most, by 37% of New York firms.

Where to start in New York

• Metro pages: New York (46 firms, ranked), Albany-Schenectady (13 firms, ranked), Buffalo-Cheektowaga (12 firms, compared), Rochester (9 firms, ranked) and Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie (8 firms, compared).
• Firms that publish a price or a starting price: Key Accounting Solutions, Universal Bookkeeper, Dlp Consulting Wny 2, KD Accounts, K9 Bookkeeping, BestPro and 3 others.
• Firms that say they take on catch-up work: Burkin's Tax & Accounting, Inc, Dynamic Tax & Accounting Services, Mosaic Bookkeeping LLC, KD Accounts, K9 Bookkeeping, BestPro and 2 others.
• Highest Evidence Scores in the state: RJL Consulting NY (61), Mosaic Bookkeeping LLC (59) and K9 Bookkeeping (59).

Questions for the first call

• What does the fee cover, and at what volume does it go up?
• On what day of the month will my books be closed, and what report do I get?
• Who files the sales and use tax return, you or me, and is it inside the fee?
• How do you keep the records for income tax withholding ready before each due date?
• Will you take on months I'm behind on, and is that priced separately?
• If we stop working together, do I keep the accounting file and its history?