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For New York City business taxes must file your tax return or a form NYC-EXT and pay any tax due by July 15, 2020.

These include:

  • General corporation tax
  • Banking corporation tax
  • Business corporation tax
  • Unincorporated business tax
  • Commercial Rent Tax
  • Hotel Room Occupancy Tax
  • Commercial Motor Vehicle Tax
  • Retail Beer, Wine, and Liquor Tax
  • Utility Tax
  • E-911 Surcharge

If your filing or payment was due between March 16, 2020 and June 25, 2020 you can request a wavier of any late filing and late payment penalties. Interest will still accrue at the appropriate underpayment rate on all tax payments received after the original due date, calculated from the original due date to the date of payment. Quarterly estimated payments must still be made by the June 15, 2020 deadline.

If you are filing online, enter the special condition code “CV” in the space indicated near the top right of the online form.

If you are filing a paper return or NYC-EXT, please write “COVID-19” on the top center of the front page.

Eligible business tax filers submitting form NYC-EXT by July 15 will have an additional six months from the original due date to file their returns.

Penalties on late filings and payments will resume after July 15, 2020.

Need something else?

  • Business Tax Assistance for help with payment issues, copies of filed returns, audits, and notices of unpaid taxes.

The Commercial Rent Tax (CRT) applies to tenants who occupy or use a property in Manhattan, south of 96th Street for any trade, business, profession, or commercial activity, if the annual gross rent paid is at least $250,000. You are required to file a tax return if your annual gross rent paid is more than $200,000.

NYC Tax Law states that a tenant is someone who pays rent as a:

  • Lessee
  • Sub-lessee
  • Licensee
  • Concessionaire

The following are also tenants if they pay rent:

  • Tenant-shareholders in Co-ops
  • Spouses or parents of the building owner
  • The building owner, if he or she shares ownership or the building with someone other than a spouse or domestic partner
  • Corporation officers or stockholders renting in a building owned by the corporation
  • A corporation renting in a building owned by a subsidiary or a parent company
  • A corporation renting in a building owned by a corporation officer or stockholder

Tenants with annual rents between $250,000 and $300,000 are eligible for a sliding-scale tax credit.

Learn more about the Commercial Rent Tax (CRT).

The following do not have to pay CRT:

Manhattan tenants south of 96th Street who pay an annual rent at least $250,000 but who:

  • Use the space for theatrical productions for fewer than 52 weeks; or
  • Have a short rental period of 14 days or less during the tax year; or
  • Pay less than $250,000 in annual rent;
  • Rent at least 75% of the space to others for residential purposes;
  • Are a governmental or a not-for-profit religious, charitable or educational organization;
  • Are another type of not-for-profit organizations that use the space for reasons other than commercial activity and have received a written tax exemption from the Department of Finance; or
  • Are located in a zone designated as an abatement zone.
  • Other exemptions may apply.

Generally, no payment is required from taxpayers who are exempt from tax, however taxpayers meeting certain criteria must still file an annual return even though not subject to tax.

You must use one of the following forms to file the Commercial Rent Tax.

  • CR-A (annual) 
  • CR-Q (quarterly)

Get CRT forms.

Online

You can file and pay the tax through Business Tax e-Services.

You can pay by:

  • Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) withdrawn directly from your bank
  • E-check
  • Credit card (American Express, Master Card, VISA, and Discover)
  • Debit card (VISA and Master Card debit cards that don’t require the entry of a PIN number to complete a transaction)

There is a 2% convenience fee for paying by credit or debit card. There is no convenience fee for paying by EFT or e-check.

To pay online, you will need the notice number from your bill (first 13 digits) plus the billing zip code.

If there is a debit block on the bank account and you wish to pay online or by using software, the number needed to release the block is 6136400434.

Access Business Tax e-Services.

By Mail

You can file Commercial Rent Tax forms by mail. If there is a balance due, you can also send a payment by mail.

For quarterly forms and payments, you must mail the form and a check for any payment due to:

NYC Department of Finance
P.O. Box 3931
New York, NY 10008-3931

For annual returns, filed once a year in June, except for returns claiming a refund, you must mail the tax form to:

NYC Department of Finance
P.O. Box 5564
Binghamton, NY 13902-5564

Do not send payments to this address.

After you have mailed the form, if you owe a payment for the annual return, you can mail the check and the payment voucher to:

NYC Department of Finance
P.O. Box 3646
New York, NY 10008-3646

If you are claiming a refund on your tax form, mail the form to:

NYC Department of Finance 
P.O. Box 5563 
Binghamton, NY 13902-5563

Tenants must file CRT returns quarterly. Annual returns must also be filed.

You are not required to file a return (either quarterly or annual) if:

  • The annual gross rent paid is less than $200,000, and the rent received from a subtenant is less than $200,000

An  annual return (CR-A) is required to be filed by every tenant, on or before June 20, covering the preceding year from June 1 to May 31. Every tenant subject to tax for a period must file a quarterly return (Form CRQ).

Quarterly returns are due for the three-month periods ending on the last days of August, November and February of each tax year and must be filed within 20 days after the end of the period they cover.

If you file your quarterly return late, you will be charged interest on the amount you haven't paid. Interest will accrue starting from the due date until either:

  • 20 days after the end of the tax year, or
  • The date as of which the amount paid for the tax year is 75% of the full tax required to be paid for the tax year. 
  • Whichever date is earlier.

You must pay the interest with the annual return. From July 1, 2019 through September 30, 2019, the interest rate is 9%. You don't have to pay interest that is less than $1.

You must file for a Commercial Rent Tax refund within 18 months of the due date for filing the return or six months from the time the tax was paid, whichever is later.

The Department of Finance doesn't pay interest on Commercial Rent Tax refunds.

To request a refund, you have to file another return, checking off the "Amended Return" box. Show all the adjustments and indicate the amount of the refund in the "Overpayment" box on the return and mail to the address indicated on the form.

Get CRT forms.

Duplicate Payments

If you mistakenly paid more than once for a filing period, you can request a refund by writing a letter.

Mail to:

NYC Department of Finance
Refunds Unit
59 Maiden Lane, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10038-4648

Tenants with annual rents between $250,000 and $300,000 are eligible for a sliding-scale tax credit.

Beginning  on June 1, 2018, taxpayers may claim the Small Business Tax Credit. The credit effectively exempts tenants with “Total Income” as defined below of $5,000,000 or less AND annual “Base Rent Before Rent Reduction” of less than $500,000 from the Commercial Rent Tax.

Other taxpayers with “Total Income” of more than $5,000,000 but less than $10,000,000 and annual “Base Rent Before Rent Reduction” of less than $550,000 receive a sliding scale credit against the tax.

Taxpayers with “Total Income” equal to or more than $10,000,000 OR annual “Base Rent Before Rent Reduction” equal to or more than $550,000 are not eligible for this credit.

Taxpayers with multiple premises and “Total Income” of less than $10,000,000 may be eligible for this credit with respect to some of their premises while ineligible with respect to others.

You can get answers to questions about the tax or help with filing and paying.

Call 311 for assistance.

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