POS system and accounting software for New York businesses
New York’s 4% state sales tax becomes 8.875% in New York City, with county rates elsewhere and a clothing exemption that changes by locality. SeroPOS and SeroBooks handle it for restaurants, bodegas and boutiques from Brooklyn to Buffalo.
New York, handled by Sero
Local rate per store
Each location charges 4% state plus its county or city rate, including the 8.875% combined NYC rate.
Clothing exemption
Item tax codes handle clothing and footwear under $110, exempt from the state portion, with local rules applied by store.
Fast counters
Barcode scanning, hold-and-resume and mixed tender for bodegas and delis with a line out the door.
US payroll in SeroBooks Pro
Federal and New York State withholding, W-2 EFW2 files and 1099-NEC slips in the same ledger.
Nexus in 50 states
SeroBooks watches sales into every state against its threshold, including New York’s dollar-and-transaction test.
Multi-location
Run a Manhattan store and a Long Island store with consolidated reporting and tax kept by jurisdiction.
One company, one login, three products that share their numbers
SeroPOS
The point of sale built for the rush.
Point of sale for restaurants and retail — tables, kitchen tickets, inventory, loyalty and online ordering on iPad, Android, Windows and Mac.
SeroBooks
The books, the store, the bank. One ledger.
Accounting that runs the whole business — invoicing, inventory, banking, sales tax, payroll and year-end for Canada and the United States.
SeroPayroll
Payroll for every province. Right to the cent.
Canadian payroll for all 13 provinces and territories — CPP, EI, QPP, vacation, stat holidays, remittances, T4s and ROEs.
New York sales tax: state, local and the MCTD
New York State’s sales tax rate is 4%, administered by the Department of Taxation and Finance. Counties and some cities add local rates, and in the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District, which covers New York City and nearby counties, an additional 0.375% applies. In the five boroughs the combined rate is 8.875%; elsewhere in the state it typically lands between 7% and 8.75%.
Because the rate follows the location of delivery, a business with stores in Queens and Westchester charges different rates in each. SeroPOS sets the combined rate per location, and SeroBooks keeps tax collected by jurisdiction so the New York return, which reports sales by jurisdiction code, draws from figures already sorted.
Clothing, food and restaurant rules
Clothing and footwear priced under $110 per item are exempt from New York’s 4% state tax and the MCTD portion. Localities choose whether to exempt them too: New York City does, so a $90 pair of shoes in Brooklyn carries no sales tax, while some counties tax the same shoes at their local rate. Boutique owners with more than one location need the rule per store.
Grocery food is generally exempt, while restaurant meals, prepared food, hot drinks and candy and soda are taxable. A bodega selling milk, a hot sandwich and a soda in one sale has three treatments on one receipt. SeroPOS gives each item its own tax code and supports dine-in and take-away modes, so a deli or café counter rings the right tax without the cashier thinking about it.
- Clothing and footwear under $110: exempt from state tax, local rules vary
- Grocery staples: generally exempt
- Restaurant meals, hot drinks, soda and candy: taxable
- NYC combined rate: 8.875%
Payroll and economic nexus in New York
SeroPayroll is Canada-only. For New York employers, payroll is part of SeroBooks Pro at $300 a month, which handles federal and state withholding, W-2 files in EFW2 format and 1099-NEC slips. New York payroll has more moving parts than most states, so talk to us about your specific requirements, including any New York City or Yonkers residents on staff, before moving payroll. We would rather be clear upfront.
New York’s economic nexus test for remote sellers requires both more than $500,000 in sales of tangible goods into the state and more than 100 sales, measured over the previous four sales tax quarters. SeroBooks watches nexus across all 50 states, so a New York brand selling online sees when its sales into New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Florida get close to those states’ thresholds.
Brooklyn, Manhattan, Buffalo and upstate
SeroPOS runs pizza counters in the Bronx, cafés in Williamsburg, delis in Queens, boutiques in SoHo and restaurants in Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Buffalo. It handles table plans, kitchen display, split bills and loyalty, and runs on iPad, Android, Windows and Mac, in 16 languages including Spanish and Chinese. Loyalty points and customer profiles are built in.
Sero is based in British Columbia, Canada, and serves New York remotely, with a US phone line at +1 (213) 265-9014, email and in-app chat, and no New York office. SeroPOS starts at $29.99 a month, SeroBooks at $79.99, with extra locations at $100 a month each. Both products have a 14-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
What is the sales tax rate in New York City?
The combined rate in all five boroughs is 8.875%: 4% New York State, 4.5% New York City and 0.375% for the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. Elsewhere in New York, combined rates depend on the county or city. SeroPOS sets the rate per store.
Is clothing taxed in New York?
Clothing and footwear under $110 per item are exempt from the 4% state tax and the MCTD portion. New York City also exempts them, but some counties charge their local rate. SeroPOS item tax codes apply the right treatment per store.
What is New York’s economic nexus threshold?
Remote sellers must register and collect once they have more than $500,000 in sales of tangible goods into New York and more than 100 sales, both measured over the previous four sales tax quarters. SeroBooks tracks your sales against every state’s threshold.
Does Sero support payroll for New York employees?
US payroll is part of SeroBooks Pro at $300 a month, with federal and state withholding, W-2 EFW2 files and 1099-NEC slips. SeroPayroll, the standalone product, is Canada-only. Discuss your New York requirements with us before switching payroll. Payroll posts to the same ledger as sales.
Is SeroPOS a good fit for a bodega or deli?
SeroPOS supports barcode scanning, quick keys, per-item tax codes, hold-and-resume and mixed tender, which suits a fast counter with groceries, hot food and drinks in one sale. Inventory tracks stock and low-stock alerts. Plans start at $29.99 a month with a 14-day trial.