Key figures
New Hampshire accounting
2026, with sources
Two business taxes instead of an income tax
New Hampshire has no general sales tax and doesn’t tax wages, but it taxes businesses twice over. The business profits tax (BPT) is 7.5% of taxable business profits apportioned to the state. The business enterprise tax (BET) is 0.55% of the enterprise value tax base: compensation paid, interest paid and dividends paid, apportioned. BET paid is creditable against BPT, so in practice a profitable company pays roughly the larger of the two, and an unprofitable company with payroll pays BET.
That second tax is what surprises SaaS startups: a ten-person company with $1.5 million of payroll in New Hampshire and no profit has a BET base of about $1.5 million and owes roughly $8,250, as long as it is over the filing threshold. From January 1, 2027, under House Bill 155, the BET threshold rises to $400,000 of gross business receipts or enterprise value tax base.
Apportionment and combined reporting
For taxable periods ending on or after December 31, 2022, New Hampshire apportions business profits by the sales factor alone; before that it double-weighted sales alongside property and payroll. Unitary businesses file a combined report, and federal consolidated returns are not permitted, so a parent and operating subsidiary in a unitary business file one combined New Hampshire return rather than relying on the federal consolidation.
Conformity and NOLs
New Hampshire uses fixed-date conformity: for taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2020, the BPT follows the Internal Revenue Code as in effect on December 31, 2018, subject to RSA 77-A:3-b. Federal changes after that date, including the 2025 law’s § 174A domestic R&E expensing, don’t apply unless New Hampshire adopts them, which makes the state R&E deduction a likely book-tax difference to track.
Net operating losses carry forward 10 years, apportioned in the year incurred, and no more than $10 million of loss generated in a tax year may be carried forward. A startup with a decade of losses before profitability will see its oldest New Hampshire losses expire.
Deadlines
- 15th day of the 4th month (Apr 15 for calendar-year corporations)Business profits and business enterprise taxesBPT and BET returns (NH-1120 / BET)
The federal baseline
This page covers what New Hampshire adds. The federal rules underneath it apply here too.
Common questions
What taxes does a corporation pay in New Hampshire?
Two. The business profits tax is 7.5% of profits apportioned to New Hampshire. The business enterprise tax is 0.55% of the enterprise value tax base, which is essentially wages paid, plus interest and dividends paid, apportioned. BET paid is generally creditable against BPT, so a profitable company largely pays the higher of the two, while a loss-making company with payroll still pays BET.
Do new federal rules like § 174A apply in New Hampshire?
Not automatically. New Hampshire’s business profits tax conforms to the Internal Revenue Code as in effect on December 31, 2018, subject to listed exceptions, so federal changes enacted after that, including the 2025 § 174A expensing rules, don’t flow through unless the legislature adopts them.
Accounting next door
- MAMassachusetts accountingMassachusetts taxes corporations at 8% of apportioned income plus $2.60 per $1,000 of property or net worth, with a $456 minimum. From 2025 apportionment is by sales only.
- MEMaine accountingMaine taxes corporations at graduated rates from 3.5% to 8.93% on apportioned income, with combined reporting for unitary groups and income-tax nexus at $500,000 of Maine sales.
- VTVermont accountingVermont taxes corporations at 6%, 7% and 8.5%, with a minimum tax of $100 to $100,000 set by Vermont gross receipts. Apportionment is sales-only and NOLs carry forward 10 years.
Founder guides on this
- R&D taxThe R&D tax credit and Section 174A for startupsEngineering salaries can earn a federal R&D credit against payroll tax, and Section 174A lets you deduct US research again. What qualifies, what to track.
- US GAAPUS GAAP for early-stage startups, in plain EnglishAccrual accounting, revenue recognition (ASC 606), leases (ASC 842), stock compensation and capitalized software: what each means for a small company.
- FundraisingAudit-ready books before your Series AInvestors, lenders and auditors ask for the same things: accrual statements, reconciled accounts and support for every balance. How to be ready first.
- The closeWhy startups should close their books every monthA monthly close turns a bank balance into numbers an investor, an auditor or a 409A firm will accept. What it is, and why it gets expensive to skip.
More of the New Hampshire guide
- ReceivablesReceivables and sales tax in New HampshireSales tax registration, economic nexus, whether SaaS is taxable, and collecting from customers
- PayablesPayables and contractors in New HampshirePaying vendors and contractors: 1099 filing, use tax, contractor tests and withholding
- PayrollPayroll taxes and employer rules in New HampshireWithholding, unemployment insurance, paid leave, minimum wage and the rules on paydays
- ComplianceCompliance and filings in New HampshireRegistering to do business, annual reports, franchise tax and the filing calendar
- AdvisoryAdvisory: credits and decisions in New HampshireCredits, incentives and the decisions that are cheaper to get right the first time
Sources
Checked against each agency’s own page on . Rates and thresholds change, usually on January 1.
General information for US companies, not tax, legal or accounting advice for yours. Rules and thresholds change; confirm the specifics with a CPA or the agency before you act on them.