Form Ct 6 – Fill Out and Use

New York State Department of Taxation and Finance

Instructions for Form CT-6

Election by a Federal S Corporation to be Treated as a New York S Corporation

CT-6-I

(8/12)

General information

A federal S corporation may elect to be taxed as a New York

S corporation (Tax Law, Article 22, section 660(a)) by iling 

Form CT‑6.

Once the New York State (NYS) Tax Department has approved the iling of Form CT‑6: 

– The corporation will be treated as a New York S corporation

under Tax Law, Article 9‑A, section 208.1‑A or Article 32, section 1450(f) and ile its New York S corporation franchise 

tax return on Form CT‑3‑S, New York S Corporation Franchise Tax Return, or Form CT‑32‑S, New York Bank S Corporation Franchise Tax Return.

– Each individual shareholder of the New York S corporation will include his or her share of the New York S corporation’s items of income, loss, and deductions under Tax Law,

Article 22, section 660 and ile an individual income tax return 

on Form IT‑201, Resident Income Tax Return, or Form IT‑203, Nonresident and Part-Year Resident Income Tax Return.

–  A shareholder that is a 501(c)(3) organization will include its 

share of the New York S corporation’s items of income, loss, and

deductions under Tax Law, Article 13, section 292(a)(5) and ile 

its tax return on Form CT‑13, Unrelated Business Income Tax Return.

For additional information, see New York State Tax Law sections 660 and 292(a)(5) and Publication 35, New York Tax Treatment of S Corporations and Their Shareholders.

Corporate franchise tax

A federal S corporation that elects to be a New York S corporation must ile Form CT‑3‑S or CT‑32‑S within 2½ months after the end

of each tax year.

Penalty for late iling

If the New York S corporation fails to ile Form CT‑3‑S or CT‑32‑S, 

or fails to include the required shareholder information, it must pay

a penalty of $50 per shareholder per month or fraction of a month that the failure continues, for up to ive months. Any individual or  Article 13 taxpayer who was a shareholder during any part of the 

year shall be included in the shareholder information.

Who may elect

To elect to treat a corporation as a New York S corporation, you must meet the following requirements:

– The corporation must be a federal S corporation. If your federal

election is pending, ile your New York election and indicate 

that your federal election is pending. When you receive federal 

approval, forward a copy to the Tax Department at the address listed under How to ile.

–  The corporation must be a general business corporation  taxable under New York State Tax Law Article 9‑A or a banking 

corporation taxable under Article 32. If a corporation is taxable under Tax Law Article 9 or 33, it cannot elect to be a New York S corporation. It is considered an excluded corporation.

– All of the corporation’s shareholders must consent to the New York S election.

–  A qualiied subchapter S subsidiary (QSSS) may not make the  New York S election. Only the parent corporation of the QSSS 

can make the New York S election.

Afederal S corporation that is not taxable in New York may make a New

York S election if it is the parent of a QSSS which is taxable in 

New York, if neither the parent nor the QSSS is an excluded 

corporation. If the parent does not make a New York S election,

the QSSS will be taxed as a New York C corporation. See 

TSB‑M‑97(6)C, Important Notice: Attention Shareholders of S Corps,

for details regarding the treatment of QSSS’s in New York State.

When to make the election

To be effective for the tax year, ile Form CT‑6 at any time during 

the preceding tax year, or on or before the ifteenth day of the third 

month of the tax year to which the election will apply. An election made no later than the ifteenth day of the third month after the  beginning of a tax year that is less than two and a half months long  will be considered timely iled for that tax year. However, an election  made on or before the ifteenth day of the third month of the tax 

year to which the election will apply, will not be effective until the following tax year if:

a)The corporation did not qualify as a federal S corporation, under section 1361(b) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) on one

or more days of the tax year prior to the date the election was made; or

b)One or more of the shareholders who held stock before the date of election did not consent to the corporation being a New York 

S corporation.

If the corporation is organized within New York State and anticipates 

being a New York State S corporation for its irst tax year, it must ile 

Form CT‑6 on or before the ifteenth day of the third month following  the effective date of its certiicate of incorporation.

If the corporation is organized outside New York State, begins to 

do business in New York State, and anticipates being a New York 

S corporation for its irst tax year, it must ile CT‑6 on or before the  ifteenth day of the third month following the date it began doing business in New York State.

Examples:

A corporation was a New York C corporation for a tax year

1/1 - 12/31. The corporation anticipates being a New York S corporation for the next tax year. The corporation must ile

Form CT-6 on or before March 15 of that next tax year to be a New York S corporation for that next tax year.

A corporation’s effective date of incorporation in New York State

is 6/15. The corporation anticipates being a New York S corporation for its irst tax year 6/15 - 12/31. The corporation must ile Form CT-6 on or before August 30 of the irst tax year to be a New York S corporation for that irst tax year.

A corporation’s date of incorporation outside New York State is 2/6.

The corporation anticipates being a New York S corporation for its irst tax year 2/6 - 12/31. The corporation began doing business

in New York State on 3/25 of the year it was incorporated.

The corporation must ile Form CT-6 on or before June 9 of the year it was incorporated to be a New York S corporation for that irst

New York tax year of 3/25 - 12/31.

It is your responsibility to mail the election on time. The date of the U.S. postmark will be considered the date of delivery. The date recorded or marked by certain private delivery services, as designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, shall be treated 

as a postmark (Tax Law, Article 27, section 1091). See Private delivery services. If sent by registered or certiied mail, the date of registration or certiication will be considered the date of delivery.

Approval of election

You will be notiied whether your election is approved, and if 

approved, the date the election will take effect. Until then, do not ile 

Form CT‑3‑S or CT‑32‑S. If you are now required to ile Form CT‑3, 

Page 2 of 2 CT-6-I (8/12)

General Business Corporation Franchise Tax Return, CT‑4, General

Business Corporation Franchise Tax Return Short Form, or CT‑32, Banking Corporation Franchise Tax Return, continue iling it until 

your election takes effect.

If you do not receive conirmation of your election before your return 

is due, you should write to: NYS Tax Department, Corporation Tax 

Account Resolution Unit, W A Harriman Campus, Albany NY 12227.

Note: All information in this election form is subject to review by the

Audit Division in determining whether the corporation meets the 

legal requirements for iling as a New York S corporation.

Years for which election is effective

The election will be effective for the entire corporate tax year for

which it is made and for all succeeding tax years until terminated.

Termination or revocation of election

Shareholders of a New York S corporation should refer to

Form CT‑6.1, Termination of Election to be Treated as a New York

SCorporation, for information and instructions regarding the  termination or revocation of a New York S election.

Speciic instructions

Enter the legal name of the corporation exactly as it appears in the records of the New York State Department of State.

Enter the DBA or trade name that appears on the Certiicate of Assumed Name iled with the New York State Department of State,  if different from the legal name.

Enter the number of shares of stock issued and outstanding – The number of shares of stock entered in this box should be the number of shares of stock that have been issued to shareholders and have not been reacquired by the corporation. It should equal the total shares of stock owned by all shareholders, as reported in column C.

Continuation sheet or separate consent statement – If you need a continuation sheet or use a separate consent statement, attach

it to Form CT‑6. The separate consent statement must contain the name, address, and employer identiication number of the 

corporation and the shareholder information requested in columns

A through D.

Column A – Enter the name and address of each shareholder.

Column B – Enter the social security number of each shareholder who is an individual. Enter the employer identiication number (EIN)  of each shareholder that is an estate, a qualiied trust, or an exempt  organization.

Column C – Enter the number of shares of stock each shareholder owns and the dates the stock was acquired. Do not list the shares of stock for those shareholders who sold or transferred all of their stock before the election was made but who still must consent

to the election for it to be effective for the tax year. For more information, see the instructions for column D.

Column D – Each shareholder at the time the election is made must consent to the election by signing in column D or by signing 

a separate consent statement, described in Continuation sheet or separate consent statement.

If the election is made during the corporation’s irst tax year for 

which it is to be effective, any former shareholder who held stock at any time on or before the ifteenth day of the third month of  the electing year must also consent to the election. If the former 

shareholder does not consent, the election will not be effective until the following tax year.

If a married couple has a community interest in the stock or the income from it, both spouses must consent. Likewise, each tenant in common, joint tenant, or tenant by the entirety must also consent.

A minor’s consent is made by the minor or the legal guardian. If no 

legal guardian has been appointed, the natural guardian makes 

the consent (even if a custodian holds the minor’s stock under a law patterned after the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act).

An Article 13 taxpayer’s consent is made by an elected oficer or 

other authorized person.

Signature

The election must be certiied by the president, vice president, 

treasurer, assistant treasurer, chief accounting oficer, or other 

oficer authorized by the taxpayer corporation.

The election of an association, publicly traded partnership, or business conducted by a trustee or trustees must be signed by  a person authorized to act for the association, publicly traded 

partnership, or business.

If an outside individual or irm prepared the election, all applicable 

entries in the paid preparer section must be completed, including  identiication numbers (see Paid preparer identiication numbers in

Form CT‑1). Failure to sign the election will delay the processing of  any refunds and may result in penalties.

How to ile

Fax Form CT‑6 to (518) 435‑8605.

If you are unable to send a fax, mail Form CT‑6 to:

NYS TAX DEPARTMENT

CORPORATION TAX ACCOUNT RESOLUTION UNIT

W A HARRIMAN CAMPUS

ALBANY NY 12227

Private delivery services

See Publication 55, Designated Private Delivery Services.

Need help? and Privacy notiication

See Form CT‑1, Supplement to Corporation Tax Instructions.