Catering Business Permit Requirements in Concord, NH

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC or corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. New Hampshire — No Sales Tax

   New Hampshire has no state sales tax and no local sales taxes, so businesses need no sales tax permit or resale registration for sales tax purposes. Businesses may instead owe the Business Enterprise Tax and the Business Profits Tax, both administered by the NH Department of Revenue Administration; BET paid can be credited against BPT. Restaurants, caterers and lodging operators separately collect the Meals and Rooms (Rentals) Tax and must hold a DRA license for it. Filing and payment are handled through DRA's Granite Tax Connect portal.

   Official government source

   No fee to register for business taxes with DRA. For taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025, a BET return is due from any enterprise with more than $298,000 in gross receipts or an enterprise value tax base above $298,000; the BET rate is 0.55%·Immediate — registration and filing are done online through Granite Tax Connect

   No fee to register for business taxes with DRA. For taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025, a BET return is due from any enterprise with more than $298,000 in gross receipts or an enterprise value tax base above $298,000; the BET rate is 0.55%

   Immediate — registration and filing are done online through Granite Tax Connect

2. New Hampshire — Certified Food Protection Manager

   RSA 143-A:11-a requires each food service establishment licensed by the state to have a person in charge trained as a certified food protection manager, through a program approved by the Conference for Food Protection or an equivalent industry standard (ANSI-accredited). Establishments with five or fewer food employees on duty need only one certified manager on staff, available but not necessarily present. New Hampshire's self-inspecting cities, including Manchester, Nashua and Concord, apply their own equivalent requirement.

   Official government source

   Course and exam cost is set by the training provider, not the State·Most approved courses and exams are completed in 1–2 days

   Course and exam cost is set by the training provider, not the State

   Most approved courses and exams are completed in 1–2 days

1. City of Concord — Food Service Establishment License

   Concord is one of New Hampshire's self-inspecting communities and licenses food service establishments itself through the Code Administration Division's Health and Licensing Services, not through state NH DHHS Food Protection. A catering operation based in Concord needs a City of Concord food service license, must work from a licensed commercial kitchen, and must complete a plan review before opening. At least one person on staff must hold a ServSafe or other ANSI-accredited food protection manager certification.

   Official government source

   $30 non-refundable application fee plus the annual license fee for your class: Class I $534, Class II $346, Class III $223, Class IV $165, Class V $112, Class VI $95.60, Class VII $74; plan review for a new establishment $30·Confirm with Concord Health and Licensing Services (603-230-3638); allow time for plan review and inspection

   $30 non-refundable application fee plus the annual license fee for your class: Class I $534, Class II $346, Class III $223, Class IV $165, Class V $112, Class VI $95.60, Class VII $74; plan review for a new establishment $30

   Confirm with Concord Health and Licensing Services (603-230-3638); allow time for plan review and inspection

2. City of Concord — No General Business License

   Concord does not require a general business license, and the City Clerk does not run a business-licensing program (the Clerk handles dog licensing, vital records and elections). Licensing that does exist is administered by the Code Administration Division's Health and Licensing Services and is limited to specific activities — food service establishments, tattoo parlors and artists, peddlers and vendors, pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers, entertainment and places of amusement, taxicabs, junk dealers, charitable solicitation and special events. Check the City's Permits and Licenses page for what applies to your trade.

   Official government source

   No general business license fee. Activity-specific licenses carry their own fees, most with a $30 non-refundable application fee (for example a food service license is $74 to $534 per year by class, and a tattoo establishment is $158 per year)·Not applicable — there is no general business license to apply for

   No general business license fee. Activity-specific licenses carry their own fees, most with a $30 non-refundable application fee (for example a food service license is $74 to $534 per year by class, and a tattoo establishment is $158 per year)

   Not applicable — there is no general business license to apply for

Official Sources

• Merrimack County Health Department
• New Hampshire — No Sales Tax

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