New Hampshire is one of the most business-friendly states in the country for home food sellers — no income tax, no sales tax, no sales cap, and a clear two-tier framework that lets you start immediately and scale at your own pace.
Follow these steps in order. Some are required before you sell a single product — others can wait until your business grows.
If you live in Bedford, Berlin, Claremont, Concord, Derry, Dover, Exeter, Keene, Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua, Plaistow, Portsmouth, Rochester, or Salem — contact your local health authority before anything else. These cities regulate food locally, not through state DHHS.
Download self-inspecting municipality list →All products must be shelf-stable (non-TCS). Products using non-standard recipes for jams, acidified salsas, or moist sweet breads need a process review before you sell. Check the What You Can Sell guide for your specific products.
See the full product list →Your kitchen needs: a 2-compartment sink OR a residential dishwasher plus 1-compartment sink; a refrigerator with a thermometer at 41°F or below; no pets during food production or packaging. Storage inside your home only — no garages or outbuildings.
Every product must be labeled before it can be sold. Required elements: business name, address or email, phone number, product name, ingredient list (by weight), allergens, required disclaimer statement, and batch code. See the full label requirements guide.
View label requirements →Operating under a business name other than your legal name? File a Trade Name Registration (Form TN-1) with the NH Secretary of State for $50. Valid for 5 years. Not legally required to sell, but essential for a professional brand presence and for business banking.
Register your trade name at NH QuickStart →Keeping business and personal finances separate makes tax time easier, protects your personal assets, and looks professional to customers and markets. Most banks require an EIN to open a business account — get yours free from the IRS first.
Get a free EIN from the IRS →Not required by New Hampshire law, but strongly recommended. Product liability insurance protects you if a customer claims illness or injury from your product. Policies for home food sellers typically run $200–500/year. Many farmers market organizations require proof of insurance for vendors.
When you're ready to sell online, ship products, or supply restaurants, apply for the Class H Homestead License ($150/year). Submit at least 30 days before your planned start. Include your product list, sample labels, and water test if on a private well.
View the full licensing guide →List your products, connect with buyers across New Hampshire, and manage orders in one place. Free to start — no credit card required. Online selling requires a Class H Homestead License first.
Create your free store →Most home food sellers start as sole proprietors and upgrade to an LLC as revenue grows. Here's how the two compare in New Hampshire.
If you want to operate under a name other than your own legal name — "Granite State Bakes," "White Mountain Jams," or "Sugarplum Pantry" — you'll need to register a trade name (also called a DBA, for "doing business as") with the New Hampshire Secretary of State.
A DBA registration is not legally required to sell under a business name. However, it is essential for opening a business bank account in that name, accepting checks made out to your business name, and establishing your brand identity with legal standing. Most farmers markets and retailers also expect sellers to have a formal business name.
In New Hampshire, trade names are registered through NH QuickStart — the Secretary of State's online filing portal. The registration costs $50 and is valid for 5 years. You can file entirely online in about 15 minutes.
If you form an LLC, your LLC name is automatically your registered business name — you don't need a separate DBA unless you want to operate under a different name than your LLC.
Valid for: 5 years from filing date
Where to file: NH QuickStart (online)
Processing: Near-instant when filed online
File at NH QuickStart →Check your desired name on NH QuickStart's business name search before filing — it must be distinguishable from existing registered names. Strong NH food business names often reference local geography (White Mountain, Granite State, Piscataqua, Monadnock) or a product specialty.
New Hampshire is one of the most tax-friendly states for small business owners. Here's what applies — and what doesn't.
New Hampshire eliminated its Interest & Dividends Tax on January 1, 2025. The state has no income tax on wages or self-employment income. Money you earn selling homestead food products is not subject to any New Hampshire state income tax.
New Hampshire has no general sales tax — one of only five states in the country without one. You do not need to collect, track, or remit sales tax on your homestead food product sales. No sales tax permit is required.
Federal SE tax (Social Security + Medicare) applies to self-employment income above $400/year. You pay both the employee and employer portions. This is separate from federal income tax. Set aside 25–30% of net profit to cover both.
Report homestead food business income on IRS Schedule C (sole proprietor) or as LLC pass-through income. You can deduct legitimate business expenses: ingredients, packaging, farmers market fees, mileage, label printing, and more. Consider quarterly estimated tax payments.
New Hampshire's BET only applies if your business has gross receipts above $281,000/year. The vast majority of homestead food sellers will never approach this threshold — but good to know as your business grows.
The BPT applies to businesses with gross business income above $103,000. Again, most homestead food operations fall well below this threshold — but worth tracking as you scale into the licensed tier and wholesale channels.
Pricing is where most home food sellers leave money on the table. The most common mistake is pricing based on what you think customers will pay, rather than starting with your actual costs and building up from there.
A sustainable pricing formula for New Hampshire homestead food sellers: calculate your full cost of goods (ingredients + packaging + labels), add your time at a rate you actually want to earn, account for your SellFood transaction fee and any farmers market fees, and then add your target profit margin. The result is your minimum viable price. Your market price may be higher — especially for artisan, small-batch, or locally sourced products.
Don't undervalue your work. Buyers at New Hampshire farmers markets and specialty food stores expect to pay a premium for handcrafted, locally made food — that's why they're there. A jar of jam priced at $12 from a home producer conveys value and story. The same jar at $5 raises questions.
SellFood charges a 10% transaction fee on all orders (6.5% for Founding Artisan Pro and Founding Farmstand members). Factor this into your pricing when selling online — if your product costs $10, SellFood's fee is $1.00, leaving you $9.00 before other costs.
Visit NH farmers markets as a shopper. What are similar products selling for? What's the price range for jams, cookies, spice blends in your area? The Portsmouth Farmers' Market and Concord Farmers' Market are both excellent benchmarks for what the NH market will support.
Gift bundles, variety packs, and seasonal collections consistently earn more per transaction than individual units. A "New Hampshire Pantry Box" with three jams and a spice blend at $38 has a higher margin than three separate $10 jars.
New Hampshire's two-tier system determines your sales channels. No tier has a revenue cap — the difference is where you can sell, not how much you can earn.
NH has dozens of weekly markets from spring through fall, with several winter markets in Manchester, Concord, and Portsmouth. The Portsmouth Farmers' Market (Saturdays, June–November) and Concord Farmers' Market are among the most active. Most markets charge $20–50/week for a vendor booth.
Curbside pickup, appointment orders, and social media selling are popular and free to start. Post on neighborhood apps and local Facebook groups. No farmers market fees, no middlemen. Check local zoning for any restrictions on signage or foot traffic.
NH specialty food shops, farm stands, general stores, and food co-ops regularly stock local homestead food products. Approach stores with a sample and a sell sheet. Consignment arrangements (you only get paid when the product sells) are common for new sellers.
Create your online storefront on SellFood.com to reach buyers across New Hampshire and beyond. Requires a Class H Homestead License before you can process online orders. Once licensed, you can sell 24/7 without being present at a market.
Shipping opens your market statewide and potentially nationally. NH has no state sales tax — simplifying out-of-state sales considerably. Shelf-stable products (cookies, jams, spices, dried goods) ship well. Use appropriate cold-weather packaging in winter.
New Hampshire restaurants increasingly source local artisan products — hot sauces, jam, specialty condiments, baked goods. A licensed seller can approach restaurants directly. Have a rate sheet, a food safety plan, and consistent production capacity before pitching wholesale accounts.
New Hampshire does not require product liability insurance for homestead food sellers, but many farmers markets do — and it's strongly recommended regardless. A basic policy runs $200–500/year and protects you if a customer claims illness or injury from your product. As your business grows and you enter more sales channels, insurance becomes increasingly important. Ask your home insurance provider about a rider, or look into FLIP (Food Liability Insurance Program) which specializes in small food businesses.
Use SellFood's interactive Business Setup Checklist to stay organized through every milestone — from your first label to your first wholesale account.
Check off each step as you complete it — kitchen setup, labeling, DBA registration, licensing, banking, and your first sale. Get personalized next-step recommendations based on your progress.
Create Free Account to Use This Tool →New Hampshire's no sales cap, no income tax, and no sales tax make it one of the most rewarding states to build a home food business. Your storefront is free to create.
Create Your Free Store → Get Licensed