Service area
Accountants in Southampton
The largest year round population on the East End, eleven miles from our Sag Harbor office.
Southampton town has 71,601 residents, which is more than double East Hampton, and that changes what the work looks like. There is a substantial year round working population here alongside the second home economy: contractors, landscapers, restaurants, property managers and a real medical cluster around Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.
Median household income is $128,594 and median home value $928,100, with owner occupancy at 82.4%. Nineteen percent of residents are foreign born and 20.3% are Hispanic or Latino, concentrated in the trades and hospitality. Jobs Lane and Main Street form the village retail core.
Local tax
A permit for every rental, and the U.S. Open question
Southampton town requires a rental permit for any home rented for any period, with a 14 day minimum stay. Anything shorter is a prohibited transient rental. Permits last two years and are not transferable, which means a buyer of a rental house needs their own permit rather than inheriting the seller’s. That one catches people at closing. Advertising, listing or showing a house for rent without a permit in place can bring violations, suspension and a two year rental restriction. Processing takes roughly one to three weeks off season and two to four in summer, so it is not a last minute item.
The 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in June is the live local question. Southampton moved to temporarily relax its short term rental limits for the event, and neighboring Sagaponack waived its two week minimum for 12 to 23 June. Both of those rest on local reporting rather than on a code section we can point you to, so confirm the adopted resolution with the Town before you let anything.
The tax side is clearer. If you rent your home for 14 days or fewer in the year and you use it as a residence, the income can be excluded entirely under the section 280A rule, though no expenses are then deductible. At 15 days it becomes reportable rental activity with allocation between personal and rental use. For a single championship week, that distinction is usually the whole conversation.
The Peconic transfer tax applies at 2.5% across the town with the $400,000 improved residential allowance, again only where consideration is $2,000,000 or less. Zone 2 for MCTMT at 0.34%.
Figures above are drawn from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, the New York City Department of Finance, the US Census Bureau, New York City Small Business Services and the relevant town and village codes, and were current in October 2026. Local rules change, so confirm anything you plan to act on.
Services
What we do in Southampton
01
Tax preparation and planning
Southampton returns split two ways, because the town has a real year round economy alongside the second home money.
Tax preparation and planning in Southampton02
Bookkeeping and accounting
Contractors, landscapers and property managers make up most of the bookkeeping work here.
Bookkeeping and accounting in Southampton03
Trust and estate tax
Southampton estates often include both a residence and income property.
Trust and estate tax in Southampton04
Nonprofit accounting
With the largest year round population on the East End, Southampton has the most service delivery nonprofits we see.
Nonprofit accounting in Southampton05
IRS representation
Contractor notices here are usually about worker classification.
IRS representation in SouthamptonQuestions
Frequently asked questions
I want to rent my house for U.S. Open week. What do I need to know?
Two things. Whether the permit rules allow it, which the town moved to relax temporarily for the event but which you should confirm directly with the Town before committing. And the tax treatment: at 14 days or fewer the income can be excluded entirely, at 15 days it is reportable rental activity. For one week, that usually means it is excludable, but the permit question is separate and comes first.
I just bought a rental house. Does the seller’s permit carry over?
No. Southampton rental permits are not transferable, so a new owner needs their own before renting or even advertising. Allow two to four weeks in summer.
Do you work with the trades out here?
Yes, and it is a large part of this office. Worker classification between 1099 and W-2, seasonal payroll, equipment depreciation and the sales tax treatment of capital improvements are the four that come up every year.
Do you work in Spanish?
Tell us what you need when you book and we will arrange the meeting accordingly.
Nearby
Also served from Hamptons Office
Talk to someone who knows Southampton
Call (516) 845-9969 or book online. Remote works just as well if coming in is awkward.