How-To Guide

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What is My Dashboard?

Business owners can use My Dashboard to manage their transactions with the City of New York.

To get started:

1. Create an NYC.gov account, or log in to your existing one.

A screenshot with an arrow pointing at the Log In and Create Account links in the top-right corner of the NYC Business website.


2. Go to My Dashboard and create a Business Profile for your business.

There are detailed instructions for the Create Business Profile page here.

A screenshot of the Create Business Profile page.


3. Search our database of business transactions, and then add those transactions to your profile for easy reference.

There are detailed instructions for the Search page here.

A screenshot of the Search Transactions page.


4. Use My Dashboard to Pay, Renew, or keep track of your transactions as required.

A screenshot of My Dashboard, showing the details of a violation and a Pay button.


You will find other functions of My Dashboard in the menu on the left side of the page, including:

The Potential Matches page. This will appear after you have created a Business Profile, and when the system finds transactions which might match your profile. You will find an alert like this one at the top of My Dashboard when Potential Matches are available for review:

A screenshot of the Potential Matches page.


The Edit Business Profile page, where you can make changes to existing profiles, locations, and agency connections.

A screenshot of the Edit Profiles page.


The Share Business Profile page, where you can allow other NYC Business users to access your Business Profiles.

A screenshot of the Share Business Profile page.


The Communication Preferences page is used to manage how you will be notified by the system, and what types of events will trigger notifications.

A screenshot of the Communication Preferences page.


The Events page contains courses, seminars, and other events for business owners in New York City.

A screenshot of the Events page.


Still need help? Contact us.

How do I create a Business Profile?

Go to the Create Business Profile page to begin this process.

A screenshot of the Create Business Profile page.


The first page asks for basic information about your business: your legal business name, your DBA (if necessary), and your Tax ID number, which is either an Employer Identification Number, or a Social Security Number (for sole proprietorships).

This screenshot shows a warning that the submitted EIN is already in use.


Did you get a warning that your EIN or SSN is already in use?

We collect tax ID numbers to ensure that business profiles are genuine and unique. If your ID has already been registered in the system, check to see if one of your co-workers or employees has already created a profile for your business.

If you need help with a disputed tax ID, contact the NYC Business Team:

  • Telephone support is available during regular business hours. Call 311 and ask for NYC Business.
  • You can also use the Contact Us page to get in touch by email.
Remember: your profile is not saved until you have complete all three forms on the Create Business Profile page.

Click the Continue button to move on to the next form: Add Business Locations.

Still need help? Contact us.

How do I add locations to my profile?

Business Locations are the shops, offices, or other places where you do business. You will need to add at least one location to complete your profile.

A screenshot of part two of the Create Business Profile page, with the Add Business Locations form shown.


The first question on the form requires that you add a nickname for your location. This will help you keep track of various locations and provide a quick way to refer to the location on your dashboard. Some good nicknames include: "headquarters", "downtown office", or "Brooklyn warehouse".

The form also requires that you add a valid street address for your location.

You can also use this form to add a location-specific email address, phone number, or mobile number, if that is useful for you.

Look for these green help icon throughout the site if you need help as you fill out the forms:

This screenshot shows a help icon from the My Dashbord page.


Click continue to move on to the final form: Connect to NYC Agencies.

Remember: your profile is not saved until you have complete all three forms on the Create Business Profile page.
Still need help? Contact us.

How do I add agency connections to my profile?

Agency connections are the account numbers that you have with various City agencies, or the identifying numbers for specific transactions, like license numbers, or violation numbers.

By adding agency connections to your profile, you will enable the system to automatically add relevant transactions to your dashboard.

A screenshot from the Connect to Agencies form, showing a Trade License being added to a Business Location.


Select the relevant city agency from the list, and then the relevant type. Add your number to the next field, which will be labeled according to your selections.

While not required, we highly recommended that you use the Note field to add a quick description of this agency connection, which will help you identify this agency connection throughout your dashboard. a good Note would be: "my CAMIS id", or "SBS Account Number".

Add as many agency connections as you wish, and then click the Finish button at the bottom of the page.

A screenshot shows the Finish button at the end of the Create Business Profile form.


Your Business Profile is now complete, and you will be able to review it on My Dashboard. Remember: you can always update your profile later with the Edit a Business Profile page.

Still need help? Contact us.

How do I use the Search Transactions page?

The Search Transactions page enables you to find your transactions and add them to your Dashboard.

Start by selecting a search type: either Search by Transaction Number, or Search by Address.

Some transactions can only be found with one of the search types. For example: parking tickets and Food Service Establishment Violations can only be found by transaction number, while MWBE Certifications can only be found by address.

Search by Transaction Number

A screenshot of the Search by Transaction Number form.


Select an agency and a transaction type, then type in your number and click Search. Results will appear below, sorted by type. You can un-check the boxes next to any results that are not relevant to your current search.

A screenshot of the Search Results screen, showing the number of results found, and the checkboxes which allow filtering the results by type.


To examine the transaction, click Show Details. You can also click the plus sign in the Save column to add the transaction to your profile.

A screenshot of the Search Results screen, with an arrow indicating the Save button.


Next you will see a pop window containing checkboxes for each of the profiles and locations associated with your account. Click the checkboxes beside the appropriate choices, and then click Save.

A screenshot of the window for adding transactions to profiles. It has checkboxes for each profile and location on the user's dashboard, with Cancel and Submit buttons.


Search by Address

A screenshot of the Search by Address form.


Type the appropriate address into the form and click the Search button.

Results will appear as they did on Search by Transaction Number, and can be added to My Dashboard in the same way.

Still need help? Contact us.

How does My Dashboard work with transactions?

Transactions are your various interactions with the City of New York, including:

  • Business Licenses and Permits
  • Complaints
  • Violations
  • Inspections and Gas Authorizations
  • Building Construction and Maintenance Permits
  • Taxes
  • M/WBE, LBE, and EBE Certifications

On My Dashboard, transactions are sorted into boxes based on type. Click each box to open or close it.

This screenshot shows My Dashboard, with several content boxes closed and the Complaints box open.


In the diagram above, the business owner has three Business Licenses and Permits, one Complaint, three Violations, and five Inspections and Gas Authorizations. The Complaints box is open, and displays details on the complaint.

To see further details, as well as options for interacting with a transaction, click the Show Details link, indicated here:

This screenshot shows a Complaint on My Dashboard, with an arrow indicating the Show Details link.


Now the page shows the full details for the transaction, as well as options including:

Move

If you have a complex dashboard with several profiles and locations, the Move feature can help you keep your records orderly. Take a look at the Filter on the left side of the Dashboard:

This screenshot shows the filter from the left side of My Dashboard. There are checkboxes for each of the Profiles and Locations on the Dashboard, as well as an Unassigned box.


You can use the Move link to change where your transaction is saved on your dashboard. When you click the link, a box will appear listing each of your Business Profiles, and each of the Locations within those profiles. Click the appropriate boxes, and click Save Changes.

This screenshot shows the Move window. It has checkboxes for each of the Profiles and Locations on the Dashboard, and well as Cancel and Save Changes buttons.


Use the checkboxes to only display Transactions which are relevant to the Profiles or Locations. Your selections will go back to the default view next time you visit My Dashboard.

Delete

This screenshot shows a warning message that reads:


Click Delete to remove a transaction from your dashboard. Keep in mind that the transaction will still exist in the database, and if you want to re-add it later, you will be able to do so using the Search Transactions page, or the Connect to Agencies page.

Pay and Renew

This diagram shows the Pay and Renew buttons.


You can use My Dashboard to pay for Violations, and to renew applicable Licenses and Permits. When applicable, you will find a Pay or Renew button at the bottom of your transaction, which will take you to the page of the appropriate City agency.

Still need help? Contact us.

What are Potential Matches?

Our database of transactions is updated daily. When a new transaction matches the name and address of a business that belongs to you, we add it directly to your profile. When transactions match some portions of your profile but do not contain a matching name and address, that transaction is added to the Potential Matches page.

You will see a box like this one on your dashboard when new Potential Matches exist:

A screenshot of the Potential Matches page.


Click the Review Now button to view your matches. An example of a Potential Match is below:

A screenshot showing a specific Potential Match. There are buttons for saving or dismissing the transaction.


To add a transaction to your profile, use the Save button. To dismiss a transaction from this list, click the X in the upper right-hand corner.

If you dismiss a transaction in error you can find it again using the Search Transactions page.

You can also receive notifications via email or text when you have new Potential Matches. Check the appropriate box beside Transaction Matches on the Communication Preferences page to opt-in.

Still need help? Contact us.

How can I share my Profile?

Use the Share Business Profile page to grant read and write access to anyone with an NYC Business account.

To begin this process, enter the recipient's email address and click the Check button. The system will confirm that the NYC Business account exists, and notify your recipient.

Next you will see a checkbox for each of your Business Profiles. Check each one that you would like to share, and click Add.

A screenshot of the Share Business Profile page.


From now on, the Share Business Profile page will contain a list of the shares that you have initiated:

A screenshot of the Share Business Profile page.


You can use this screen to remove active shares at any time.

Still need help? Contact us.

How can I manage notifications?

To receive notifications when your profile is updated, use the Communication Preferences page.

A screenshot of the Communication Preferences page.


There are three types of notifications:

  • Select Alert Notifications to receive notifications when your business has received a violation or non-311 complaint, or when one of your licenses or permits needs renewal.

  • Select 311 Complaints to be notified when a complaint is filed against your business via 311. Note that there is a delay of at least 48 hours between the filing of a complaint 311 and its listing on NYC Business.

  • Select Transaction Matches for notifications when new transactions are added to your dashboard, or your Potential Matches page. New transactions are added to your dashboard when they match both the name and address of your business, or to Potential Matches when they match in some other way.

By selecting the various check boxes, you can determine whether you'll receive email and/or text message notifications.

Still need help? Contact us.