Circular Letter No. 7 (2011)

April 7 , 2011

STATUTORY REFERENCE: New York Insurance Law §§ 7604, 9108, and 9110; Workers’ Compensation Law § 108

Starting June 1, 2011, the New York State Insurance Department will implement Online Premium Tax for Insurance (OPTins). OPTins, a product of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), has been developed to facilitate the submission of required filings and payments that are due monthly, quarterly and annually. The Department strongly encourages your participation. Insurers will be able to submit filings through OPTins for the fire insurance fee under Insurance Law § 9108, the motor vehicle law enforcement fee under Insurance Law § 9110, the workers compensation security fund under Workers’ Compensation Law § 108 and the public motor vehicle liability security fund under Insurance Law § 7604.

The steps to submit a tax filing are straight forward and require no formal training. Easy to follow instructions are available at: http://www.optins.org. Once the user registers and sets up an account, the user will be able to log in, upload filing forms and submit payment online. No more paper checks are needed – everything is electronic and tax forms along with the payment are received at the Insurance Department immediately upon submission by the insurer.

Using OPTins allows insurers to save time and ensure that both the forms and payment are received together and on time. Currently, the NAIC charges a nominal fee to use OPTins. To implement OPTins, contact the OPTins Marketing Team at [email protected] or call (816) 783-8787.

Please direct any questions or comments regarding this circular letter to the Bureau of Taxes and Accounts by email at [email protected].

Sincerely,

___________________________________
Karen E. Cole
Director of Administration and Operations