You submit a crossword to the New York Times through the online submission page on nytimes.com, following the guidelines on the Times's "submit crossword puzzles" article. Puzzles must be original and never published elsewhere, and you may have no more than three in the queue at once. Reported pay (Nieman Lab, February 2026) starts at $500 for a Monday-to-Saturday puzzle and $1,500 for a Sunday, paid only if your puzzle is accepted, and response times are often around three months. These details change, so as of October 2026, check the official page before you send anything.
Verification note. The NYT's own pages could not be loaded during research for this guide. The requirements below come from reliable secondary sources: a copy of the NYT guidelines, community-maintained constructor spreadsheets, and constructor sites. Anything that matters to your submission, especially pay and format, should be confirmed on the official page: nytimes.com/puzzles/submissions/crossword and the guidelines article at nytimes.com/article/submit-crossword-puzzles-the-new-york-times.html.
How do you submit a crossword to the NYT?
Since 2020, the Times has accepted crossword submissions electronically through its website rather than by mail. The submission page includes the specs, file formats, and a submission form. In outline:
- Read the official guidelines in full, including the current status of submissions (the Times has paused intake at times, for example around holidays or backlogs).
- Build your puzzle to spec.
- Prepare the file in the format the page requires.
- Submit through the online form.
- Wait. Do not send the same puzzle to another outlet while it's under review.
What are the NYT's puzzle requirements?
Per the Times's guidelines, as reported by secondary sources:
- Original and unpublished. The puzzle must never have been published anywhere, in print or online, and the Times takes full rights to what it buys.
- Quality. The guidelines say the Times looks for intelligent, literate, entertaining, well-crafted crosswords for a broad audience, and that a published puzzle is a collaboration with the editors, who try to preserve your voice.
- No unchecked squares.
- Answers of at least three letters.
- Black squares in moderation.
- Word-count maximums: 78 for a 15×15, 72 for a themeless, 140 for a 21×21.
- Minimal crosswordese. Answers that appear in crosswords far more than in real life should be kept to a minimum.
- Queue limit: no more than three puzzles in the queue at once. Co-written puzzles count as half for each byline, and a collaboration with someone never published by the Times does not count against your total.
Grid conventions are explained in crossword grid rules and how to make an NYT-style crossword.
What file format does the NYT want?
Constructor community guides say the NYT asks for a PDF in a specific layout (clues double-spaced on the left and answers in a column on the right), uploaded through the submission form. Some construction programs can generate this. Confirm the current required layout on the official page, because format requirements are the most likely thing to have changed.
Gridsmith can export a .puz file and print or PDF output with Gridsmith Plus, and exports a JSON backup for free. Check that your output matches the NYT's required layout before submitting rather than assuming it does. For format background, see crossword file formats.
How much does the NYT pay?
The Times pays a flat fee per published puzzle, set by puzzle size and by how many puzzles you have already had published there. Most recent reporting (Nieman Lab, February 26, 2026) and the community-maintained Crossword Publication Specs sheet (updated October 2026) give the same rates:
| Puzzle | Your 1st and 2nd NYT puzzles | 3rd puzzle onward |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Saturday (15×15) | $500 | $750 |
| Sunday (21×21) | $1,500 | $2,250 |
Payment is for a puzzle the Times accepts and publishes. A rejected submission earns nothing, and the Times takes full rights to what it buys.
How have NYT rates changed?
| Period | Weekday | Sunday | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | $135 | $700 | American Crossword Puzzle Tournament article, 2007 |
| 2012 | $200 | $1,000 | The Awl, December 2012 |
| January 2014 | $300 | $1,000 | Diary of a Crossword Fiend, January 2014 |
| January 2017 | $300 ($360 for veterans) | $1,000 ($1,200 for veterans) | XWord Info "Constructor Value" page |
| From January 1, 2019 | $500 / $750 | $1,500 / $2,250 | Raise announced December 2018 (Communicrossings reference index; FiveThirtyEight, December 19, 2018) |
The 2019 rates are still the ones reported in 2021 (The Oaklandside), 2022 (The New Republic) and 2026 (Nieman Lab), so we found no evidence of a raise since.
Where sources conflict. Recent sources put the higher tier at your third published puzzle. A December 2018 FiveThirtyEight item described the threshold as ten puzzles. The 2017 veteran tier did use ten, so the 2018 item may reflect that. The Times's own guidelines page is the final word. Check it before you rely on either number.
How many puzzles does the NYT accept?
Very few relative to what it receives. Reported volumes rose over time: Will Shortz told NPR in an older interview that the Times got about 75 to 100 submissions a week. Later reports put it above 200 a week (Shortz, April 2021, per Communicrossings; NUS alumni magazine, 2024; Smith Alumnae Quarterly, Winter 2026). The daily crossword has 365 slots a year, many of them filled by returning constructors. As rough arithmetic of our own (not a published acceptance rate), 200 a week is more than 10,000 submissions a year competing for those 365 slots. Most submitted puzzles are not published.
The NYT does not publish an acceptance rate, so treat any precise percentage you see elsewhere with suspicion.
How long does the NYT take to respond?
Community-maintained specs list an average of about three months. That's an average, not a promise, and queue conditions change. If you haven't heard back after a long wait, check the submission page for the current policy on follow-ups rather than guessing. Acceptance isn't publication either: one constructor reported that an accepted puzzle can take up to a year to run.
For pay at other outlets, see how much crossword constructors make.
Which other outlets accept crossword submissions?
Many do. Pay and response times vary a lot, and some outlets open and close submissions. Verify each on the outlet's own page.
| Outlet | Reported pay (15×15 / larger) | Reported response time | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Times | $150 / $350 | about 1.5 months | Crossword Publication Specs sheet, Oct 2026 |
| Wall Street Journal | $200 daily / $500 weekend | about 8 months (unconfirmed) | WSJ spec sheet on mikeshenk.com (undated); Communicrossings |
| Universal | $150 / $350 | about 1 month | Crossword Publication Specs sheet, Oct 2026; Communicrossings |
| USA Today | $150 | not listed | Crossword Publication Specs sheet, Oct 2026 |
Full sourcing and the conflicts between sources are in how much crossword constructors make. Treat these as starting points.
Two practical rules: submit each puzzle to one outlet at a time, and keep a record of where it is.
How should you prepare a puzzle before submitting?
Treat submission like a final edit:
- Confirm the grid meets the spec (symmetry, word count, no unchecked squares, 3-letter minimum, connectivity).
- Check the theme against an answer database for prior use.
- Clean the fill: no Naticks, minimal crosswordese, no duplicates. See crossword fill tips.
- Tighten the clues. See crossword clue writing.
- Have a tester solve it.
- Export and proofread the file you will actually upload.
Gridsmith's live stats (word count, blocks, unchecked squares) help with step 1, and the Rules popup is a quick reference. Start from how to make a crossword puzzle if you haven't built yours yet.
Sources for pay and volume figures
Checked October 18, 2026. Dates are the publication dates of each source.
- Nieman Lab, "The New York Times is adding another daily crossword, because why not," February 26, 2026: niemanlab.org
- Crossword Publication Specs (community spreadsheet), updated October 2026: Google Sheets
- The Oaklandside, July 8, 2021: oaklandside.org
- The New Republic, Matt Hartman, August 5, 2022: newrepublic.com
- Communicrossings reference index (December 2018 raise; April 2021 volume): communicrossings.com and publishing guide
- XWord Info, Constructor Value (2017 rates): xwordinfo.com
- Diary of a Crossword Fiend, January 14, 2014: crosswordfiend.com
- The Awl, December 2012: theawl.com
- American Crossword Puzzle Tournament article, 2007: crosswordtournament.com
- Submission volume: NPR transcript, NUS alumni magazine, Smith Alumnae Quarterly, Winter 2026
Frequently asked questions
Does the New York Times accept crossword submissions from new constructors?
Yes. The submission page states that submissions are open, and the guidelines welcome outside constructors. Check the page for current status because intake has been paused at times.
How many puzzles can I submit to the NYT at once?
No more than three in the queue at once. Co-written puzzles count as half per byline, per the guidelines as reported.
How much does the NYT pay for a crossword puzzle?
As reported in February 2026 (Nieman Lab), $500 for a Monday-to-Saturday puzzle and $1,500 for a Sunday for your first two published puzzles, then $750 and $2,250 from your third. You are paid only if the Times accepts and publishes the puzzle. Confirm on the official page.
When did the NYT last raise crossword pay?
The current rates took effect January 1, 2019, after a raise announced in December 2018 (from $300 weekday and $1,000 Sunday). Reports from 2021, 2022 and 2026 show the same rates.
What are the odds the NYT accepts my crossword?
Low. Reports since 2021 put submissions above 200 a week, against 365 daily slots a year, many of which go to returning constructors. The Times does not publish an acceptance rate.
Can I make a living selling crosswords to the NYT?
Very few people do. The New Republic (August 2022) reported that only a handful of people make a living from crosswords (constructor Will Nediger estimated about 20 worldwide). Treat NYT pay as a fee for a rare acceptance, not as income you can count on.