Manure application and no-till management improve soil quality, crop yields and C inputs, but little specific knowledge is available regarding the combined effect of long-term dairy liquid manure (DLM) application and no-till management on soil organic matter status and soil structure in topsoils. Here, we assess the impacts of surface-applied DLM for a 10-year period on soil total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN) concentrations and stocks, on organic matter fractions and on soil physical-structural attributes in a no-till crop rotation system on clayey Ferralsol under no-till crop rotation management in a subtropical climate. Four rates of DLM (0, 60, 120 and 180 m 3 ha −1 year −1) were applied in a randomized block design with four replications. Soil samples were collected to calculate TOC and TN stocks to 100-cm depth and organic matter fractions in the 0-5-cm layer, and physical indicators of soil quality: bulk density, macroporosity and microporosity and aggregate stability. The largest DLM rates (120 and 180 m 3 ha −1 year −1) added 3.8-5.8 Mg C ha −1 year −1 as manure, increased crop residue input by 0.6 Mg C ha −1 year −1 , and increased TOC stock by 17% and TN stock by 27% in the top 10 cm of soil, at annual accumulation rates that averaged 0.72 Mg C ha −1 year −1 and 86 kg N ha −1 year −1. Stocks of TOC and TN in the sand-POM (particulate organic matter) fraction under the 180 m 3 ha −1 year −1 rate increased by 49 and 63%, and in the silt-MOM (mineral-associated organic matter) fraction by 30 and 47%, respectively. In the clay-MOM fraction, the change in TOC was not significant, but the TN increased by 16%. Soil physical-structural attributes (bulk density, porosity and aggregates) were improved by DLM application in the 10-cm layer and followed the soil carbon and nitrogen increments. Overall, the DLM amendment applied on the soil surface of no-till proved to be a strategy to ameliorate soil organic matter status, an important factor for agronomic and environmental benefits, besides improving crop biomass production. Highlights • Long-term application of liquid manure increased concentration and stock of SOC and TN in the 0-10-cm layer. • Increases of 0.72 Mg C ha −1 year −1 and 86 kg N ha −1 year −1 were observed in the 10-cm topsoil with manure.