Washington LLC Cost

Documents you need

• Certificate of Formation — Filed with the Corporations and Charities Division (online at CCFS or by mail). It is the LLC's public organic record; the fee schedule at WAC 434-112-085(7)(a) covers Title 25.15 RCW entities. A UBI (Unified Business Identifier) number is assigned at formation.
• Registered agent in Washington — All businesses must have a registered agent in Washington State per RCW 23.95.415. The agent may be a commercial registered agent (registered with the Secretary of State) or a noncommercial registered agent (an individual, entity, or office/position). The registered agent's consent must be signed and filed; the agent's address must be a physical Washington address — a PO Box or PMB is not accepted — and an email address is required. There is no fee to change a registered agent.
• Initial Report (due within 120 days of formation) — Per RCW 23.95.255(1)-(2), the initial report (and each annual report) must state: the entity's name and jurisdiction of formation; the name and street and mailing addresses of its registered agent in Washington; the street and mailing addresses of its principal office; the names of the entity's governors; a brief description of the nature of its business; and its Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number.

How forming works in Washington

1. Line up the agent: Registered agent in Washington — All businesses must have a registered agent in Washington State per RCW 23.95.415. The agent may be a commercial registered agent (registered with the Secretary of State) or a noncommercial registered agent (an individual, entity, or office/position). The registered agent's consent must be signed and filed; the agent's address must be a physical Washington address — a PO Box or PMB is not accepted — and an email address is required. There is no fee to change a registered agent.
2. File the Certificate of Formation with the Washington Secretary of State — the filing fee is $180 at the cheapest channel (file online at the official portal linked below).
3. Handle the filings due straight after formation: Initial Report; State business license — Business License Application processing fee (Department of Revenue); Business & Occupation (B&O) tax.

Annual report & ongoing costs

Washington requires a annual report — fee $70.

Due by the entity's expiration date, which is the last day of the month in which the business was first formed/registered with the Secretary of State; the report may be filed up to 180 days before the expiration date. Required by RCW 23.95.255.

Fee of $70 per WAC 434-112-085(7)(p) for profit business entities including LLCs; annual reports are exempt from the $20 online processing fee (WAC 434-112-075), so the fee is $70 whether filed online or on paper. A $25 delinquent fee applies if the report is received after the expiration date (WAC 434-112-085(7)(r)); reinstatement is $140 plus all delinquent annual report fees.

After you form

1. Get the free EIN from the IRS, then open a business bank account so company and personal money stay separate.
2. Stay compliant: the annual report costs $70 — diary the due date before you form.

• Employer Identification Number (EIN) — free from the IRS; a federal step that is the same in every state.

Washington tax pages

Once the LLC is formed, these pages work out what it keeps: Washington Tax Brackets · Washington Income Tax Calculator · Washington Paycheck Calculator.

Compare Washington with the rest of the country

Washington's first-year minimum of $240 sits in the full ranking of all 51 jurisdictions — the cheapest first year is Montana at $35 and the most expensive is California at $870.