Start a Free LLC in Washington

Per the Washington Secretary of State, as of September 2026, Washington charges $180 to file the Certificate of Formation. After that, the Annual Report costs $70 every year. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year Washington registered agent service, so year one costs $279.

Processing typically takes 7 to 10 business days and can take longer when filing volume is high. Expedited filing is available for $100 extra, generally processed within 3 business days (same-day service is also available in person for $150). Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Washington, choose an available name, appoint a Washington registered agent, and file the Certificate of Formation with the Washington Secretary of State for $180. Then sign an operating agreement, get a free EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account and register for any state taxes. LLC Register files it for you as part of the $99-a-year registered agent service.

Yes. You can file online through the Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS), or by mail or in person in Olympia. The Certificate of Formation costs $180.

In Washington you form an LLC by filing the Certificate of Formation with the Washington Secretary of State. Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $180.

Yes. Expedited filing is available for $100 extra, generally processed within 3 business days (same-day service is also available in person for $150). Processing typically takes 7 to 10 business days and can take longer when filing volume is high.

Use the Washington Secretary of State's free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Washington LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C.", and must be distinguishable from other names on the Secretary of State's records.

Your Washington LLC name must contain "limited liability company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C.", and must be distinguishable from other names on the Secretary of State's records. The rules are set by the Washington Limited Liability Company Act, RCW Chapter 25.15, with registered-agent and name rules shared with other entities in RCW Chapter 23.95.

Yes. You can reserve a name for $30 with the Domestic Name Reservation form; the reservation lasts 180 days and cannot be renewed. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every Washington LLC must have a registered agent. Your registered agent needs a physical Washington street address, a P.O. box or private mailbox is not accepted, and can be a commercial registered agent or any consenting individual or business.

Yes. Any person with a Washington street address who consents to accept legal mail, including a member or manager, can serve as the LLC's registered agent. Your address becomes public record, and someone must be there during business hours to accept legal papers.

Not as your registered agent's address. Your registered agent needs a physical Washington street address, a P.O. box or private mailbox is not accepted, and can be a commercial registered agent or any consenting individual or business. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Washington.

File the Statement of Change (or updated through the Annual Report / Amended Annual Report if within the filing window) with the Washington Secretary of State. There is no fee to file it.

Serving as your own Washington registered agent is free if you qualify. Commercial registered agents charge a yearly fee. LLC Register's Washington registered agent service is $99 a year and includes LLC formation and annual report filing.

Yes. Washington LLCs must file the Annual Report every year. The state fee is $70.

The Annual Report is due by the last day of the month your LLC was originally formed (its "expiration date"), and can be filed up to 180 days early. Your first one is due by the last day of your formation-anniversary month in the calendar year after formation, alongside a separate Initial Report due within your first 120 days. It is filed with the Washington Secretary of State.

Per the Washington Secretary of State, as of September 2026, the Annual Report state fee is $70. It is due by the last day of the month your LLC was originally formed (its "expiration date"), and can be filed up to 180 days early. LLC Register files it for you at no extra service fee while your registered agent service is active.

A report received after the expiration date adds a $25 delinquency fee, for $95 total. Staying delinquent risks administrative dissolution, and reinstatement within 5 years costs a $140 penalty plus every missed annual report fee. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

Washington has no corporate or personal income tax and no franchise tax. Every LLC instead owes the Business and Occupation (B&O) tax on its gross receipts and must hold a state Business License from the Department of Revenue.

Washington has no personal or corporate income tax, so LLC profits are never taxed again once distributed to members. The LLC itself owes the B&O tax on gross receipts instead, commonly 0.471% for retailing, 0.484% for wholesaling, or about 1.5% for services, with a small-business credit and a filing requirement once gross B&O income reaches $125,000 a year. Federally, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC like a partnership, unless it elects to be taxed as a corporation.

Register for sales tax collection through the Tax Registration endorsement on your state Business License Application with the Department of Revenue; there is no separate fee for this endorsement.

Before you hire, register with the Employment Security Department for unemployment insurance, and with the Department of Labor & Industries for mandatory industrial insurance (workers' compensation), required for any business with even one employee. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Washington regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the Washington Department of Revenue, Business Licensing Service.

Washington does not require an LLC agreement, and it is never filed with the state, though the LLC Act does set nonwaivable provisions for any agreement you do adopt. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every Washington LLC it forms.

You need an EIN if your LLC has employees or more than one member, and most banks ask for one to open a business account. A single-member LLC without employees can use the owner's Social Security number for federal taxes, but an EIN keeps it off business paperwork.

Apply for free on the IRS website once the state has approved your LLC; online applicants receive the EIN immediately. Owners without a Social Security number can apply with Form SS-4 by fax or mail.

Yes. You do not have to live in Washington or be a U.S. citizen to form a Washington LLC. You do need a registered agent with a physical address in Washington. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. Washington allows an LLC with a single owner. By default the IRS taxes a single-member LLC like a sole proprietorship, reported on the owner's personal return.

No. Washington's LLC Act does not provide for series LLCs.

Yes. Licensed professionals can form a professional LLC (PLLC) under RCW 25.15.046, using the same Certificate of Formation as a regular LLC.

No. Washington does not require newspaper publication to form an LLC.

Order a Certificate of Existence/Good Standing from the Washington Secretary of State for $20. Banks, lenders and other states often ask for one as proof your LLC is current with the state.

An LLC formed in another state registers to do business in Washington by filing the Foreign Registration Statement with the Washington Secretary of State. The fee is $180, and the LLC needs a Washington registered agent.

File the Amended Certificate of Formation with the Washington Secretary of State for $30. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Certificate of Dissolution with the Washington Secretary of State for free. Before you file, wind up the business: pay debts, close tax accounts and distribute what is left to the members.

Register a trade name ("Doing Business As") with the Department of Revenue for $5 per name as part of your Business License Application; it does not protect the name from use by others. A DBA lets your LLC trade under another name without forming a new company.

Yes. An eligible LLC can elect S corporation tax status by filing IRS Form 2553. The election can reduce self-employment tax once profits are high enough to pay yourself a reasonable salary. Washington has no personal or corporate income tax, so LLC profits are never taxed again once distributed to members. The LLC itself owes the B&O tax on gross receipts instead, commonly 0.471% for retailing, 0.484% for wholesaling, or about 1.5% for services, with a small-business credit and a filing requirement once gross B&O income reaches $125,000 a year.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Washington it costs $180 to form and the Annual Report is $70 every year.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. A Washington LLC costs $180 to form and protects your personal assets, with the same pass-through taxes by default.

Usually not if your business operates in Washington. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Washington for $180 and keep a Washington registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year Washington registered agent service. The state still charges its $180 filing fee, which we pass through at cost.

For $99 a year plus the $180 state fee: Washington LLC formation in year one, a Washington registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Annual Report every year. Renewal is $99 a year. State fees are passed through at cost.

No. FinCEN has exempted companies created in the United States from beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting. Only foreign companies registered to do business in a U.S. state still have to report.

The Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at PO Box 40234, Olympia, WA 98504-0234.

Yes, you should. Mixing business and personal money can weaken the liability protection your LLC gives you. Banks usually ask for your filed Certificate of Formation, your EIN and your operating agreement.