Washington LLC Filing Fees and Requirements

Legal business registration — and keeping your business in good standing — involves some necessary expenses. Some of these costs are payable to the WA Secretary of State, while others are due to the federal government or other additional state entities. Here are some common requirements and fees.

Please note that Washington business license and permit fees may need to be paid when you first form your business, on an ongoing schedule or on an ad hoc basis. Find more details below.

You’ll need to file as an LLC with the Secretary of State and pay a filing fee when you first formally form your business. Here are the current Washington LLC fees and filing times:

When you form your LLC with Bizee, we charge you this fee and forward it to the Washington Secretary of State when we file your formation paperwork.

Every LLC in the U.S. should obtain a unique Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service. You’ll use it when you open a business bank account, file taxes and pay employees. It’s available at no cost from the IRS, or you can have Bizee obtain an EIN for you.

If you want to do business in a state other than the one where your business is based, you must create a Foreign LLC.

Before you can move your business from another state into Washington, you must obtain a Certificate of Authority from the Office of the Secretary of State. This means the state gives you permission to conduct business there.

To request registration of a Washington Foreign LLC, you must complete a Foreign Entity Registration and pay a processing fee of $180 and an additional $20 if you file online. The state may have additional requirements so contact the Washington Secretary of State for more information.

If you plan to expand your Washington LLC into another state, you’ll first need Foreign Qualification or a Certificate of Authority from that state. This is necessary if you’ll have a physical presence, employees or banking in that state.

This process will likely entail completing an application and paying a filing fee, but each state has its own requirements. Contact the state government entity that administers business (usually the Secretary of State) for specific instructions.

If you need assistance, Bizee provides complete Foreign Qualification service for all states.

Most states — including Washington — require businesses to file an annual (or other periodic) report with the Secretary of State. When you file your annual report , you’ll need to pay a fee of $60. Here are the Washington annual report filing requirements:

It’s your responsibility as a business owner to make sure you have the proper state, federal or local business licenses to operate your LLC. Some of the associated fees only need to be paid once, while others are ongoing charges.

The state of Washington doesn’t require you to have a Washington LLC Operating Agreement in place.

An Operating Agreement is a document that covers how the business will be run, how managers and members are chosen, rights and duties of members and several other key areas. It’s usually filed alongside your Articles of Organization.

This document can be extremely helpful in making sure you’re organized and prepared for any future events that may affect your business.

You may need to pay and meet several other fees and requirements during the life of your LLC. These ad hoc fees will only be payable in specific circumstances, as listed below.

If you want to establish a Washington DBA (trade name), you must apply for a business license with the Department of Revenue and pay a filing fee of $90 with an additional $5 for each trade name to be registered.

Your LLC needs a Washington Registered Agent , which must be appointed when you file your Articles of Organization. You can also switch to a new Registered Agent later at no cost by filing updates online with the Washington Secretary of State Corporations and Charities Division.

If you don’t want to form your LLC right away, you can reserve a business name for 180 days with the Washington Secretary of State by filing a form and paying a fee of $30. First, perform a Washington business search and learn about business name rules to ensure you choose a name that meets all the state requirements.

Your business formation documents state certain facts about your Washington LLC at the time of its formation. Over time, these facts may change. If they do, you’ll need to file an Amended Certificate of Formation with the Washington Secretary of State for a filing fee of $30. You can do this yourself or have Bizee file it on your behalf.

Some organizations will request that you prove your LLC’s compliance with laws and tax requirements. If you need to prove you have met your commitments, you’ll need a Certificate of Good Standing or Status from the Washington Secretary of State. You can obtain one by ordering a Certificate of Existence online, and paying a fee of $20.

The fees listed above detail many of the charges a standard LLC will be required to pay in Washington. In some unusual circumstances, there may be other one-off, periodic or ad hoc fees not listed above.

Of course, your Washington LLC will also probably need to pay self-employment, payroll, federal, state and sales taxes. More information about taxes can be found on the Washington Business Tax page.

Bizee will charge you this fee at cost and then pay the fee to the Secretary of State on your behalf when forming your Washington business.