The short answer
- To form the LLC
- $200 to file the Certificate of Formation.
- Every year after
- $70 a year, due at the end of the anniversary month.
- If you file late
- $25 added by Washington. After one missed report, Washington administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $210.
- Five years, filing it yourself
- $550: the formation fee plus five years of the state's recurring fee, with no service fees.
Start your Washington LLC
Our service fee and the Washington filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Start your Washington LLCWhat's included
- Name availability check before we file
- Certificate of Formation prepared and filed with Washington
- Submitted within 3 business days, or the same day as an option
- Approved documents emailed, plus a private order page
- Washington's after-formation deadlines in writing
- A real person by email
Washington LLC one-time costs
What Washington charges once, when the LLC is formed, and the optional costs that arrive at the same time. The state fee is the same whether you file yourself or use a service.
- Amount
- $200
- Notes
- Paid to Washington to file the Certificate of Formation. One time.
- Amount
- Set by the state
- Notes
- $100 expedite.
- Amount
- Free if you serve yourself; our agent service can be added in the application
- Notes
- Required in Washington; a street address in the state.
- Amount
- Free if you write it, or our self-help template after checkout
- Notes
- Not filed with the state.
- Amount
- Our fee, itemized at checkout
- Notes
- Optional. Our fee and the Washington filing & processing appear as separate lines before you pay.
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices; a few states charge a different amount on paper.
Washington LLC ongoing costs
What Washington charges to keep the LLC in good standing, when it is due, and what the state does when a report is late or missed.
- The state's rule
- $70 a year
- Notes
- Filed with the Washington Secretary of State, every year.
- The state's rule
- End of the anniversary month
- Notes
- State wording: End of anniversary month.
- The state's rule
- $25
- The state's rule
- After one missed report
- Notes
- Administrative dissolution, revocation or forfeiture by the state, after notice.
- The state's rule
- $210
- Notes
- The state's total to reinstate after one missed report: reinstatement fee plus the missed reports and penalties it requires.
- The state's rule
- None
- Notes
- Washington adds no LLC tax beyond the figures above.
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Due rules, penalties and dissolution triggers are read from each state's statute or filing office page; the reinstatement figure is the state's own total at that point.
Washington LLC annual fee
Washington's recurring requirement: $70/year, due end of anniversary month. Washington calls the filing the Annual Report, and it goes to the Washington Secretary of State at ccfs.sos.wa.gov. Washington keys the deadline to your own formation date: at the end of the anniversary month, every year. In the state's words: End of anniversary month.
If you file late: $25 added by the state for a late report. After one missed report, Washington administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $210.
The due date, filing window and portal are covered step by step in Washington LLC annual report.
Other recurring obligations
- Initial Report (governors, principal office), if not filed with the certificate. within 120 days of formation. $10 (free if filed with formation).
- State business license via DOR Business Licensing Service, required if: gross income >= $12,000/yr, hiring within 90 days, collecting sales tax, using a trade name, or needing city/state endorsements. before doing business. $50 new-business processing fee plus endorsement fees; 2.96% card fee online.
- Annual report. by the end of the anniversary month. $70 ($95 with $25 delinquency fee).
Washington LLC filing fee: $200
The filing fee is what Washington charges to file your Certificate of Formation, the document that creates the company. Washington charges $200. It is the one cost nobody can avoid: it is the same whether you file directly with the state or hire a service, and no legitimate service can waive it. Which form Washington uses, where it is filed and what it asks: how to register an LLC in Washington.
Washington's published processing time: About 3 working days with expedite; the state publishes no standard time.
Faster review from the state: $100 expedite.
By filing fee, Washington ranks 45 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first; the median state charges $100.
Five-year Washington LLC cost: $550
$200 to form, plus $70 a year in report fees for five years, comes to $550 paid to Washington over five years, assuming every report is filed on time. One late report adds $25. Taxes on the company's income, licenses and a registered agent service are separate.
See your exact Washington total before you pay
Our service fee and the Washington filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, each on its own line.
What the Washington state fee does not include
The filing fee buys the state's approval of the Certificate of Formation and nothing else. These are the costs that sit outside it.
- Registered agent. Washington requires one, with a street address in the state. Serving as your own agent is free; the address becomes public record. Our registered agent service can be added in the application. Washington registered agent requirements.
- Operating agreement. Not filed with the state and free if you write it yourself. Our self-help template is available after checkout.
- Business licenses and permits. Set by the city, county or licensing board for your line of business, not by the formation filing. Many Washington LLCs need none; a restaurant, contractor or salon usually needs several.
- Taxes. An LLC's income is taxed through its owners' returns unless it elects otherwise, and sales tax or employer registrations are separate state accounts with no formation fee attached.
- Filing service. Our fee is itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay, with same-day submission as an option. The state fee is identical either way.
How to pay less for a Washington LLC
- File the Certificate of Formation yourself. Washington takes it online at ccfs.sos.wa.gov for the $200 state fee alone.
- Be your own registered agent if you have a Washington street address and are there during business hours. The trade-off is privacy: the address goes on the public record.
- Write your own operating agreement. No state charges for it and Washington does not file it.
- File the Annual Report on time. A late one costs $25 more, and a missed one leads to dissolution and a reinstatement bill of $210.
- Skip state expedite unless a date depends on it. The state's standard queue costs nothing extra.
- Form where you do business. An LLC that operates in Washington but is formed elsewhere must register in Washington as a foreign LLC anyway, paying Washington's registration fee and its recurring report on top of the home state's.
How Washington compares
By filing fee, Washington is number 45 of 51 jurisdictions, cheapest first. The filing fee is paid once; the recurring line is what separates states over time.
- Filing fee
- $200
- Recurring
- $70 a year
- Five-year total
- $550
- Filing fee
- $100
- Recurring
- $100 a year
- Five-year total
- $600
- Filing fee
- $100
- Recurring
- Free (Annual Report still required)
- Five-year total
- $100
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us.
Every state's fee is in LLC cost by state, and the case for and against forming elsewhere is in cheapest states to form an LLC.
Filing yourself vs. using us
Filing directly with Washington costs only the state's own fee: $200. The state takes formations at ccfs.sos.wa.gov. Through us, you pay our service fee plus the Washington filing & processing, for the name check, the Certificate of Formation prepared and submitted, the approved documents emailed to you and Washington's deadlines in writing. Both lines are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Sources
State fees verified October 2026; page last updated November 1, 2026. The figures above are read from Washington's own fee schedule, forms and statutes:
- sos.wa.gov (sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-06/6.2025%20-%20LLC%20-%20COF_0.pdf)
- sos.wa.gov (sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/business-entities/online-filing-instructions/s...)
- sos.wa.gov (sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/business-entities/limited-liability-company-ll...)
- sos.wa.gov (sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/fee-schedules-...)
- app.leg.wa.gov (app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=434-112-075)
- dor.wa.gov (dor.wa.gov/open-business/apply-business-license)
- dor.wa.gov (dor.wa.gov/open-business/apply-business-license/variable-business-license-proces...)
- ccfs.sos.wa.gov (Washington Secretary of State, Annual Report filing)
Standard Filings is a filing service, not a law firm. This page is general information from each state's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.
Washington LLC cost FAQ
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Washington?+
Washington charges $200. That is the state's own fee and it is the same whether you file yourself or use a service. If you have us file it, our service fee and the Washington filing & processing are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
Does Washington charge an annual fee for an LLC?+
Yes. Washington's recurring requirement: $70/year, due end of anniversary month. That works out to $70 a year.
When is the Washington LLC annual report due?+
Washington keys the deadline to your own formation date: at the end of the anniversary month, every year. In the state's words: End of anniversary month.
What is the late penalty for a Washington LLC report?+
Washington adds $25 to a report filed after the due date. After one missed report, Washington administratively dissolves the LLC, and the state's total to reinstate it at that point is $210.
Is there a franchise tax in Washington?+
No. Washington charges no franchise, privilege or LLC tax on top of its Annual Report; the LLC's income is taxed through its owners' returns in the ordinary way, and any state income tax registration is separate from the formation and report fees here.
How much is a registered agent in Washington?+
Nothing from the state: Washington charges no fee for naming a registered agent. Serving as your own agent is free if you have a street address in Washington and are there during business hours; the address becomes public record. A commercial registered agent charges a yearly fee that the agent sets, in exchange for keeping its Washington address on the record and forwarding what arrives.
Can I file the Washington Certificate of Formation myself?+
Yes. Washington accepts the Certificate of Formation directly from business owners at ccfs.sos.wa.gov, and you pay only the state's $200 fee. Washington's published processing time: About 3 working days with expedite; the state publishes no standard time. State expedite is optional: $100 expedite.
What does your service add to the state fee?+
Our service fee covers a name availability check, your Certificate of Formation prepared and filed, the approved documents emailed to you, and Washington's deadlines in writing. The Washington filing & processing is a separate line, and both are itemized on the checkout review screen before you pay.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Fees change; confirm the current amount with Washington before you rely on it.
More on Washington
Neighboring states