How to Register an LLC in Washington (2026): Fee and Steps

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What registering an LLC in Washington means

Washington keeps the register of companies formed under its law. Your LLC is on it the moment the Washington Secretary of State files a Certificate of Formation. From that day the company can open a bank account, sign contracts and be sued in its own name rather than yours. The registration does not include a federal tax number, a Washington tax account or a local business license; those come after and are separate registrations with other offices.

People use "register", "form" and "file" for the same act. In Washington the act is one document, a Certificate of Formation, and one fee, $200. The step-by-step for everything around it, from the operating agreement to the bank account, is in how to start an LLC in Washington; this page is about the registration itself.

Registration document

Washington: Certificate of Formation

Filed with

Washington: The Washington Secretary of State (ccfs.sos.wa.gov)

State fee

Washington: $200

Registered agent

Washington: Required; Washington street address; agent accepts on the filing

Published processing time

Washington: About 3 working days with expedite; the state publishes no standard time.

State expedite

Washington: $100 expedite.

Recurring state report

Washington: $70/year, due end of anniversary month

Washington LLC registration at a glance
Item	Washington
Registration document	Certificate of Formation
Filed with	The Washington Secretary of State (ccfs.sos.wa.gov)
State fee	$200
Registered agent	Required; Washington street address; agent accepts on the filing
Published processing time	About 3 working days with expedite; the state publishes no standard time.
State expedite	$100 expedite.
Recurring state report	$70/year, due end of anniversary month

What it costs to register an LLC in Washington

The filing fee is set by Washington and is the same whether you file it yourself or a service files it for you. Washington charges $200 for the Certificate of Formation.

Certificate of Formation filing fee

Amount: $200
Notes: Paid once, to the state

Expedited review

Amount: $100 expedite.
Notes: Optional, set by the state

Recurring annual report

Amount: $70/year
Notes: Due end of anniversary month

Late penalty on the report

Amount: $25, added by the state to a late report.

Washington LLC registration fees, 2026
Fee	Amount	Notes
Certificate of Formation filing fee	$200	Paid once, to the state
Expedited review	$100 expedite.	Optional, set by the state
Recurring annual report	$70/year	Due end of anniversary month
Late penalty on the report	$25, added by the state to a late report.

State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices. Yearly costs, the five-year total and how Washington compares are in Washington LLC cost.

Step 1: Confirm Washington is the state to register in

Register where the company will actually operate. An LLC that does business in Washington but registers elsewhere has to register in Washington anyway, as a foreign LLC, and pay two states.

Wyoming, Delaware and Nevada come up because of privacy, case law or taxes. They make sense for a holding company or a business with no fixed location. A company that operates in Washington and registers somewhere else ends up registered in both. The comparison is in cheapest states to form an LLC.

Step 2: Clear the name with Washington

Washington requires a name distinguishable from every company on its records, with an LLC designator. Search the state's business records at ccfs.sos.wa.gov before you file.

Rules on designators, restricted words and the distinguishability test are in LLC name rules. A rejection for a name conflict costs days and, in some states, a second fee.

Step 3: Name a Washington registered agent

Washington requires a registered agent with a Washington street address, available in business hours. On the filing: 'Consent to Serve as Registered Agent - required FOR all TYPES' (paper signature; online consent affirmation). Name someone who has not agreed and the filing is rejected.

Who may serve, whether the agent signs, and what becomes public: Washington registered agent requirements.

Step 4: Prepare a Certificate of Formation

The Washington form asks for the company name with its LLC designator, the registered agent and its Washington street address, the principal or mailing address, and the organizer who signs. Executors are 'the person(s) forming the LLC'; online, the 'authorized person' types a full name as signature (WAC 434-112-075(3)). A filing service can be executor/authorized person but must list its address. Everything on it becomes a public record; what Washington shows is listed below.

The document itself, and what every state's version asks for, is explained in articles of organization.

Step 5: File a Certificate of Formation and pay the $200 fee

Filed with the Washington Secretary of State (ccfs.sos.wa.gov). The state fee is $200, paid once. Washington publishes this guidance on processing: About 3 working days with expedite; the state publishes no standard time.

Faster review: $100 expedite.

Washington takes the filing from the public at ccfs.sos.wa.gov. Ready to file? The Certificate of Formation prepared and filed for you, with the state fee on its own line: form your Washington LLC at america-llc-filing.com.

Step 6: Complete the Washington registrations that follow

3 registrations follow in Washington: (1) Initial Report (governors, principal office), if not filed with the certificate; (2) 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; (3) Annual report. Then the federal tax number and the operating agreement.

The order and the deadlines are in what to do after forming an LLC. The recurring state report is the one owners forget.

What becomes public when you register in Washington

Everything on a Certificate of Formation is a public record once Washington files it; anyone can pull it from the state's business search. On the Washington filing: Executor(s) name and address; registered agent; governors on the Initial Report.

Executors are 'the person(s) forming the LLC'; online, the 'authorized person' types a full name as signature (WAC 434-112-075(3)). A filing service can be executor/authorized person but must list its address. The operating agreement, the ownership split and the tax election are not filed with Washington and stay private. Do you need an operating agreement?

How long Washington takes to register an LLC

Washington publishes this guidance on processing: About 3 working days with expedite; the state publishes no standard time. Paid faster review is offered: $100 expedite. The figures are the state's own and move with its workload; a rejection for a name conflict or a missing agent consent restarts the clock. Every state's published time is in how long it takes to form an LLC.

Ready to register your Washington LLC?

Name checked, Certificate of Formation prepared and filed with Washington, the $200 state fee on its own line, approved copy emailed.

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After registration in Washington

The state registration is the first of several. These are the ones Washington owners run into, in the order they usually come up.

Initial Report (governors, principal office), if not filed with the certificate. Due within 120 days of formation. Cost: $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. Due before doing business. Cost: $50 new-business processing fee plus endorsement fees; 2.96% card fee online.
Annual report. Due by the end of the anniversary month. Cost: $70 ($95 with $25 delinquency fee).
Federal tax number (EIN). Issued by the IRS after the state registration, at no charge; the bank asks for it. How to get one: Washington EIN number.
Operating agreement. Not filed with Washington, but the document that says who owns the company and who can sign for it.

The recurring report is where most companies lose good standing. When it is due, file the Washington report at america-llc-filing.com, or the Washington LLC annual report page has the due date, fee, late penalty and portal.

Before you file in Washington

From Washington's published forms and filing instructions:

An agent you appoint yourself needs an email and a consent (signature/affirmation) and a WA street address.

Sources

The Washington facts on this page come from the state's own forms, fee schedules and statutes, read for the October 2026 fee audit. Fees change; the state's page is the final word.

Standard Filings is a filing service, not a law firm. This page is general information from Washington's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.

Washington LLC registration FAQ

How much does it cost to register an LLC in Washington?+

Washington charges $200 to file the Certificate of Formation, paid once to the state and the same whether you file yourself or use a service. After that, the recurring requirement is $70/year, due end of anniversary month. State fees verified October 2026; the full picture is in Washington LLC cost.

Where do I register an LLC in Washington?+

With the Washington Secretary of State (ccfs.sos.wa.gov). That is the only office that creates the company. Tax accounts, the registrations listed above and local licenses are registered separately afterwards.

How long does Washington take to register an LLC?+

Washington publishes this guidance on processing: About 3 working days with expedite; the state publishes no standard time. Paid faster review is offered: $100 expedite.

Do I need a Washington registered agent?+

Yes. Washington requires a registered agent with a Washington street address, available in business hours. On the filing: 'Consent to Serve as Registered Agent - required FOR all TYPES' (paper signature; online consent affirmation). Name someone who has not agreed and the filing is rejected. Who may serve and what becomes public is in Washington registered agent requirements.

Can I register a Washington LLC from out of state?+

Yes. Washington takes filings from anyone, but the registered agent must have a Washington street address, so an out-of-state owner names a Washington resident or a registered agent company. If the company does business where you live, it registers there too, as a foreign LLC.

What do I file in Washington every year?+

Washington's recurring requirement: $70/year, due end of anniversary month. Late: $25, added by the state to a late report. Also recurring: 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; Annual report.