How to Start an LLC in Washington State (2026)
A Washington LLC starts with one filing. The Certificate of Formation goes to the Secretary of State and costs $180. This guide walks the rest of it, from the name check through to the business license the state will also want.
In This Article
- Overview
- Quick Facts
- Introduction
- Choose a Name for Your Washington State LLC
- Choose a Registered Agent in Washington State
- File Your Certificate of Formation with Washington State
- Get an EIN for Your Washington LLC
- Apply for Your Washington State Business License
- Create an Operating Agreement for Your LLC
- Open a Business Bank Account for Your Washington LLC
- Federal BOI Reporting
- Top 3 LLC Services
- FAQ
- Next Steps
What You'll Learn in This Guide
This guide walks you through every step to legally form a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in Washington State, from picking a name to staying compliant year after year. We've kept it practical, current, and free of unnecessary fluff.
Note
Washington State LLC formation costs $180 in state fees. Most founders complete the process in days to weeks, either DIY or through a formation service starting at $0.
Washington State LLC: Quick Facts
Last Verified: Aug 2026- Filing Fee (Online)
- $180
- Processing Time
- days to weeks
- Expedited Available
- Yes (about three working days / $100)
- Annual Report
- $70*
- State Income Tax
- No
- Sales Tax Rate
- 6.5%
- Filed With
- Washington Secretary of State
- Last Verified
- August 15, 2026
* Annual Report: $70, due By the last day of the anniversary month
What You Need to Know About Forming an LLC in Washington State
A Washington LLC draws a line between your money and the company's. Get sued, or run up a debt, and your home and your savings sit on the far side of that line. That is the whole point. It is why most founders pick an LLC over a sole proprietorship.
Washington charges no personal or corporate income tax. It charges a Business and Occupation tax instead. The B&O is levied on gross receipts rather than profit, so a business that loses money can still owe it. Budget for that early. The filing fee is $180 and the Annual Report costs $70 a year.
The order is simple enough. Check the name. Line up a registered agent with a Washington street address. Then file the Certificate of Formation. After that come the EIN and the bank account. Washington issues a UBI number. Every state agency asks for it. Most LLCs owe Revenue a business license too. That is a separate filing from the one that creates the company.
Five fees, two agencies. Only the first is the filing everybody talks about. Here is what Washington actually charges a new LLC, and the point at which each amount falls due.
Choose a Name for Your Washington State LLC
Your LLC name must be distinguishable from every other business on file with the Washington Secretary of State and follow specific formatting rules.
Your name must differ from every business already on file in Washington. Check it first. The Secretary of State runs a free search at ccfs.sos.wa.gov. Not ready to file yet? A $30 reservation holds the name for 180 days.
Search available names →Washington LLC Naming Requirements
Name Reservation (Optional)
- Search name availability at ccfs.sos.wa.gov.
- File a name reservation for $30 if you need more time.
- Reservation lasts 180 days.
State Specific
Washington lets you reserve a name for 180 days for $30, which is longer than most states offer.
Pro Tip
Search the Washington business name database before you get attached to a name. It's free and takes about 30 seconds.
Choose a Registered Agent in Washington State
Washington requires every LLC to designate a registered agent with a physical street address in the state who can accept legal documents on your behalf.
Your registered agent takes the legal notices and state mail for the company. Washington sets two conditions. The agent is either a resident over 18 or an entity cleared to do business here. And the address has to be a real street address in Washington, never a PO box.
Your Three Options
- You can serve as your own registered agent if you have a Washington street address and are available during business hours.
- A trusted friend or family member who lives in Washington and is over 18 can serve for free.
- A professional registered agent service (typically $50 to $300 per year) handles it reliably and keeps your personal address private.
Pro Tip
If you work from home, using a professional registered agent service keeps your home address off public records.
File Your Certificate of Formation with Washington State
This filing creates the LLC. It goes to the Washington Secretary of State, online or by post.
The Certificate of Formation is what brings the LLC into existence. You can file it online through the Corporations and Charities Filing System, or download the form and post it. Online is the better route. It carries the required Initial Report in the same transaction. Approval brings your UBI number, which you will use for tax filings and licensing.
File Online
File by Mail
State Specific
File online and the Initial Report rides along free. File by post and it becomes a separate job. That is a real deadline. You get 120 days and it costs $10.
Important
An Initial Report is due within 120 days of formation. Filing online covers it. Filing by post does not, so diary it.
Recommended: Northwest Registered Agent
$39 + state fee. Includes registered agent, business address, domain, website, email, and phone. No upsells.
Get an EIN for Your Washington LLC
An EIN is your federal tax ID. The IRS gives it out free. You need one to open a bank account, hire anyone, and file federal tax.
Apply at irs.gov and pay nothing. The form takes about ten minutes and the number lands at the end of it. Have three things ready. The LLC's legal name, your UBI number, and a responsible party's Social Security number.
Apply for your EIN on IRS.gov →Apply for Your Washington State Business License
Washington is one of the few states with a general business license, and it comes from a different agency than the one that just formed your LLC.
Forming the LLC registers it with the Secretary of State. It does not register it with Revenue. Two agencies, two filings. Revenue wants a Business License Application in five common cases. You will gross $12,000 a year or more. You trade under any name but your own legal one. You plan to hire inside 90 days. You sell something that carries sales tax. Or your trade needs a city, county or state endorsement. Most new LLCs tick one on day one.
What the application costs
- $50 to open the first location of a new business, and the fee is not refundable.
- $0 to add another location to the same UBI later.
- $5 processing at each annual renewal, on top of your endorsement fees.
- A separate fee for every city, county or state endorsement your trade needs.
Apply online through My DOR and allow about 10 business days. By post it can take six weeks. City and state endorsements add two to three weeks on top of either route. Run the Business Licensing Wizard first. It names the endorsements your trade needs, so you file once rather than twice.
Apply at the Department of Revenue →State Specific
The order matters. Revenue will not touch your business license until the Certificate of Formation is on file with the Secretary of State.
Create an Operating Agreement for Your LLC
An operating agreement spells out how your LLC is owned, managed, and run. Washington doesn't require one, but every LLC should have one.
Washington does not require an operating agreement. Banks, investors and courts all look for one anyway. It is an internal document and you never file it with the state. It sets out who owns what, how profit is split, who decides, and what happens when a member leaves. Skip it and the state's default statutes decide all of that for you. Those defaults rarely match what the members actually wanted.
Key Sections to Include
Pro Tip
Single member LLCs need one too. It hardens the line between you and the company, which is the reason the LLC exists in the first place.
Open a Business Bank Account for Your Washington LLC
A separate business bank account protects your personal liability shield and makes bookkeeping far simpler from day one.
Mixing personal and business money is the fastest way to lose the protection you just paid for. A court can pierce the corporate veil if the LLC looks like a personal account wearing a company name. Open the business account as soon as the EIN arrives. Run everything through it.
What to Bring to the Bank
- Your filed Certificate of Formation (approved copy from the Secretary of State).
- Your EIN confirmation letter from the IRS.
- Your operating agreement.
- A valid government-issued photo ID.
- Your UBI number issued by Washington State.
Federal BOI Reporting
No. FinCEN exempted every company formed in the United States from beneficial ownership reporting in an interim final rule published 26 March 2025 and applied from 21 March 2025, then made that exemption permanent in a final rule published 11 August 2026 and effective 14 August 2026. Only entities formed under foreign law and registered to do business in a US state still report.
Top 3 LLC Formation Services
We've independently reviewed the top LLC formation services in Washington State. Here's how they compare.
| Feature | Northwest Registered Agent Best Overall | ZenBusiness Best for LLC Formation | Tailor Brands Best for Branding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $39 + state fees | $0 + state fees | $0 + state fees |
| Formation Speed | Same-day filing | 7-10 days, 1 day on Pro | 2-14 business days |
| Support | Lifetime Corporate Guides | Phone, Chat, Email | Phone, Chat, Email |
| States Covered | 50 states | 50 states | 50 states |
| In Business Since | 1998 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Get Started → | Get Started → | Get Started → |
Frequently Asked Questions
What to Do Next
Once your Washington State LLC is approved, take these steps to set your business up for success.
Get an EIN
Apply for free in about 10 minutes at IRS.gov, required before opening a bank account or hiring anyone.
Get Your State Business License
A separate filing from the one that formed the LLC. $50 to open your first location, and most new businesses owe it within days.
Open a Business Bank Account
Keep personal and business finances separate from day one. Bring your EIN, Articles of Organization, and a government ID.
Create an Operating Agreement
Even if Washington State does not require one, an operating agreement protects your liability shield and defines how the LLC is managed.
File Your Annual Report
Set a calendar reminder now. Missing your Annual Report deadline can result in late fees or administrative dissolution.
Ready To File?
Start your Washington State LLC with Northwest Registered Agent. $39 + state fee includes registered agent, business address, domain, and more.
About the Author
Legal & Compliance Analyst
Daniel grew up in the shadow of Silicon Valley but chose the legal route over engineering, working as a paralegal for a corporate law firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions. He realized that early-stage founders were constantly making catastrophic legal mistakes because they couldn't afford a $500/hour attorney, prompting his move to B2B media.
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