Washington LLC formation includes a Certificate of Formation and an Initial Report. The annual report is a later, recurring filing.
This guide covers forming a new Washington LLC. If your LLC already exists in another state or country, use the foreign-registration process instead.
Washington LLC at a glance
- Official filing website
- Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division
- Business name check
- Search business namesA name search does not reserve or approve the name.
- Formation document
- Certificate of Formation
- State filing fee
- $180The published base original-filing fee is $180. Check the selected online or priority-service route for additional charges.
- Processing time
- Online5 business daysPaper3-4 weeks; add mail transitPublished guide estimate. Published guide estimate for a complete filing; not a state guarantee. Check the filing office before setting a deadline.
- Ongoing report or tax
- Annual Report
- Report / renewal charge
- $70The current fee schedule lists $95 for an annual report with the delinquency fee.
- Frequency / due date
- Annually, by the expiration date shown on the business record
- Sales tax base rate
- 6.5%Local rates may apply. July 1, 2026 snapshot; not an address-specific rate. General rate for ordinary taxable sales; exemptions, special products and local rules can change the result.Official tax agency ↗
- Names in formation records
- Conditional or optional listingReview the certificate and initial-report portions together. The initial report identifies governing people; filing the certificate alone is not the full first-year disclosure picture. Other filings and private bank/tax records may identify owners.
Before you file in Washington
Gather the LLC name, agent’s consent and principal office. Identify the executor who will sign and the initial governors who will run the company. Use an existing UBI only if it belongs to this business.
File the Certificate of Formation
- Start a domestic Washington LLC in CCFS. Decide whether to include the Initial Report or defer it.
- Complete the company, agent and executor sections. If including the Initial Report, add the governors and other information it requests.
- Sign, pay and save the accepted documents and UBI/entity details.
What to enter in the form
- UBI
- The Unified Business Identifier (UBI) is Washington’s business number, not the federal EIN. Use an existing UBI only if it belongs to this same business.
- Executor
- The executor signs the formation filing.
- Governors
- Governors are people with authority to manage the LLC, such as members or managers. The Initial Report requires their details, even if someone else signs as executor.
- Agent consent
- Get consent before naming the Washington agent and registered office.
After approval in Washington
- If you deferred the Initial Report, file it within the state’s 120-day period.
- Complete the separate Washington business-license/tax-registration application and any required endorsements.
Annual Report
- Find the LLC in CCFS and open the annual report due for its recorded expiration date.
- Confirm or update the agent, principal office, governors and nature of business. Sign the report.
- Submit the report payment and save acceptance.
Compare the filing cycles in our annual report and recurring-fee table.
Next steps: operating agreement · get an EIN · starting checklist.
Sources and filing links
Sources checked . Confirm the state’s current fees and instructions before filing.
- Washington Secretary of State: Fee Schedule and Expedited Service
- Washington Secretary of State: Annual Reports
- Washington Secretary of State: LLC and PLLC filing resources
Research and walkthrough references
These references provide background and filing walkthroughs. Follow current state instructions if an older walkthrough differs.
See our editorial policy for the research process and contact page for correction information.