How to Start an LLC in Washington

A Washington State LLC is one of the most simple, cost-effective, and quick business structures to form. Even so, navigating the formation process can seem daunting without clear guidance and an actionable plan.

In this How to Start an LLC in Washington State guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know to form your LLC, from the steps you’ll need to take to get started to maintaining your structure.

LLC Washington State

In order to form an LLC in Washington State, you’ll need to complete the following steps:

1. Name Your Washington State LLC
2. Pick a Washington State Registered Agent
3. Submit the Certificate of Formation
4. Create a Washington State LLC Operating Agreement
5. Get an EIN
6. File Your BOI Report

In the sections below, we’ve broken down each of these steps in more detail.

Step 1: Name Your Washington State LLC

The first thing you’ll need to do before getting started is picking the right name for your LLC. This is important because your business’s name will need to represent your brand accurately, as well as be as memorable as possible.

In Washington State, all LLC names need to abide by the following statutory guidelines in order to be accepted by the Secretary of State:

• Must contain the phrase “limited liability company” or any commonly accepted abbreviation of this, such as “limited liability Co.”, “L.L.C.”, or “LLC”
• Must not include the terms “cooperative”, “corporation”, “incorporated”, “partnership”, or any abbreviations of these like “Corp.”, “Ltd.”, “Inc.”, “L.L.L.P.”, “L.L.P.”, or “L.P.”
• If a professional LLC, the name must include the term “professional limited liability company”, “professional limited liability Co.” or an abbreviation such as “P.L.L.C.” or “PLLC.”
• If the PLLC provides dental services, its name must include the full names or surnames of all members and terms like “chartered” or “professional services”
• Most words relating to financial institutions, such as “bank”, “banker”, “banking”, “trust”, or any other combination of similar words, are prohibited from being included in entity names
• No words that could lead to confusion between a business and a branch of government can be included in the entity’s name (e.g., “State Department”, “FBI”, or “Treasury”)

You can find all of these requirements for LLC names covered in much greater detail under RCW § 23.95.305.

Keep in mind that even though picking an LLC name in itself has no cost, there are certain fees that can be associated with the overall process.

Reserve an LLC Name

If you’re not yet ready to launch your business and still need a little more time, you can choose to reserve your desired LLC name for later by submitting a Name Reservation Form with the Washington Secretary of State. This costs $30 to file, though expedited filing can be requested for an additional $100.

Either way, this will keep anyone from being able to take the name you plan to use for 180 days, according to RCW § 23.95.310.

When filling out this reservation form, you’re required to use dark ink only. Once completed, be sure to file this form, along with either a check or money order, to the following address:

PO Box 40234
Olympia, WA 98504-0234

All checks/money orders must be made payable to the Secretary of State and cannot be dated prior to the date they were received.

Name reservations in Washington cannot be renewed as the idea behind them is that they’ll lead to the business entity registering with the Secretary of State (and not just continually renewing its name reservation).

Note: In order to approve a name reservation, the Secretary of State must first confirm that it’s available. You can check this in advance by performing an Advanced Business Search on the Corporations and Charities Filing System.

Register a Trade Name

Another potential cost associated with naming your LLC is a “doing business as” (or DBA) name — known as a trade name in Washington State. This is essentially a nickname that you can choose to register for your business to operate under — particularly if you’re not content with your LLC’s legal name.

Registering a DBA name can be done by filing a Business License Application with the Secretary of State using MyDOR ($5 for each trade name), according to RCW § 19.80.10.

You’re able to register an unlimited number of trade names for your business, all of which will last indefinitely until you cancel them.

Note: Trade names don’t give you exclusive rights to the use of the name you register — meaning you’re not protected from it being used by others. If you’re interested in this, you may want to obtain a trademark from the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Buy a Domain Name

Finally, you’ll want to focus on securing a good domain name (which is your website’s URL address) for your business. For this, try to focus on choosing one that’s easy for customers to remember, relevant to your business, and accurately reflects your brand.

After confirming the domain name you want to use is actually available, you can purchase it through a trusted registrar.

Step 2: Pick a Registered Agent

The next step you’ll need to take toward forming your LLC is to pick a registered agent, which is a legal requirement in Washington State in accordance with RCW § 23.95.415.

This is an individual or business entity that accepts legal correspondence on behalf of your business, such as service of process, notice of lawsuits, and official government communications; you’re required to continuously maintain one as long as your LLC is active.

Your registered agent can be an individual or business entity, but will need to satisfy the following requirements:

• Must have a physical registered office address within Washington State (this cannot be a PO Box)
• Must consent to their appointment to this role by delivering a notice to the Secretary of State

Keep in mind that you can choose to act as your own registered agent if you’re looking to save money, though we don’t typically recommend this as you’re much more likely to suffer fines and penalties due to non-compliance than if you just hire a professional service.

On top of this, you’ll lose any anonymity your LLC would have given you since your name, address, and contact information will be publicly available.

Note: To have a look at some of our other top recommendations, you can also check out our Best Registered Agent Service of 2024 guide.

Step 3: Submit Your Certificate of Formation

In Washington State, the Certificate of Formation is the filing document that you’ll need to submit with the Secretary of State in order to officially register your LLC (this is also referred to as the Articles of Organization in other states).

Both domestic and foreign entities filing for an LLC in Washington State are required to pay the same processing fees of $180 for mail submissions and $200 for online submissions.

Make sure to have all of the following pieces of information on-hand before starting to fill out your Washington LLC Certificate of Formation:

• The legal name of your LLC
• The name reservation number (if applicable)
• The duration of your LLC
• The date that your Certificate of Formation will become effective
• The type of registered agent you’ll be using (i.e., commercial or non-commercial)
• Your registered agent’s name and address
• The main office location of your LLC
• The address to which this filing should be returned
• The executor’s name, address, and signature

There are two main ways by which you can file this document with the Washington State Secretary of State: online, or by mail.

Online Filings

Despite being slightly more expensive ($20), we almost always recommend our readers to file their LLC formation documents online using the Washington Corporations and Charities Filing System as it’s far quicker and more convenient.

Mail Filings

However, if you prefer, you’re also able to submit these documents using one of the following paper applications:

• Domestic Entities: Certificate of Formation
• Foreign Entities: Foreign Registration Statement

Once you’ve printed out and completed the relevant form for your business entity type, you’ll need to submit it to the following address alongside a check/money order:

Secretary of State
Corporations Division
P.O. Box 40234

Alternatively, these documents can be delivered in-person at the following address:

Secretary of State
Corporations Division
801 Capitol Way S
Olympia, WA 98501

Note: Newly formed LLCs are expected to submit an Initial Report to the Corporations and Charities Divisions within 120 days of being registered ($10 fee). However, if submitted alongside your LLC formation documents, this report can be filed at no extra cost.

Step 4: Create a Washington State LLC Operating Agreement

Once this is completed, the next step you’ll need to take is to create a Washington LLC operating agreement.

This is an internal document that clearly outlines the ownership and management structure of your company in order to reduce potential future conflict.

While this document isn’t legally mandated in Washington State, all LLCs are recommended to have one as it can help maintain both: smooth operations and your LLC’s corporate veil.

A number of companies provide drafting services for operating agreements online, typically for a fee of around a few hundred dollars. However, it’s quite easy to sort this out by yourself if you want to save money, and you can even find a number of free templates online to help with this.

Step 5: Get an EIN

Even though it’s not a legal requirement (unless your LLC has employees or multiple members), all Washington State LLCs should apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN).

This is a free, nine-digit number used by the IRS to identify your business and keep track of its tax reporting — much like a Social Security Number (SSN) for individuals.

You’ll need an EIN to be able to:

• Hire employees
• Open a business bank account
• Apply for some business licenses/permits
• Establish a line of credit

On top of this, using an EIN instead of a Social Security Number (SSN) helps to protect your personal information and safeguard your anonymity as the business owner of your LLC.

You can quickly apply for an EIN for your LLC online through the IRS website. You’re also able to submit a paper application using Form SS-4 either via fax to (855) 641-6935, or by mailing it to the following address:

Internal Revenue Service
Attn: EIN Operation
Cincinnati, OH 45999

Note: Don’t worry if you don’t already have an SSN, it’s not necessary to have one in order to apply for an EIN — instead, you can just leave Section 7b of the application blank and call the IRS on (267) 941-1099.

Step 6: File a BOI Report

Starting January 2024, the vast majority of LLC owners will be required to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report with the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

This is part of an initiative by the U.S. government to stop individuals and entities engaging in illegal or unethical activities from being able to conceal this using “opaque ownership structures”, like shell companies, to hide their true identities.

Existing LLCs will be able to file this report anytime between January 1, 2024, and January 1, 2025, while new LLCs will have up to 90 days after the date they were initially formed to do so (30 days for LLCs formed after the start of 2025).

Keep in mind that failure to file your LLC’s BOI report on time can result in exorbitantly high fines (i.e., $591 per day) or even jail time (up to two years).

Note: Not every LLC owner is required to file a BOI report. For example, companies with more than 20 full-time employees, accounting firms, and banks are exempt. For a full list of filing exemptions, you can have a look at FinCEN’s website.

How to Maintain Your Washington State LLC

In order to keep operating legally in the state of Washington State, there are a couple of things you’ll likely need to take care of each year, including:

• Getting a State Business License
• Submitting a Washington LLC Annual Report

Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to complete each of these steps, as we’ve detailed all the information you’ll need to know in the sections below.

Get a State Business License

While the exact requirements will depend on the specific location in which your business is located, almost all Washington State LLCs will need to obtain a state business license from the Department of Revenue (DOR) in order to operate legally.

You can apply for a business license for your LLC online using the MyDOR platform or by using the Business License Application paper form and submitting it via mail.

Regardless of the submission method you choose, it will cost you $50 to apply for this license.

If you decide to submit a paper application, you’ll need to send it to the following address:

Business Licensing Service
PO Box 9034
Olympia WA 98507-9034
(360) 705-6741

Be aware that online submissions are typically processed far more quickly, normally within 10 business days or less. By comparison, paper submissions may take as much as three weeks to be processed — even longer if you have any city, county, or state “endorsements”.

These are essentially additional permits that certain types of businesses will require for legal operation due to industry-specific regulations in Washington.

Note: Although the filing fee for this application is $50, your submission fee may end up being much greater depending on the number of extra “endorsements” you need to add — which range between $25 and $5000 in price.

Submit an Annual Report

All Washington State LLCs are required to submit an annual report to the Secretary of State that breaks down their essential information — including their legal name, current manager/member information, and current Washington registered agent name and address.

You won’t need to submit this report in your first year, as the initial report you’ll file within 120 days of formation will satisfy it.

Having said that, you’ll need to file an annual report every consequent year by the end of your LLC’s anniversary month (alongside a $70 filing fee) in order to keep your Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number active.

As an example, if your LLC was initially formed on October 23, it would be required to file an Annual Report by October 31 every subsequent year.

These reports can either be submitted online using the Washington Corporations and Charities Filing System or by mail within the 180 days prior to your deadline.

Note: A penalty fee of $25 is imposed on any late submissions.

Washington State vs Other States

When it comes to choosing a place to form a business, Washington State offers significant advantages for businesses.

One of its primary strengths lies in its highly educated and skilled workforce, which is supported by strong partnerships between academia and industry. This ensures a continuous supply of qualified professionals across various sectors, fostering a climate where businesses can tap into talent readily and drive innovation, as evidenced by the success of major corporations like Microsoft and Nordstrom.

Moreover, Washington’s commitment to renewable energy, particularly as a leader in hydroelectric power production, provides businesses with affordable and sustainable energy solutions. This not only supports environmentally conscious practices but also reduces operational costs, making it attractive for tech-centric industries aiming to minimize their carbon footprint while maintaining competitiveness.

However, while Washington excels in these areas, other states such as Delaware and Nevada offer distinct advantages like favorable tax structures and business-friendly regulations. States like these may appeal to businesses seeking simplicity in legal and regulatory compliance or looking to optimize financial efficiencies through advantageous tax frameworks.

Regardless, keep in mind that the best state to form your LLC is almost always the state that you will be operating in; this is because otherwise you’ll likely be required to register as a foreign LLC in your home state, meaning that you’ll need to pay registration and maintenance fees twice.

Washington Secretary of State Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Corporations & Charities Division
PO Box 40234
Olympia, WA 98504-0234

Physical Address:
801 Capitol Way S
Olympia, WA 98501-1226
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Contact Information:

Email: corps@sos.wa.gov
Phone: (360) 725-0377