Is it cheaper to form an LLC in Washington than Missouri?

No. Washington costs more upfront ($180 vs $50), and if you operate in Missouri you must also register there as a foreign LLC ($105) plus pay a Washington registered agent. Realistic first-year cost is roughly $435 versus $50 for forming locally.

Can I form my Missouri business in Washington?

Yes. Any Missouri business can form its LLC in Washington. But if the business operates in Missouri, it must also register there as a foreign LLC ($105 filing fee) and maintain a registered agent in Washington, so you take on two states' fees and filings instead of one.

Does Washington have better asset protection than Missouri?

Not meaningfully. Both states provide charging-order protection for LLC members, and neither offers a decisive asset-protection edge for a typical small business. Sound insurance and clean separation of business and personal finances matter more in practice.

State Comparison

Missouri LLC vs Washington LLC (2026)

Compare Missouri LLC vs Washington LLC on filing fees, taxes, privacy laws, and annual costs. Find out which state is actually better for your business.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 13, 2026

For most businesses, forming an LLC in Missouri beats Washington. Missouri runs $50 in year one and $0/yr after; Washington runs $270 and $70/yr. See the full breakdown below.

Verdict: Missouri wins for most businesses

For most Missouri-based businesses, forming locally in Missouri is the smarter choice. You avoid paying fees in two states and managing compliance in both. Washington only makes sense if your business genuinely operates there, and even then the total costs deserve a hard look.

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Factor	Missouri	Washington
Filing Fee	$50	$180
Processing Time	Usually instant (online)	Within 15 business days (paper)
Annual Report Fee	$0	$70
Annual Report Due	None required	Last day of anniversary month
State Income Tax	Yes	No
Anonymous LLC	Yes	No
Publication Requirement	No	No
Foreign LLC Cost (if forming out-of-state)	N/A, you're in your home state	$105 + registered agent ~$150/yr

Full fee breakdown for either state: Missouri LLC cost and Washington LLC cost.

Business Climate: Missouri vs Washington

Factor	Missouri	Washington
5-year business survival rate	42.9% (#49 of 51)	42.2% (#51 of 51)
Business application growth (2026 YTD (Jan to Jul) vs 2025 YTD (same months))	+24.6% YoY (#17 of 51 by volume)	-25.5% YoY (#15 of 51 by volume)

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics · U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (BFS)

See the full 50-state survival ranking.

Compare LLC Costs: Missouri vs Washington

State A

State B

Missouri

✓ Cheaper Upfront✓ Cheaper Long-Term

Formation fee$50

Annual report feeNo report required

State entity taxNone

Report dueNone required

Processing timeUsually instant (online)

Late penaltyN/A

Washington

Formation fee$200

Annual report fee$70

State entity taxNone

Report dueLast day of anniversary month

Processing timeWithin 15 business days (paper)

Late penalty$25

Total Cost

Missouri

Washington

1 Year

$50

$270

3 Years

$50

$410

5 Years

$50

$550

Will you operate outside your home state?

Costs include every mandatory state charge: the filing fee, the report fee (annualised where a state files biennially), any state entity-level tax shown in its own row above, a one-time publication cost where a state requires publication, and any one-time registration charge a state requires before the LLC may trade. Annualising makes the 1, 3 and 5 year rows a cost of ownership rather than a payment schedule: a biennial state charges its whole report fee in the years it falls due and nothing in between. Entity-level taxes that only apply after a corporate election, or above an owner or income threshold, are excluded and flagged on the state's own cost page. New York's publication cost is carried at a $250 floor, roughly $200 of newspaper cost in a low-cost county plus the $50 Certificate of Publication fee. No county-clerk-designated New York City newspaper publishes a rate card, so the four-figure NYC estimates in wide circulation cannot be traced to a primary source and are not asserted here; budget for materially more than the floor if you file in a NYC county. Montana's annual report is free when filed by April 15 and $35 after, a waiver the Secretary of State applies at its discretion. Every fee was verified against the state's own fee schedule, statute, or revenue authority on 29 July 2026. Excludes registered agent and legal fees. For informational purposes only, not legal or tax advice.

Filing Fees & Formation Costs

Missouri charges $50 to form an LLC, while Washington charges $180. Missouri is $130 cheaper upfront. The cost that usually gets overlooked: if you form in Washington but operate in Missouri, you must also register as a foreign LLC in Missouri (a $105 filing) and maintain a registered agent in Washington (typically around $150 per year). That puts the realistic first-year cost of the Washington route at roughly $435, versus $50 for simply forming in Missouri. Both states publish a turnaround, which is unusual, Missouri: Usually instant (online). Both states publish a turnaround, which is unusual, Missouri: Usually instant (online). Both states publish a turnaround, which is unusual, Missouri at usually instant (online), and Washington at within 15 business days (paper).

Taxes: Missouri vs Washington

Washington has no personal income tax while Missouri does, but forming your LLC in Washington won't change that. LLC profits pass through to you and are taxed where you live and operate (in Missouri), not where the LLC is registered, so a Washington LLC offers no income-tax savings for a Missouri-based business. Missouri levies a graduated individual income tax with a top rate of 4.7% for 2026, confirmed by the Department of Revenue's 2026 withholding tax formula. Washington imposes the Business & Occupation (B&O) tax on gross receipts.

Privacy & Asset Protection

Missouri, your home state, actually offers more formation privacy than Washington: Missouri allows anonymous LLC formation, while Washington requires owner or manager information on public filings. Washington's report records the LLC's governors (members/managers) on the public record. Both states provide charging-order protection for LLC members, and for most small businesses the practical difference in asset protection between the two is minimal. From a privacy standpoint there's no reason for a Missouri-based business to form in Washington.

Annual Maintenance Costs

Missouri LLCs file no annual report at all, and Washington LLCs file an annual report ($70, due in the anniversary month). If you form in Washington while operating in Missouri, you maintain filings in both states, Washington's report plus Missouri's equivalent for your foreign registration, and pay a Washington registered agent roughly $150 per year. That brings ongoing costs of the Washington route to roughly $220 per year, versus about $0 to keep a domestic Missouri LLC in good standing. One more recurring cost to budget for: Washington imposes the Business & Occupation (B&O) tax on gross receipts.

When Washington Actually Makes Sense

Forming in Washington makes sense in a few specific situations: your business genuinely operates in Washington, with a real office, employees, or property there, or you're relocating to Washington in the near future, which would also move you out of Missouri's personal income tax. For a typical small business based in Missouri, none of these usually apply. Registering a Washington LLC to do business back home means $105 in Missouri foreign-registration fees, on top of Washington's $200 formation fee, while Missouri itself never asks for an annual report at all. Missouri already allows anonymous formation, so the privacy argument for Washington doesn't apply to a Missouri-based owner. Trading Missouri's no-annual-report status for Washington's filing calendar is a step backwards for most owners. When in doubt, form where you actually do business.

Frequently Asked Questions

: No. Washington costs more upfront ($180 vs $50), and if you operate in Missouri you must also register there as a foreign LLC ($105) plus pay a Washington registered agent. Realistic first-year cost is roughly $435 versus $50 for forming locally.
: Yes. Any Missouri business can form its LLC in Washington. But if the business operates in Missouri, it must also register there as a foreign LLC ($105 filing fee) and maintain a registered agent in Washington, so you take on two states' fees and filings instead of one.
: Not meaningfully. Both states provide charging-order protection for LLC members, and neither offers a decisive asset-protection edge for a typical small business. Sound insurance and clean separation of business and personal finances matter more in practice.
: Missouri, for most. Forming where you operate keeps costs and compliance simple. Washington is worth considering only if you actually do business there or have investor requirements that point there.
: Both states publish a turnaround, which is unusual, Missouri at usually instant (online), and Washington at within 15 business days (paper). Only 19 of the 50 states publish anything about non-expedited turnaround at all. Whichever you pick, remember that forming in Washington while operating in Missouri means you're not fully set up until the Missouri foreign registration is also processed, so the out-of-state route is rarely the faster path end to end. If your timing is genuinely fixed, buy the state's expedite tier rather than relying on a standard turnaround.

Comparison chart of forming an LLC in Missouri versus Washington, contrasting filing fees, annual report cost and ongoing obligations across 8 factors. On balance this guide favours Missouri. — Missouri and Washington side by side on the factors that decide where to form. Source: MyStateLLC 50-state cost dataset, verified against each Secretary of State's published fee schedule, July 2026.

More State Comparisons

Missouri vs West Virginia →Missouri vs Wisconsin →Missouri vs Wyoming →Missouri vs Delaware →Washington vs Delaware →

Missouri LLC Guide →Washington LLC Guide →

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