Washington LLC vs North Carolina LLC (2026)
Written for owners based in Washington.
Verdict: for most owners, form where the business is based
North Carolina's $200 annual report costs more each year than the $125 it took to form the company, and nearly three times what Washington's $70 report costs. Year one is $325 against $270 and five years $1,125 against $550. Paying that report online by credit card makes it $203. The Secretary of State posts 15 to 20 business days for entity creation, against the 15 business days Washington publishes for a paper filing. A North Carolina LLC operating from Washington pays $200 to register here, on top of that annual $200.
Based in North Carolina? Read North Carolina LLC vs Washington LLC →
Compare Washington LLC vs North Carolina 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: October 5, 2026
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| Factor | Washington | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Filing Fee | $180 by mail, $200 online ($20 online surcharge) | $125 |
| Processing Time | Within 15 business days (paper) | 15 to 20 business days |
| Annual Report Fee | $70 | $200 |
| Annual Report Due | Last day of anniversary month | April 15 |
| State Income Tax | None through 2027; 9.90% above $1M from 2028 | Yes |
| Anonymous LLC | No | No |
| Publication Requirement | No | No |
| Foreign LLC Cost (if forming out-of-state) | N/A, you're in your home state | $180 + registered agent ~$150/yr |
Full fee breakdown for either state: Washington LLC cost and North Carolina LLC cost. Owner privacy options for either state: Washington anonymous LLC guide and North Carolina anonymous LLC guide.
Business Climate: Washington vs North Carolina
| Factor | Washington | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 5-year business survival rate | 42.2% (#51 of 51) | 54.2% (#10 of 51) |
| Business application growth (2026 YTD (Jan to Jul) vs 2025 YTD (same months)) | -25.5% YoY (#15 of 51 by volume) | +14.7% YoY (#6 of 51 by volume) |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics · U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (BFS)
Compare LLC Costs: Washington vs North Carolina
Washington
North Carolina
A figure shown as "from" is the least the state can charge, not a price. Tennessee's report is $300 for up to six members and $50 for each member above six, its franchise tax is the greater of $100 or 0.25% of Tennessee net worth, Wyoming's report is the greater of $60 or $.0002 per dollar of in-state assets, Kentucky's entity tax is $175 up to $3 million of gross receipts and graduated above it, and New York's annual filing fee is graduated on New York source gross income. A total that contains one of those is shown as "from" for the same reason. 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 the state publishes a rate for it, and any one-time registration charge a state requires before the LLC may trade. Two exclusions follow from that wording. Arizona and Nebraska require publication and publish no rate, so no newspaper cost is carried for either and their totals are not the whole cost. Alaska's $50 annual state business licence is a separate charge from the Secretary of State fees and is not carried here either. 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. 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
Washington charges $200 to form an LLC, while North Carolina charges $125. North Carolina is $75 cheaper upfront. The cost that usually gets overlooked: if you form in North Carolina but operate in Washington, you must also register as a foreign LLC in Washington (a $180 minimum filing) and maintain a registered agent in North Carolina (typically around $150 per year). That puts the realistic first-year cost of the North Carolina route at roughly $455, versus $200 for simply forming in Washington. Both states publish a standard turnaround, Washington (within 15 business days, paper) and North Carolina (15 to 20 business days), though a published figure is a norm, not a guarantee.
Taxes: Washington vs North Carolina
Washington has no personal income tax through 2027 (from 2028 it taxes individuals at 9.90% on income above a $1,000,000 standard deduction), while North Carolina taxes individual income. Since pass-through LLC profits are taxed where you live and operate, a Washington-based owner gets the same Washington income-tax treatment either way. Forming in North Carolina adds no tax advantage. Washington imposes the Business & Occupation (B&O) tax on gross receipts.
Privacy & Asset Protection
Neither Washington nor North Carolina offers anonymous LLC formation: both states require owner or manager information on public filings. North Carolina's annual report and foreign application provide manager/member information, public records. Business owners who prioritize privacy typically form a holding company in a state like Wyoming or New Mexico instead. 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.
Annual Maintenance Costs
Washington LLCs file an annual report ($70, due in the anniversary month), and North Carolina LLCs file an annual report ($200, due April 15). If you form in North Carolina while operating in Washington, you maintain filings in both states, North Carolina's report plus Washington's equivalent for your foreign registration, and pay a North Carolina registered agent roughly $150 per year. Counting report fees, the agent and any entity-level tax, that brings the North Carolina route to roughly $420 a year, versus about $70 to keep a domestic Washington LLC in good standing. The tax inside those totals: Washington imposes the Business & Occupation (B&O) tax on gross receipts.
When North Carolina Actually Makes Sense
Forming in North Carolina makes sense in a few specific situations: your business genuinely operates in North Carolina, with a real office, employees, or property there, or you're relocating to North Carolina in the near future and accept taking on North Carolina's personal income tax, which Washington doesn't levy through 2027 (from 2028 it taxes individuals at 9.90% on income above a $1,000,000 standard deduction). For a typical small business based in Washington, none of these usually apply. Registering a North Carolina LLC to do business back home means at least $180 in Washington foreign-registration fees, on top of North Carolina's $125 formation fee, while Washington's own annual report runs $70 a year and is due in the anniversary month. When in doubt, form where you actually do business.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.
- sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/business-entities/limited-liability-company-llc-professional-llc-pllc-filing-resource-pageWashington Secretary of State: business entity filings
- sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/fee-scheduleexpedited-serviceWashington LLC filing fees
- sosnc.gov/divisions/business_registrationNorth Carolina Secretary of State: business entity filings
- sosnc.gov/fees/by_title/_Business_Registration_limited_liability_companiesNorth Carolina LLC filing fees
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.