How to pass Stripe verification with a Washington LLC
What Stripe asks for at signup, and which Washington LLC documents satisfy each requirement.
By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 4, 2026
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.
Stripe must verify your business under KYC/AML rules before it activates payouts. For a Washington LLC, Stripe collects the legal entity name as filed on your Certificate of Formation, the EIN, the business address, the representative's identity, and beneficial-owner details. Forming an LLC and getting an EIN is the standard 'Stripe Atlas alternative' path. You do the same steps Atlas automates, in Washington or in any other state you choose.
In Washington the entity behind that check is an LLC created by filing a Certificate of Formation, which costs $200. Washington publishes a turnaround of within 15 business days (paper). Because Washington names a member or manager on a routine public filing, the owner name Stripe asks you to confirm is already a matter of public record.
What Stripe requires, and how a Washington LLC meets each
| Requirement | How your Washington LLC satisfies it |
|---|---|
| Legal entity name | Use the exact LLC name as Washington recorded it on your Certificate of Formation; it must match your bank account holder name. |
| Employer Identification Number | Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool) — independent of Washington. |
| Business address | Use a US street address registered to the LLC in Washington (your Washington registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected. |
| Representative & owner identity | Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Washington filings. Washington names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records. |
| Payout bank account | Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your Washington Certificate of Formation. |
Washington-specific things to watch
- Washington names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so Stripe's beneficial-owner check will line up with public state records — you still upload a government ID for each owner. (Washington's report records the LLC's governors (members/managers) on the public record.)
- Washington issues a Certificate of Formation rather than "Articles of Organization." When Stripe asks for "formation documents," upload your Certificate of Formation.
- Budget for Washington's ongoing LLC costs before projecting your Stripe margins: Washington imposes the Business & Occupation (B&O) tax on gross receipts.
Washington sales tax & nexus rules for Stripe sellers
Washington charges a 6.5% state sales-tax rate. Payments through Stripe are not covered by marketplace-facilitator laws — you collect and remit yourself. Registration is required before your first taxable sale if you have physical presence in Washington (an in-state location, inventory, or employees), or once you cross Washington's remote-seller economic-nexus threshold of $100,000 in sales in the previous or current calendar year.
Washington has no transaction count threshold. Washington's combined state and local rates range from 7.5% to 10.4% depending on location — Seattle is at 10.25%. Washington broadly taxes digital products, streaming services, and SaaS. The state also has a Business & Occupation (B&O) tax on gross receipts which is separate from sales tax. Register through the Washington Department of Revenue.
Register for Washington sales tax directly with the state: dor.wa.gov/taxes-rates/sales-use-tax/remote-sales-washington.
How to verify your Washington LLC on Stripe
- Legal entity name. Use the exact LLC name as Washington recorded it on your Certificate of Formation; it must match your bank account holder name.
- Employer Identification Number. Provide your federal EIN (free from the IRS; non-US founders without an SSN must apply via Form SS-4 by fax or phone rather than the online tool) — independent of Washington.
- Business address. Use a US street address registered to the LLC in Washington (your Washington registered-agent or virtual business address), since a PO box is usually rejected.
- Representative & owner identity. Provide a government ID for each beneficial owner named in your Washington filings. Washington names a member or manager on a routine public filing, so at least one name already matches state records.
- Payout bank account. Link a US business bank account opened with your EIN and your Washington Certificate of Formation.
Non-US founders with Washington LLCs
Non-US founders commonly form a US LLC in Washington, obtain an EIN (no SSN required, via Form SS-4), open a US-capable business bank account, and then onboard to Stripe as a US business, the manual equivalent of Stripe Atlas. A US ITIN or SSN is not required to get the Washington LLC an EIN. The representative must still complete Stripe's identity verification: Stripe will request the last 4 digits of the representative's SSN, and if automated verification fails it falls back to the full SSN or a government-issued ID scan. A non-US representative of a Washington LLC should expect to provide that ID scan.