State Guide · WA

Washington LLC Guide (2026)

Everything you need to form and maintain an LLC in Washington, state-specific fees, deadlines, and step-by-step instructions.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 25, 2026

This hub indexes all Washington LLC guides in one place, formation, compliance, registered agents, and business structure comparisons. Quick reference: state filing fee $200, standard processing Within 15 business days (paper), annual report due Last day of anniversary month. For the complete step-by-step formation walkthrough, see the Full Formation Guide below.

Key LLC facts for Washington: $270 minimum first-year cost, $70 each year after, an annual state report, and no personal income tax.
First-year cost is the unavoidable minimum to form and stay compliant; the second figure is what recurs annually. Source: Washington's published filing fee schedule, verified July 2026, with anonymity and income-tax status from MyStateLLC's 50-state datasets.
Filing fee$200#20 cheapest of 50 states
ProcessingWithin 15 business days (paper)#13 fastest of the 16 states that publish one
Annual reportLast day of anniversary month
Key Finding

73,246 new business applications were filed in Washington in the 2026 YTD (Jan to Jul) vs 2025 YTD (same months) window, down 25.5% year over year

Washington ranks #15 of 51 jurisdictions by application volume and #36 per capita. For scale, the state counted 202,177 active business establishments as of 2023 (Census County Business Patterns). This monthly BFS series is a leading indicator of formation activity, ahead of the Census's annual establishment counts.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (BFS), Jul 2026

Washington Small Business Landscape

Small businesses in Washington695,695 (99.5% of all Washington businesses)
Small business employment1,451,617 workers (48.7% of private-sector employment)

Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Small Business Profile

Washington Business Survival

5-year survival rate42.2% of new Washington businesses survive five years, #51 of 51 nationally

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics

See how Washington’s 5-year survival rate compares nationally in our full state-by-state ranking.

Enterprise LLCs Formed in Washington

Entity NameWhy They Chose Washington
Starbucks Reserve LLCWashington's home-state formation gives Seattle-headquartered Starbucks a consolidated structure for its premium roastery and licensing subsidiaries, Washington's no-personal-income-tax policy maximizes pass-through distributions for founders and key executives in its highest-margin business units.
Costco Wholesale Membership LLCWashington's home-state formation lets Issaquah-headquartered Costco consolidate its US membership program administration under a single Washington LLC, isolating membership fee revenue (its highest-margin income stream) from retail operations for cleaner financial reporting.

Why Washington attracts enterprise LLCs: Washington has no personal income tax and hosts Amazon Web Services (the world's largest cloud provider), making it the top Western formation state for cloud services, e-commerce, and direct-to-consumer LLCs. Its B&O (Business and Occupation) tax structure is predictable for technology and subscription revenue businesses.

Entity examples are illustrative and based on publicly available corporate registrations. Reasons reflect general state-level legal and tax advantages, not verified statements of each company's formation rationale. For educational purposes only; consult a licensed attorney before making formation decisions.

Check your business name

See if your domain and social handles are available before you file.

How Do You Start an LLC in Washington?

Filing in Washington costs $200 in state fees. Standard processing is within 15 business days (paper). You'll file Articles of Organization, appoint a registered agent, and complete any state-specific requirements before opening for business.

That is the filing fee alone. For the first-year and five-year totals, see Washington LLC cost.

Full Formation Guide for WashingtonExact forms, fees & filing instructions

What Are the Ongoing Requirements for a Washington LLC?

Washington LLCs must file an annual report due Last day of anniversary month and keep a registered agent on file year-round. Missing deadlines triggers late fees and risks administrative dissolution.

Full Compliance OverviewAnnual report, fees & deadlinesAnnual Report GuideDue dates, forms & filing steps

How Do You Register a Foreign LLC in Washington?

If your LLC was formed in another state (Delaware, Wyoming, etc.) but conducts business in Washington, you must register as a foreign LLC. This requires a separate filing fee and a registered agent in Washington.

Washington Foreign LLC Registration GuideForms, fees & registered agent requirements

Does a Washington LLC Need a Registered Agent?

Other Washington LLC Compliance & Tax Guides

How Does a Washington LLC Compare to Other Structures?

Washington LLC Operating Agreement Templates

Washington LLC Guides by Industry

How Do You Dissolve an LLC in Washington?

Does Washington Waive LLC Fees for Veterans?

What Does Moving a Rental Into an LLC Cost in Washington?

Do You Need an LLC to Sell on eBay in Washington?

How Does Washington Compare to Other States for LLC Formation?

Side-by-side breakdowns of filing fees, annual costs, taxes and privacy rules, each written for a business owner already operating in Washington.

Compare from a different home state →

More Washington LLC Resources

Best Bank AccountsBest business bank accounts for a Washington LLC →Grants & IncentivesSmall business grants & incentives in Washington →Anonymous LLCHow to form an anonymous LLC in Washington →
Edmond Hui

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.

Compare Washington with Other States

Alabama LLC guideFiling fee $200 · See costs and requirements →New York LLC guideFiling fee $200 · See costs and requirements →Maine LLC guideFiling fee $175 · See costs and requirements →How to form an LLCGeneral step-by-step formation guide →Annual report complianceDeadlines and fees for all 50 states →
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