Washington LLC Annual Report Late Fees: What You Need to Know
Your Washington LLC annual report is due during your anniversary month. Missing the deadline triggers penalties and could lead to administrative dissolution. Here's how to stay compliant or fix a late filing.
Washington LLC annual reports are due Last day of anniversary month. Missing the deadline adds a $25 delinquency fee after the anniversary month deadline ($95 total) late fee with a None, late fees apply immediately after the anniversary month deadline grace period. See details below.
How to cure a late Washington annual report, and what the state charges for missing it. Source: Washington Secretary of State.
Ready to file your annual report?
Go directly to the Washington Secretary of State portal.
$25 delinquency fee after the anniversary month deadline ($95 total)
⏱
grace period
None, late fees apply immediately after the anniversary month deadline
🚨
dissolution timeline
Administrative dissolution begins approximately 60 days after the anniversary month if report remains unfiled
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Stage 1
After the anniversary-month deadline
A delinquent annual report costs $95 rather than $70: the $70 report fee plus a $25 delinquent fee under WAC 434-112-085(7)(p),(r).
✓ Fix:Yes. File the overdue annual report and pay $95.
Stage 2
60 days after service of notice
Missing the expiration date puts the LLC in delinquent status. The Secretary of State serves notice, and if the entity does not cure within 60 days of service it is administratively dissolved.
✓ Fix:Yes. Cure within the 60 days stated in the notice.
How to Fix It: Step-by-Step
1
File the Overdue Annual Report
Log into the Washington Secretary of State's online portal at sos.wa.gov and complete your annual report. You'll need to pay the $70 base fee plus $25 late penalty for a total of $95.
2
Pay All Required Fees
Submit payment for the total amount due: $70 (annual report fee) + $25 (late penalty). Payment can be made online via credit card or ACH transfer through the Secretary of State portal.
3
Request Reinstatement if Dissolved
If your LLC has been administratively dissolved, file an Application for Reinstatement with the Washington Secretary of State along with additional reinstatement fees and any other required documentation.
4
Verify Good Standing Status
After processing, request a Certificate of Good Standing from the Washington Secretary of State to confirm your LLC is compliant and in good standing for business operations.
🚨 Reinstatement After Dissolution
Reinstatement Possible?
Yes
How Long Allowed
Generally up to 5 years after administrative dissolution in Washington
Reinstatement Fee
Contact Washington Secretary of State for current reinstatement fees, which are separate from the annual report late fees
What You Lose During Dissolution
Good standing, and with it the certificate of good standing that banks, lenders and licensing bodies ask for. The LLC continues to exist for winding up, so this does not by itself void the liability shield, but the company cannot carry on ordinary business and its name protection is at risk until it is reinstated.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state publishes about filing deadlines, fees, and the consequences of missing them, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own company owes: the date turns on when and where you formed, states change these rules between our reviews, and in several states an entity-level tax falls due in a year when no report does. Confirm your own dates with the filing office named on this page before you rely on one here, because the penalty for missing a deadline can be administrative dissolution of the company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Washington's delinquency fee for an LLC annual report is $25, charged on top of the standard $70 filing fee, totaling $95 for delinquent submissions. This penalty applies when you file after the deadline, which falls on the last day of the month in which your LLC was formed. The Washington Secretary of State's Business Services Division assesses this fee automatically when processing late reports submitted to their office. Failing to pay the late fee doesn't eliminate the penalty. It simply delays compliance. For LLC owners, this means a single month's delay costs an extra $25 beyond your regular annual obligation. More critically, unpaid late filings can trigger administrative dissolution, jeopardizing your liability protection and business standing. To avoid this penalty, submit your annual report through the Secretary of State's online filing portal before your deadline. If you've already missed the deadline, file immediately with the $95 payment to restore your account's good standing status.
First-year filers: a separate Initial Report is due within 120 days of the effective date of the Certificate of Formation, free if submitted with the formation filing and $10 if deferred. The first Annual Report is then due by the last day of the formation month in the following year.
Yes, Washington allows LLC reinstatement up to 5 years after administrative dissolution through the Washington Secretary of State. File an Application for Reinstatement with the Secretary of State, paying the reinstatement fee plus any outstanding annual report fees and penalties accumulated during the dissolution period. If your LLC was dissolved for failing to file your annual report, you must also file the overdue report before reinstatement. The reinstatement becomes effective upon Secretary of State approval, typically within 5 to 7 business days. This matters because your LLC's liability protection and legal standing remain suspended until reinstatement is complete. You can't legally conduct business or enforce contracts during this gap. After reinstatement, ensure timely filing of future annual reports by the last day of your LLC's anniversary month to avoid re-dissolution. Submit your reinstatement application immediately to the Secretary of State's office to restore your company's active status.
Yes, filing your Washington LLC annual report late directly threatens your liability protection. When your LLC fails to file its annual report by the last day of its anniversary month with the Washington Secretary of State, you lose good standing status. Under RCW 23.95.610 the Secretary of State serves notice first, and the LLC is administratively dissolved only if it fails to cure within 60 days of that service. This means you could be personally liable for business debts and judgments, defeating the entire purpose of forming an LLC. Your liability protection is only restored after you file the overdue annual report and pay the $70 filing fee plus the $25 delinquency fee to the Secretary of State's Corporations Division. If your LLC was dissolved, you must also pay a reinstatement fee. To protect yourself immediately, file your overdue report today and request confirmation of restored good standing status.
Visit the Washington Secretary of State website at sos.wa.gov and use the Business Search tool to check your LLC's current status instantly. For legal or transactional purposes, such as opening a bank account or securing financing. Request an official Certificate of Good Standing directly from the Secretary of State's Division of Corporations. This certificate typically arrives within 5 to 10 business days. Your LLC maintains good standing only if your annual report was filed by the last day of your anniversary month and all fees were paid. If your LLC appears delinquent, you'll face reinstatement fees and potential business disruptions. To verify your exact status and identify any outstanding requirements, call the Division of Corporations at (360) 725-0377 during business hours, or submit your search request through the online portal immediately.
No, the $25 delinquency fee can't be negotiated or waived with the Washington Secretary of State's Corporations Division. This penalty is set by administrative rule (WAC 434-112-085) and applies automatically when your LLC fails to file its annual report by the last day of its anniversary month. The fee is non-discretionary. The Secretary of State has no authority to reduce or eliminate it, regardless of circumstances. You must pay the full $25 delinquency fee in addition to the standard $70 annual report filing fee (totaling $95) to restore your LLC to active status. Failure to pay results in administrative dissolution, which jeopardizes your liability protection and can cost you exclusive rights to your business name. File your overdue annual report immediately through the Secretary of State's online portal or by mail to the Corporations Division in Olympia. Include both the $70 report fee and $25 penalty to regain good standing without further complications.
Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Washington 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.
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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.
