How to Start an LLC in Washington

To start an LLC in Washington state, you’ll need to choose a business name, pick a registered agent, and file paperwork called a Certificate of Formation with the Washington Secretary of State’s office for $200. After that, you’ll have to take a few more organizational steps to prepare your LLC to do business.

Create a Washington LLC in 6 Steps:

1. Name Your Washington LLC
2. Choose a Registered Agent
3. File Certificate of Formation
4. Complete Licensing and Filing Requirements
5. Set up Business Operations
6. File BOI Report

Step 1: Name Your Washington LLC

First, you’ll need to think of a name for your Washington LLC.

The Washington Secretary of State has a few requirements for selecting a name:

• It must include “Limited Liability Company,” “Limited Liability Co.”, “LLC,” or “L.L.C.”
• It must be different from business names already registered in Washington. To check a name’s availability in Washington, check Washington’s Corporation Search tool.
• It cannot contain words used to name a government agency (State Department, Treasury, FBI, CIA).
• Extra paperwork is needed to use restricted words related to specialized professions (lawyer, attorney, bank, etc).

You can reserve a name for up to 180 days before forming your LLC using the Washington Name Reservation form. This is not required, but can be a good resource if you want to secure your business name early. Filing is $30 and the form can be submitted through mail.

Check Online Availability

It’s also a good idea to make sure your desired name (or one that complements it) is available as a domain name. This isn’t a legal requirement, but it’ll help you protect your brand in the future, when you’re ready for an online presence.

Step 2: Choose a Registered Agent

Washington state requires all LLCs to have a registered agent. A registered agent is someone who accepts and forwards legal mail like service of process or tax forms. The registered agent can be commercial (a business which specializes in RA services) or noncommercial (anyone else). You will need signed consent from your registered agent either way.

Your Washington registered agent must:

• have a physical address in Washington
• be available during regular business hours
• agree to accept and forward legal notifications to your business

It’s important to note that any information you list on this form will become part of the public record, easily searchable online. We recommend minimizing the use of personal information (like home addresses).

Can I be my own registered agent for my Washington LLC?

Yes. If you reside in Washington and are willing to list your address on the public record, you can be your own registered agent. But there are a few drawbacks to doing so. For one, you’ll need to commit to being regularly available at your residence to accept legal mail in person. You’ll also risk being served a lawsuit in front of customers and clients. And lastly, if you ever move, you’ll have to pay to update your address with the Washington Secretary of State’s office. Hiring a professional registered agent affords more privacy and freedom.

Step 3: File Certificate of Formation

The Washington Certificate of Formation can be filed through mail or in person for a fee of $180 or online for $200.

There are 8 main sections on this form:

• UBI: If you have a Unified Business Identifier (UBI), you can provide it here. If you don’t have one, then you will get one for your business after successfully filing your Certificate of Formation.
• Business Entity Name: This is where you will put the name of your LLC. If you reserved the name, then you will also add your reservation number here.
• Period of Duration: Unless you plan to dissolve your company at a planned date, you should select the option for perpetual duration.
• Effective Date: You can specify the date you would like your formation to become effective, or you can default to the date of filing.
• Registered Agent: There are different requirements for the two types of registered agents. For commercial registered agents, all you need is the name of the business you hired. For Noncommercial, you need the name of the individual, business, or business position acting as registered agent, their physical street address, and contact information. Finally you’ll need their signature.
• Principle Office: This is the office where your business records are kept. This must also be a street address—a P.O. Box will not work. If you hired a commercial registered agent, you can put their address here. You can also add an optional mailing address.
• Address for This Filing (optional): If you would like a copy of the Certificate of Formation sent to an address in addition to the copy sent to your registered agent’s address, you can request that here.
• Executor Information: An authorized sign your name here to certify the Certification of Formation. This section also asks for an address which can be substituted for your Washington registered agent’s address.

Step 4: Complete Licensing and Filing Requirements

Get a Business License

All LLCs operating in Washington state need a state-wide business license. You can also use the Business Licensing Wizard to figure out the kinds of licensing your business will need.

You may also need other business licenses depending on your county, city, and area of business. Businesses that deal with specialized services like architecture, liquor, tobacco, etc, tend to need a professional license. You can check the requirements at the Washington Department of Revenue website.

File Your Initial Report

Your LLC’s Washington Initial Report is due within the first 120 after it’s Articles of Organization are filed. The initial report asks for mostly the same information as the Articles of Organization, but adds a section for your Unified Business Number (UBI), which you receive when your Articles of Organization are filed.

The Initial Report costs $10 to file, and can be delivered to the Washington Secretary of State by mail, fax, in person, or online. When you hire us to act as your registered agent, we’ll take care of this filing for you at no additional cost.

Step 5: Set Up Business Operations

After your business is formed and licensed, you’ll need to set up a few things for your business to run properly.

Draft an Operating Agreement: LLCs are not legally required to create an operating agreement, but we recommend it. It serves as a contract that defines how you make important decisions and settle disputes within your company. Without an operating agreement in place, your LLC defaults to Washington’s state statutes, which may not work best for your business.

Get an EIN: An EIN is a federal tax identification number assigned by the IRS. It essentially functions like a social security number for your business. This is what you’ll need when you set up a bank account for your business and hire employees.

Set up business bank account: It’s important to keep your personal finances separate from your business. Set up your business bank account using your EIN to keep clean and orderly records and finances.

Step 6: File BOI Report

The final step for your fully registered Washington LLC is to file your Beneficial Ownership Information Report.

Most LLCs have to fill out this report—it asks for personal information about the owners of the reporting business so that the federal government can better prevent financial scams and fraud.

This form is not released to the public record, but the information contained within the report will be available to certain law enforcement agencies upon request.

You can fill out your BOI Report using FinCEN’s e’filing system or by hiring a third party like Registered Agents Inc to handle it for you.

When do I have to submit my BOI Report?

If you started your business in 2024, you have 90 calendar days to file after receiving actual or public notice that your company creation or registration is effective.

If you start your business on or after January 1, 2025, you will have 30 calendar days to file after receiving actual or public notice that its creation or registration is effective.