Cheapest LLC formation in Washington

What does Washington charge to form an LLC?

Washington's Secretary of State sets these fees, and no provider can discount them. Package prices you see advertised are quoted before them.

The one fee every new Washington LLC pays is $180 for the Certificate of Formation. The fee table lists no separate online or paper price.

The Initial Report is the small fee that timing decides. It is used within 120 days of formation, and it is free if filed with the Certificate of Formation; filing it on its own costs $10. Sending both together removes that charge.²

Two more state fees are optional. A name reservation costs $30 for 180 days, and you only need it to hold a name before you're ready to file. An LLC formed elsewhere that registers here pays $180 for its Foreign Registration Statement, the same as a new Washington LLC.²

The fixed cost that keeps coming back is the Annual Report: $70 a year, due by the last day of the month in which the LLC was originally formed. Washington has no franchise tax, but most businesses owe the business and occupation (B&O) gross receipts tax to the Department of Revenue; that tax is outside this page's arithmetic.^{1, 5, 6}

What raises the cost of a Washington LLC?

Speed, the registered agent, late filings and the add-ons sold during checkout push the bill above the state fee. Each can be planned for before you file.

The price of speed

The Secretary of State publishes no standard processing time, only its paid tiers: expedited service at $100 per entity, generally within three working days, and same-day counter service at $150 per entity. Without a deadline such as a lease signing, the unexpedited route is the cheap one. A provider's rush upgrade can be a separate charge from the state's; InCorp, for one, lists its own fee with the state expedite fee extra.^{1, 7}

The registered agent

Washington requires every LLC to continuously maintain a registered agent (the appointment rules are in RCW 23.95.415), and a paid agent bills every year. You have three ways to cover it.⁸

1. Act as your own agent. The filing then lists a noncommercial registered agent (name and address), which is you, so your name and address go on the formation filing. The Washington registered agent guide explains who can serve.⁸
2. Take an agent bundled free for year one with a formation package, then decide whether to keep paying at renewal.
3. Buy agent service on its own at a published yearly price.

The state lists a switch on the Statement of Change/Designation of Agent as "No fee," so moving to a cheaper agent after the free year is mostly a matter of the old provider's terms. Put the new agent on file before cancelling the old one; how to change a registered agent has the steps.^{1, 9}

Missed and late filings

A late Annual Report adds a $25 delinquency fee once the LLC's status shows Delinquent, for $95 total. If the LLC is administratively dissolved, reinstating costs a $140 penalty plus all missed annual report fees, and the state says you must reinstate within 5 years of dissolution. Both charges come from missed dates rather than choices made at checkout; the Washington compliance page has the calendar.^{2, 9}

Add-ons and recurring plans

Checkout pages offer EINs, operating agreements, business addresses and compliance plans. In Washington a compliance plan does have a yearly report to file, so the question is price: the state fee is $70, and a provider adds its charge on top, such as ZenBusiness's annual report filing at $100 per report. Free trials deserve a calendar note, since Swyft's ComplianceGuard comes with a 14-day free trial then auto-charged.^{1, 10, 11}

Which providers have the lowest published prices for a Washington LLC?

Each provider's agent price, renewal and lowest package appear below in the order of our score, highest first, with tied scores in editorial order. It is not sorted by price.

Below, each provider's cheapest route is set against what recurs in year two for a Washington LLC, on top of the state's $70 report.¹

• Tailor Brands: Lite is $0 plus state fees with no agent listed, so add $199/year or serve yourself. Report filing is in Essential, which bills $199/yr plus state fees. Tailor Brands review.^{12, 13}
• ZenBusiness: for $0 + state fees (does not renew), Starter files the Certificate but leaves the agent out. ZenBusiness takes 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC, and year two bills $199/yr. Starter also bundles Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr), which can cover the first Washington report. ZenBusiness review.^{14, 15}
• LegalZoom: its Basic tier ($0 + state filing fees) comes without an agent. Adding one costs $249/year (first-time registered agent customers) and renews at whatever you paid, with the rate subject to change. LegalZoom review.^{16, 17}
• Bizee: Basic is $0 + state fee with one year of Registered Agent Service for free, so year one can be the state fee alone. From year two the agent is $149/year (ongoing annual fee). Bizee review.^{4, 18}
• Swyft Filings: Basic is $0 + state fees, but the agent is billed quarterly, which works out to $596/year. The ComplianceGuard trial turns into ComplianceGuard $199/year unless cancelled. Swyft Filings review.^{11, 19, 20}
• doola: Starter is $297/yr with the agent included. The plan itself is yearly and its recurring fees auto-renew at the rates then in effect, so the plan bills again in year two. doola review.^{21, 22}
• Northwest: formation is $39 + State Fees, with an agent year described as included on the corporation page; confirm it for an LLC. The agent alone is $125 per year, and agent customers are automatically enrolled in Compliance Services (annual report filing), with filing at $100 + state fees, charged at filing. Northwest review.^{23, 24, 25, 26, 27}
• Rocket Lawyer: formation is tied to membership (First registration free with a Rocket Lawyer membership). Standard membership is $149/year with no agent; the agent needs Plus ($249/year) or Pro, and the agent itself is $125 with a Plus or Pro membership. Rocket Lawyer review.^{28, 29, 30}
• InCorp: expect two charges from the start, formation starting at $99 plus state fees and an agent sold separately at $129 per state per year. InCorp review.^{31, 32}
• Harbor Compliance: formation starts at $99 plus state fees. Its agent's introductory year, $99 first year (new customers), steps up to $159 annually, and Harbor wants notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term if you won't renew. Harbor Compliance review.^{33, 34, 35}

For agent prices on their own, see the national cheapest registered agent services list; package contents are laid out on Washington LLC formation services.