How Much Does an LLC Cost in Washington? (2026, Verified)

What a Washington LLC actually costs (2026)

Washington charges $200 to form, $70 a year to keep — and then taxes revenue, not profit. The Business & Occupation tax is the state's real signature cost: a gross-receipts levy an LLC can owe even in a losing year. No income tax, but that's not the same as low tax.

By Abdullah Riahi, Founder & Editor·August 28, 2026·6 min read

info

Heads up: some links in this guide are affiliate links. If you sign up through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you — it never changes what we recommend or what you pay.

The short answer

A Washington LLC costs $200 to file, plus a $70/yr annual report and a registered agent (~$125/yr) — about $395 in year one. Five-year cost: $550 in state fees acting as your own agent, or $1,175 with a typical $125/yr registered-agent service. Washington also demands an Initial Report within 120 days of forming — a first-year filing most out-of-state guides skip entirely. Every figure on this page was verified against the official state source on August 31, 2026.

Ready to form? Northwest handles Washington for $39 + state fee →Registered agent included free for year one, then ~$125/yr · their address on the public record instead of yours

The full Washington LLC cost table

Cost	Amount	Required?
Washington state filing fee	$200 one-time	Yes
Recurring state cost	$70/yr — Annual Report	Yes
Registered agent	$0 as your own agent, or ~$125/yr for a service	Yes (one or the other)
EIN (federal tax ID)	$0 direct from the IRS	Usually
First-year total	$270 as your own agent · $395 with a service	—
Five-year total	$550 as your own agent · $1,175 with a service	—

$200 online formation = $180 fee + $20 processing; annual report raised to $70.

The B&O tax: paying on revenue, not profit

Washington has no personal or corporate income tax, and it funds that absence with the Business & Occupation (B&O) tax — a gross-receipts tax run by the Department of Revenue. The rate depends on activity: about 0.471% on retailing, 0.484% on wholesaling and manufacturing, and 1.5%–2.1% on services. The structural point matters more than the rates: it's charged on revenue with no deduction for expenses, so an LLC grossing $200,000 in service revenue owes roughly $3,000–$4,200 whether its actual profit was $100,000 or zero. A small-business B&O credit shields genuinely tiny operations, but for a real service business the B&O — not the Secretary of State's fees — is the number that belongs in the budget.

Two reports in year one — the Initial Report ambush

The Secretary of State's side of the ledger: $200 to form online ($180 fee plus $20 processing), then an Annual Report of $70 — recently raised from $60 — due by the last day of your formation-anniversary month. But new LLCs owe an extra filing almost nobody warns them about: an Initial Report, due within 120 days of formation. Miss the annual report and administrative dissolution follows about 120 days after the due date. Add it up and Washington starts at $200-plus-a-report in year one and $70 a year after — moderate fees wrapped around a tax structure that deserves more attention than the fees do.

Check the math for your exact situation

Our LLC cost calculator computes first-year and five-year totals for all 51 jurisdictions from the same verified dataset as this page — including Washington — and the full table is downloadable as CSV.

Form your Washington LLC with Northwest →$39 + Washington's $200 state fee · registered agent free for year one · see our full review for how we score them

Frequently asked questions

What is Washington's B&O tax and does my LLC pay it?expand_more

The Business & Occupation tax is Washington's gross-receipts tax — charged on revenue, not profit, with no deduction for expenses. Rates run by activity: roughly 0.471% for retailing, 0.484% for wholesaling/manufacturing, and 1.5%–2.1% for services. Most operating LLCs owe it, though a small-business credit reduces or eliminates it at low revenue levels. It replaces the income tax Washington doesn't have — an LLC can owe B&O in an unprofitable year.

How much does a Washington LLC cost to start and maintain?expand_more

$200 to form online ($180 + $20 processing), an Initial Report within 120 days of formation, then a $70 Annual Report each year (raised from $60), due by the end of your anniversary month. Five-year state fees run about $480 before the B&O tax on operations — the fees are mid-pack; the gross-receipts tax is the real variable.

When is the Washington LLC annual report due?expand_more

By the last day of your LLC's formation-anniversary month each year — form in June, and every report is due June 30. It's $70, filed through the Secretary of State's CCFS system. Miss it and administrative dissolution follows roughly 120 days after the due date. Don't confuse it with the separate Initial Report new LLCs owe within 120 days of forming.