Registered Agent in Washington: requirements, cost & best options
Washington has no income tax — but it taxes your gross revenue through the B&O tax (even in a losing year) and makes you get a separate state business license. Here's the full picture for your LLC.
By Luis Cornado, Founder & Editor · Published June 24, 2026 · Updated July 26, 2026
The exact Washington rules, real costs, and the right registered-agent option for your LLC — checked against the official Washington source.
The Short Answer
- Washington requires every LLC to keep a registered agent with a physical Washington street address (it requires a Washington address, not residency), and the agent must consent in writing.
- The annual report is $70, due by the end of your formation-anniversary month, with an Initial Report due within 120 days of forming.
- The part that surprises founders: Washington has no income tax, but its B&O tax taxes your gross revenue (no expense deductions, so you can owe it at a loss), and you must get a separate state business license ($50 + a UBI number) from the Department of Revenue — many cities require their own too.
- Formation lives with the Secretary of State; tax and licensing live with the Department of Revenue — two agencies.
- A service helps for privacy, the consent step, and out-of-state owners.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page 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. See how we make money.
boltQuick decision for Washington
- chevron_rightUse a professional registered agent if you work from home, travel, or run the LLC from outside Washington — it keeps your street address off the public record and guarantees someone is there to accept a lawsuit.
- chevron_rightBe your own agent if you have a Washington street address staffed during business hours, you'll handle the written consent, and you don't mind that address appearing on the public record.
- chevron_rightNorthwest fits if privacy, the consent step, and tracking the anniversary-month annual report matter more to you than saving ~$125 a year.
Washington Registered Agent & LLC Facts
| Requirement / Metric | Washington Specifics |
|---|---|
| Registered agent required? | Yes — every Washington LLC & corporation |
| Governing statute | RCW 23.95.415 (registered agent designation & consent) & RCW 25.15.021 (LLC requirement) |
| Physical Washington address required? | Yes — the registered agent must maintain a physical Washington street address |
| PO box allowed? | No for the street address — a PO box may be listed only as a separate mailing address |
| Can you be your own agent? | Yes — an individual with a Washington street address can serve (Washington requires a Washington address, not residency), and the agent must consent in writing to the appointment (RCW 23.95.415) |
| LLC filing fee | $200 (confirm current) |
| Annual report | Annual Report, $70 (recently raised from $60), due by the last day of your LLC's formation-anniversary month each year, filed with the Secretary of State (CCFS). An Initial Report is also due within 120 days of forming. Miss the annual report and administrative dissolution follows about 120 days after the due date. |
| Franchise / annual tax | No state income tax and no franchise tax — but Washington's Business & Occupation (B&O) tax is a gross-receipts tax run by the Department of Revenue: it's charged on revenue with no deduction for expenses, so an LLC can owe it even in a losing year. Rates run by activity (about 0.471% retailing, 0.484% wholesaling/manufacturing, 1.5%–2.1% services). |
| Publication requirement | None |
| Change registered agent fee | No state fee — file a Statement of Change of Registered Agent with the Secretary of State; the new agent must consent in a record. |
| Official source | Washington Division / Secretary of State |
Fees and rules change — always confirm the current figures on the official Washington source linked above before filing.
What Washington requires from a registered agent
Like every state, Washington requires every LLC to keep a registered agent at a physical Washington street address (a PO box won't do), staffed during business hours to receive lawsuits and official state mail.
Can you be your own registered agent in Washington?
Yes — an individual with a Washington street address can serve (Washington requires a Washington address, not residency), and the agent must consent in writing to the appointment (RCW 23.95.415). The catch most pages skip: that address goes on Washington's public record (scraped by data brokers if it's your home), and you must be available during business hours or risk missing a lawsuit — so home-based and remote owners usually use a service. Here's the full DIY trade-off.
thumb_upBeing your own agent — pros
- addNo annual registered-agent fee — you keep the ~$100–$125/year a service would charge
- addYou receive every Washington state notice and legal document directly, with no middle layer
- addWorkable if you have a Washington street address staffed during business hours
infoCons & risks
- removeYour Washington street address becomes part of the public Secretary of State record — and home addresses get scraped by data brokers
- removeYou must provide written consent and be available during business hours; a missed lawsuit can become a default judgment
- removeYou alone track the anniversary-month annual report, the 120-day initial report, and the separate DOR business license and B&O filings
Using your Washington home as your own agent address puts it on the public, searchable Secretary of State record and invites service of process at your door — sometimes in front of family or customers. For home-based Washington founders, that exposure is the main reason to use a service.
Registered agent cost in Washington
Forming an LLC in Washington costs $200 up front, and a registered agent runs about $100–$150 a year on top — Northwest includes the first year free, then about $125. Full breakdown, including the DIY $0 route, in cheapest registered agent. To see Washington's filing and annual fees beside all 50 states, use our LLC cost calculator.
Privacy & the public record in Washington
The registered-agent address you give Washington goes onto the public Secretary of State record and is searchable by anyone — data brokers, marketers, and process servers included. Washington requires a physical Washington street address (RCW 23.95.410); a PO box can only be the mailing line. List your home and it becomes the address tied publicly to your business. The clean fix is a commercial agent: their Washington street address appears on the record instead of yours, while your legal mail still reaches you.
Out-of-state & non-resident founders: Out-of-state and international founders can own a Washington LLC, but the registered agent must maintain a physical Washington street address and consent in writing — which you usually can't provide yourself from another state or country. A commercial agent is effectively required there. Remember Washington's two-agency setup, too: you'll still need a Department of Revenue business license and may owe B&O tax on Washington-sourced revenue.
Comparing options? See our Northwest review, Northwest vs LegalZoom, or the budget pick in Northwest vs Bizee.
Best Registered Agent Services in Washington
We weigh providers on real first-year and renewal cost, privacy, upsell pressure, and support — the same way for every state. Here are the three we point Washington founders to.
Northwest
First year free when you form, then a flat ~$125/year. Strong privacy and no upsell funnel.
- doneRegistered agent free for year one
- donePrivacy by Default® — their address, not yours
- doneUS-based support, no upsells
Bizee
Lowest upfront cost — $0 service fee, first RA year free. Best if you'll decline the checkout add-ons.
- done$0 formation service fee
- done1st year registered agent free
- doneLifetime compliance alerts
ZenBusiness
$99 intro first year
All-in-one platform with a compliance guarantee. We don't earn a commission from ZenBusiness — here's our honest comparison.
- doneWorry-Free compliance guarantee
- doneAll-in-one formation suite
- doneHigher renewal than our top picks
Pricing reflects each provider's advertised rates as of July 2026 and can change — confirm the current price on the provider's own site before you buy.
Compare your options in Washington
Every realistic way to meet the Washington registered-agent requirement — including doing it yourself.
| Option | Best for | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Be your own agent | Washington owners with a staffed street address who want $0 cost |
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| Northwest Registered Agent | Privacy-focused, home-based, or out-of-state Washington owners |
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| Bizee or another formation service | Owners who want the lowest upfront formation cost |
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| Washington attorney or CPA as agent | Businesses that want help with B&O tax and licensing |
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No income tax — but the B&O tax and a separate business license
Washington famously has no personal or corporate income tax, which sounds like a clean win until you meet the B&O (Business & Occupation) tax: a gross-receipts tax on your revenue, with no deduction for expenses — so a Washington LLC can owe it in a year it actually loses money. It's run by the Department of Revenue (a separate agency from the Secretary of State), with rates by activity (about 0.471% retailing, 0.484% wholesaling/manufacturing, and 1.5%–2.1% for services). On top of that, Washington makes you obtain a separate state business license — a $50 application that issues your UBI number — through the Department of Revenue, and many cities require their own local license too. So a Washington LLC really lives across two agencies: the Secretary of State (formation $200, the $70 annual report, your registered agent) and the Department of Revenue (the business license and B&O tax).
Washington is genuinely a good fit for:
- doneBusinesses operating in the Seattle metro or across Washington
- doneOwners who value having no personal state income tax
- doneTech and e-commerce companies (with an eye on the B&O tax)
A Washington LLC lives across two agencies
No state income tax sounds simple — until you meet the B&O tax on gross revenue and a separate business license. Formation lives with the Secretary of State; tax and licensing live with the Department of Revenue.
Washington-specific things to know
The headline that draws people to Washington — no state income tax — is true but incomplete. Washington funds itself partly through the Business & Occupation (B&O) tax, a gross-receipts tax administered by the Department of Revenue. It's charged on your total revenue with no deduction for labor, materials, or other costs, which means a Washington LLC can owe B&O tax even in a loss-making year. Rates vary by activity (roughly 0.471% retailing, 0.484% wholesaling and manufacturing, and 1.5%–2.1% for services), with a small-business credit and a registration threshold (you must register with the DOR once gross income hits $12,000/year; very small businesses can qualify for 'active non-reporting' under $125,000). Budgeting for B&O is the single biggest thing newcomers underestimate.
Washington also splits its paperwork across two agencies. You form the LLC and file your annual report with the Secretary of State through CCFS — $200 to form, then $70 a year (recently raised from $60), due by the last day of your formation-anniversary month, plus an Initial Report within 120 days of forming. Separately, you must obtain a state business license ($50 application, which issues your UBI number) from the Department of Revenue's Business Licensing Service — and many cities require their own local license on top. Two agencies, two sets of obligations.
On the registered agent: Washington requires a physical Washington street address (a PO box can only be the mailing address) — note the rule is a Washington address, not residency — and the agent must consent in a record before being named (RCW 23.95.415). Changing your agent later is free; the new agent simply has to consent. There's no publication requirement to form.
Looking up an existing registered agent in Washington
Every Washington company's registered agent is public record — you can find any LLC's or corporation's agent, with the registered office address, free through the state's official business search. Search by company name and the record shows the current agent on file.
The usual reasons to look one up: serving legal papers on a company, due diligence on a business you're about to deal with, or confirming your own record updated correctly after a change of agent (in Washington, that filing is no state fee).
"Registered agent near me" in Washington — explained
Searched "registered agent near me"? In Washington it's not about being near you — your agent just needs a physical Washington street address, staffed during business hours, on file with the Washington filing office. That's why a national service like Northwest works no matter where in Washington — or which state — you personally live.
How to change your registered agent in Washington
To switch in Washington, file the state's change-of-agent form (no state fee) and put the new agent on record before cancelling the old one — many services handle it. Full steps in how to change your registered agent.
How to start an LLC in Washington
In short: choose your name, appoint a registered agent (the step above), file your formation document with Washington ($200), and get a free EIN from the IRS. Then keep it compliant: Annual Report, $70 (recently raised from $60), due by the last day of your LLC's formation-anniversary month each year, filed with the Secretary of State (CCFS). An Initial Report is also due within 120 days of forming. Miss the annual report and administrative dissolution follows about 120 days after the due date.. No state income tax and no franchise tax — but Washington's Business & Occupation (B&O) tax is a gross-receipts tax run by the Department of Revenue: it's charged on revenue with no deduction for expenses, so an LLC can owe it even in a losing year. Rates run by activity (about 0.471% retailing, 0.484% wholesaling/manufacturing, 1.5%–2.1% services).. For the full walkthrough see our cheapest way to start an LLC guide.
Which path is right for you in Washington?
verifiedUse Northwest if
- doneYou work from home or want to keep your address off the public record
- doneYou're forming or operating the LLC from outside Washington
- doneYou'd rather not track the agent consent and the anniversary-month annual report yourself
personBe your own agent if
- checkYou have a Washington street address staffed during business hours
- checkYou're comfortable with that address appearing on the public record and will file the written consent
- checkYou're confident you'll file the annual report by your anniversary month each year
compare_arrowsConsider other options if
- checkYour only priority is the lowest upfront formation cost (a budget service like Bizee)
- checkYou already pay a Washington attorney or CPA who can serve as your agent
- checkYou want to compare on price first — see our Northwest vs Bizee and Northwest vs ZenBusiness guides
Washington Registered Agent FAQ
Does Washington have a state income tax?expand_more
What is the Washington B&O tax?expand_more
Do I need a separate business license in Washington?expand_more
When is the Washington LLC annual report due and how much?expand_more
Can I be my own registered agent in Washington?expand_more
How do I change my registered agent in Washington?expand_more
Does Washington require newspaper publication to form an LLC?expand_more
Which agencies does a Washington LLC deal with?expand_more
Official Washington sources
Comparing states?
Founders weighing Washington usually shortlist these too — or see every state's fees side by side.
Keep reading
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This page is for general informational purposes and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Washington fees and rules can change — confirm current details with the official Washington source before filing.