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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · Washington

Washington LLC Formation Walkthrough (2026): 7 Stages and the 2 Best LLC Services

My advice for 2026: when forming an LLC in Washington, start with Mainstay Filing ($199) and WA Registered Agent.org ($199), best first. Washington charges $200 to form an LLC, and $70 for the annual report later; you can finish in 7 stages.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

The short version

What the state charges to file
$200
Verify it at sos.wa.gov, which we opened in October 2026
Annual report
$70 a year
When it falls due: last day of the entity's anniversary month
State fees over three years
$340
State charges only
Walkthrough stages
7
In order

What this walkthrough covers

  • The Washington fee for a new LLC and the office that receives the filing
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • The state filing that repeats
  • How the picks compare

Washington: our recommended services

Ranked on the scoring page: three-year cost (32%), work taken off your desk (32%), year-two price, fit with Washington rules and honest pricing.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for handing off the annual report

Our first call$199 a year, renewing at $199

If you only phone one company, make it Mainstay Filing, because you pay $199 a year and that one fee covers the filing, a registered agent and the annual report; year two is $199 as well.

Next to WA Registered Agent.org the three-year premium is $200, which the 32% weight on work taken off your desk outweighs.

It handles the annual report too, adding Washington's $70 at cost.

What you get

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • State fee billed at cost

What works

  • No jump at renewal ($199)
  • Your EIN application gets filed too
  • A flat $199 every year

What to watch

  • $100 a year more than WA Registered Agent.org at renewal
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. WA Registered Agent.org: best for a no-frills formation

One-state plan$199 to start, $99 a year after year one

Second place goes to WA Registered Agent.org, since $199 on top of the state fee, and the first year of agent service is already in there, then $99 a year.

Set time aside for the annual report every year; the price leaves it out.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing more
  • A small $99 renewal

What to watch

  • No annual report service is on offer
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit WA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Scores and prices together

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2WA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit WA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
What each company posted on November 13, 2026. These figures leave out Washington's $200 fee.

The stages

  1. Stage 1

    Search for your name before you fall in love with it

    Do your name search at the Washington Secretary of State. Finding a clash now beats a rejected Washington filing later.

    A spare name saves you a second search.

  2. Stage 2

    Name your registered agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, a noncommercial agent (any person or business with a Washington address), or the holder of a named position in the company. The agent consents in advance.

    The address has to be a physical street address in Washington. P.O. boxes and private mailboxes are not accepted.

    The registered agent comes with every service on our list.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at app.leg.wa.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Handle it alone or get help

    You could file for $200 and be done, or add $199 and let one of our picks handle it.

  4. Stage 4

    Your next job is the Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company

    Once the Washington Secretary of State accepts the Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company and $200, the LLC exists. The law behind it is RCW 25.15.071.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at sos.wa.gov, which we opened in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Apply for an Employer Identification Number

    With approval in your hands, request an EIN so the LLC can open accounts under its own name. The Mainstay Filing yearly price already covers this stage.

  6. Stage 6

    Draft the operating agreement

    Even if you are the only owner of a Washington LLC, write one anyway and file it with your records.

  7. Stage 7

    Deal with Washington's repeating filing

    Keep the LLC active by sending in the annual report every year ($70) before last day of the entity's anniversary month. The penalty for lateness is $25.

    Check it yourself: Verify it at sos.wa.gov, which we opened in October 2026

Costs, stage by stage

StagePayeeSum
Filing to form the LLCState agency$200
Annual reportState agency$70 every year
Missing the deadlineState agency$25
Paid helpYour service$199 to start
State fees, years one to threeState agency$340
Whatever goes to Washington is an official fee you can verify on the pages listed below. The three-year row combines the filing, two later reports and a minimum tax where there is one; service prices stay out of it.

How the scores came out

What decided it was work taken off your desk, which carries 32% of the score.

Handling the annual report outweighed the lower price once we applied the weights.

Washington questions

What does Washington charge to form an LLC?

Washington bills $200. Bring in a service and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

The paper you want is the Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company; the Washington Secretary of State receives it.

Is a registered agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Washington require each year?

Once a year the LLC sends in its annual report and pays $70, due last day of the entity's anniversary month.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

Permitted. You pay $200, do the filing and line up a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing and WA Registered Agent.org, from the top score to the lowest.

Where we got the facts

  1. Where the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division advice comes from: ccfs.sos.wa.gov, viewed August 2026.
  2. Where the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division advice comes from: sos.wa.gov, viewed August 2026.
  3. Where the Washington yearly filing: Annual report, official source advice comes from: sos.wa.gov, viewed October 2026.
  4. Where the Washington report due date advice comes from: app.leg.wa.gov, viewed August 2026.
  5. Where the Washington formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sos.wa.gov, viewed October 2026.
  6. Where the Washington formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sos.wa.gov, viewed October 2026.
  7. Where the Washington registered agent statute advice comes from: app.leg.wa.gov, viewed October 2026.
  8. November 13, 2026, Washington service page belonging to Mainstay Filing
  9. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to WA Registered Agent.org