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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Primer 1 · Washington

LLC Formation in Washington (2026): 7 Moves and the 2 Best LLC Services

Our 2026 marks for starting an LLC in Washington: WA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), highest first. The primer has 7 moves. The state charges $200 and $70 for the annual report.
From the Founder Primer desk

The short version

State fee to file
$200
Source page sos.wa.gov, October 2026
Annual report
$70 a year
Official timing: last day of the entity's anniversary month
State cost, years 1 to 3
$340
No service fees counted
How many moves
7
Each one explained

You will know

  • The Washington formation form, its price and where it goes
  • What the registered agent rule asks
  • The upkeep that repeats
  • How the picks compare

Washington: services we rank

Three-year cost and to-dos cleared weigh the most. How we score lists all five criteria.

Top mark $199 to start, $99 a year from year two

1. WA Registered Agent.org: best for a small first invoice

In Washington, WA Registered Agent.org is number one: $199 on top of the state fee, agent free in year one, then $99 a year.

Cost settles it: three years total less here than at Mainstay Filing.

The annual report is still yours every year.

Inside the price
  • Filing with the state
  • Agent service for year one
In its favor
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • $199 and the state fee
  • A free first agent year
Against it
  • Filing the annual report is outside what it does
  • It charges $99 for the EIN
Visit WA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Works everywhere $199/yr and the $200 state fee

2. Mainstay Filing: best for dropping the annual report paperwork

Second place is Mainstay Filing, because one bill of $199 a year clears three to-dos (filing, registered agent, annual report).

Add up three years: $200 more than WA Registered Agent.org.

You will not touch the annual report; the $70 state fee is simply passed through.

Inside the price
  • The filing is made for you
  • Registered agent all year
  • Annual report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • No markup on the state fee
In its favor
  • $199 a year covers filing and agent and report
  • The EIN step is in the price
  • No bump at renewal ($199)
Against it
  • After year one it costs $100 more a year
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Comparing the services

# Service First year From year two Three-year total
1 WA Registered Agent.org $199 $99/yr $397 Visit WA Registered Agent.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing $199 $199/yr $597 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices come from each company's own site, read November 13, 2026. Add the $200 state fee to every row.

Starting a Washington LLC, move by move

  1. Move 1

    Make sure the name is yours to use

    Search the Washington Secretary of State first. If the name is already on the Washington register, you will need another.

    A spare name saves a redo.

  2. Move 2

    Fill the registered agent seat

    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 job comes with each pick.

    Where this comes from: Source page app.leg.wa.gov, October 2026

  3. Move 3

    DIY or hire help

    DIY costs the $200 state fee and your time. A service adds $199 and does the forms; our ranking says which.

  4. Move 4

    Prepare the Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company

    the Washington Secretary of State forms the LLC when it accepts the Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company with $200, under RCW 25.15.071.

    Where this comes from: Source page sos.wa.gov, October 2026

  5. Move 5

    Order the LLC's federal tax ID

    Once Washington approves the LLC, ask the IRS for an EIN. Banks and payroll providers need one. Mainstay Filing does this for you, no extra fee.

  6. Move 6

    Draft the operating agreement

    The operating agreement is the owners' rulebook. The company keeps it; the state does not ask for it.

  7. Move 7

    Stay in good standing in Washington

    Every year the LLC files the annual report and pays $70; deadline last day of the entity's anniversary month. File late and add $25.

    Where this comes from: Source page sos.wa.gov, October 2026

Costs, move by move

Cost item Recipient Amount
Setting up the LLC State agency $200
Annual report State agency $70 every year
If the report is late State agency $25
Optional service The provider $199 in the first year
State fees for three years State agency $340

State amounts are Washington's official fees (sources below); service prices come from each company's site. Three years of state cost is the filing, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax.

How we ordered the Washington picks

The deciding criterion: founder outlay over three years, at 27% of the mark.

Add up three years and WA Registered Agent.org is $397, $200 below Mainstay Filing.

Short answers

What does Washington charge for a new LLC?

Washington bills $200. Services we rank charge $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

Once the Washington Secretary of State accepts the Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company, the LLC exists.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Washington require each year?

The repeating item is the annual report ($70, every year, due last day of the entity's anniversary month).

Can I form the LLC without a service?

A service is optional. Founders can file with the $200 fee as long as they appoint a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Our order: WA Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing. WA Registered Agent.org leads because a Washington formation at $199 with year one of the agent covered, agent renewal $99.

See also

Sources, so you can check us

  1. Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division facts trace to ccfs.sos.wa.gov (read August 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  2. Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division facts trace to sos.wa.gov (read August 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  3. Washington yearly filing: Annual report, official source facts trace to sos.wa.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  4. Washington report due date facts trace to app.leg.wa.gov (read August 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  5. Washington formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts trace to sos.wa.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  6. Washington formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts trace to sos.wa.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  7. Washington registered agent statute facts trace to app.leg.wa.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  8. WA Registered Agent.org pricing page as of November 13, 2026
  9. Mainstay Filing Washington service page as of November 13, 2026