In Washington the yearly annual report is also how a company renews. It is filed with the Corporations and Charities Division of the Secretary of State, inside the Corporations and Charities Filing System, CCFS. The same system holds your record, so you file and check in one place.
What sets Washington apart is the date. There is no single deadline for all companies. Each one has a renewal date the Secretary of State sets, and the office has to warn you before it arrives. Search, formation fees and contacts are in the Washington office guide.
Who files and what it costs
Washington LLCs and profit corporations file an annual report every year, and so do nonprofit corporations. The fees are:
- LLC or profit corporation: $70.
- Nonprofit corporation: $60, or $20 at the reduced rate.
CCFS adds an online processing fee on top. If you need the filing handled fast, expedited service costs $100 per entity.
| Fee | LLC: $70; corporation: $70 (sos.wa.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| When it is due | Annual report is due on a date set by the Secretary of State (the entity's renewal date). SOS must send notice 30 to 90 days before the renewal expiration. Not filing or not paying leads to administrative dissolution. (app.leg.wa.gov, checked ) |
| If you file late | $25 delinquency fee implied ($95 for an annual report with delinquency fee vs $70 normal) (sos.wa.gov, checked ) |
| Where to file | ccfs.sos.wa.gov (sos.wa.gov, checked ) |
Your renewal date, worked through
The law behind this is RCW 23.95.255. It says the annual report is due on a date the Secretary of State sets, and that the office must send notice 30 to 90 days before the renewal runs out.
Here is how that plays out. Suppose CCFS shows a renewal date of August 31. Ninety days before that is June 2, and thirty days before is August 1. So the notice should reach you some time between early June and early August. If nothing has arrived by early August, log in to CCFS and check your record and your contact address.
How to file in CCFS, step by step
- Sign in to CCFS and find your company by name.
- Open the record and check the renewal date shown.
- Start the annual report and review the details on file, such as addresses, registered agent and governors.
- Update anything that changed.
- Pay the $70 fee, or the nonprofit amount, plus the processing fee.
- Save the receipt CCFS gives you.
Late filing and administrative dissolution
The renewal date is a real deadline. A report filed after it costs more, because a delinquency fee is added, and the Secretary of State's fee schedule shows the current amount. A company that does not file at all, or files without paying, faces administrative dissolution under RCW 23.95.255.
Dissolution takes the company off the active list, and undoing it is more work than the report itself. The cheapest route is to act on the notice when it comes.
Checking that your report went through
After you file, search the company in CCFS. The record should list the new report, with a later expiration date and no sign of dissolution. If a bank or another state wants proof, order a Certificate of Existence from CCFS once the report has posted. Our guide to annual report deadlines by state shows how renewal dates like Washington's compare with fixed dates elsewhere.
Sources
- www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/business-entities/limited-liability-company-llc-professional-llc-pllc-filing-resource-page: report fee. Checked .
- app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=23.95.255: report due date. Checked .
- www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/fee-scheduleexpedited-service: late penalty. Checked .
- www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/business-entities/online-filing-instructions/start-domestic-wa-limited-liability-company-llc-online: online filing. Checked .