Washington annual report filing

Title: Washington annual report filing — complete compliance guide for Washington LLCs & corporations Quick summary: - All domestic and foreign business entities registered with Washington must file an Annual Report each year to maintain active status. The report is due by the last day of the month in which the business was formed or registered (the "expiration date"). You may file up to 180 days before that expiration date. - Filing is done via the Corporations & Charities Filing System (CCFS). Fees (per the Secretary of State) and delinquency penalties apply; failure to file can lead to delinquent status and administrative dissolution. Reinstatement is possible within statutory windows but requires payment of missed fees and penalties. Who must file - All domestic (formed in WA) and registered foreign (formed outside WA but registered in WA) business entities with a UBI assigned by Washington's Secretary of State must file an Annual Report each year. Nonprofit rules differ (see state page for nonprofit-specific guidance). Due date and filing window - Due date: the last day of the month in which the business was originally formed or registered with Washington (i.e., your anniversary month). - Filing window: you may file the Annual Report up to 180 days before the expiration date. Filing early does not change your next expiration date. - The Secretary of State sends courtesy notices ~60 days before the expiration date, but not receiving a notice does not relieve you of the obligation to file. Fees, delinquency, and penalties (official guidance — rely on SOS pages) - Filing fee (profit business entity types, including LLCs): $70 (online filing includes a processing fee). Nonprofit miscellaneous & mutual corporations and corporation sole filings have lower fees (often $10); check the SOS page for details. - Delinquency fee: if an entity is listed as Delinquent, an additional $25 delinquency fee will be assessed with the Annual Report filing. - Expedited service: available online for an additional fee (example: $100) to prioritize processing. - Effect of late filing: failure to file on or before the expiration date results in delinquent status and may lead to administrative dissolution. If dissolved, a business may reinstate (reinstatement requirements/penalties below). Administrative dissolution & reinstatement - Administrative dissolution can follow an extended failure to file. Reinstatement (reactivation) is generally available within prescribed statutory timeframes (examples on the SOS LLC page indicate a 5-year window for domestic entity reinstatement), but reinstatement requires paying all missed annual report fees for each year missed plus assessed penalties (the SOS site cites a $140 reinstatement/penalty charge in some domestic reinstatement guidance). If you wait beyond the statutory window you may be required to form a new entity and receive a new UBI. What information you will confirm or provide on the Annual Report - Business name and UBI (the system will generally pull your record). - Principal office address and contact information. - Registered agent name and contact details (Washington requires an email address for Registered Agent & Principal Office fields per WAC). - Governance/manager/member information as applicable and other controlling interest questions the Secretary of State asks. - Any changes to the business record (if you need to change registered agent, principal office, or governors/members, you can usually do this through the Annual Report filing or in separate filings). How to file — step by step (online, preferred) 1. Create/login to your CCFS account (Corporations & Charities Filing System): https://ccfs.sos.wa.gov 2. In the left navigation choose "Business Maintenance Filings" then "Annual Report". 3. Search for your business by UBI or business name and select the correct entity. 4. Review the pre-populated business information pulled from the SOS record; update any fields that have changed (principal office, registered agent, email addresses, etc.). 5. Pay the filing fee (and any delinquency fee if applicable). Choose expedited service if needed and available. 6. Submit. Online filings are processed immediately or fast; mail filings have a longer processing time (SOS provides a fillable paper form and a mailing address — check the SOS site for the current mail address and processing times). Mail filing option - The Secretary of State provides a printable/fillable Annual Report form for mail submission. Mail filings take longer to process. Check the SOS filings/forms page for the current PDF and mail address. Practical compliance checklist & best practices - Put recurring calendar reminders for your anniversary month due date; consider filing early within the 180-day window. - Keep your Registered Agent and principal office email/contact info current — the Registered Agent email is required in the system. - If you miss a filing, act promptly: file to stop additional penalties and avoid administrative dissolution. If dissolved, follow the SOS reinstatement guidance immediately (reinstatement fees and penalties apply and the state may limit reinstatement to a statutory window). - Keep a copy of every filed Annual Report and confirmation/receipt for your corporate records. - Consider enabling automatic reminders from a registered agent service or a corporate compliance provider if you manage multiple entities.