Every Washington LLC files an annual report with the Secretary of State for a $70 fee, due by the last day of the month your LLC was formed. You file online through the Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS), and most people finish in under ten minutes once their information is pulled together. Miss the deadline and the state adds a $25 penalty; keep ignoring it and your LLC can be administratively dissolved.
What to Have Ready Before You File
Gather these items first so you can move through the form without stopping:
- Your Unified Business Identifier (UBI), the nine-digit number assigned when your LLC was registered. It’s on your formation documents, or you can look it up through the Secretary of State’s business search.
- Your registered agent’s name and Washington street address. A P.O. Box doesn’t qualify.
- Your principal office address, plus a separate mailing address if you use one.
- The name and address of at least one governor (member or manager).
- A short description of what the LLC does.
If anything has changed since your last filing, you’ll update those fields during the filing itself.
How to File Through CCFS
Go to ccfs.sos.wa.gov. The portal offers an express annual report without changes and an express annual report with changes, and neither requires you to create an account or log in.1WA Secretary of State. Washington Corporations and Charities Filing System
If nothing about your LLC has changed, the express option without changes is the fastest path. The system pulls your existing information, you confirm it, pay, and submit. A few minutes, done.
If you need to update your registered agent, principal office address, or member and manager information, choose the express option with changes. The form displays your current information and lets you edit the fields that need updating. Review each field carefully before you move to payment. A wrong registered agent address could mean you miss service of process, which isn’t the kind of problem you want to discover after the fact.
After submitting payment, save the confirmation page or email receipt. That’s your proof of compliance if a question comes up later.
When the Report Is Due
Your annual report is due by the last day of the month your LLC was originally formed.2Washington State Legislature. Washington Code RCW 25.15.106 – Initial and Annual Reports Form your LLC on March 12 and the report is due March 31 every year after. The Secretary of State doesn’t send reminder notices for most entity types, so set your own calendar reminder well ahead of the date.
What It Costs
The filing fee is $70, whether you file online or by mail.3WA Secretary of State. Fee Schedule/Expedited Service If your LLC is marked delinquent, a $25 penalty is added, bringing the total to $95.4WA Secretary of State. File an Annual Report (Multiple Entity Types) Online
First-Year Filers: The Initial Report
If your LLC is brand new, your first filing isn’t the annual report. It’s the initial report, due within 120 days of formation.5WA Secretary of State. Instructions – Initial Report RCW 23.95.255 It collects the same core information as the annual report (principal office, registered agent, members or managers) and you file it through the same CCFS portal.
Here’s where new owners trip: after filing the initial report, people assume the next filing is a full year out. It isn’t. Your annual report deadline is the last day of your formation month, which could land only a few months after the initial report depending on when you formed.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Missing the deadline doesn’t immediately end your LLC, but the consequences escalate. The Secretary of State changes your status to delinquent and adds the $25 penalty. You can still file during this window, and most people in this spot just pay the $95 and move on.
Ignore it long enough and the Secretary of State can begin proceedings to administratively dissolve the LLC.6Washington State Legislature. Washington Code Chapter 25.15 RCW – Limited Liability Companies Administrative dissolution revokes your LLC’s legal existence. You lose authority to do business in Washington, and you lose the liability protection that was the whole point of forming the LLC. Contracts, bank accounts, and other relationships tied to the entity can all be disrupted.
Reinstating a Dissolved LLC
Washington allows reinstatement within five years of the dissolution date. The cost adds up: $70 for every annual report year you missed, plus a $140 penalty.7WA Secretary of State. Reinstatement – Profit Business Entity Online Instructions Three years dissolved means $210 in back fees plus the $140 penalty, so $350 before the current year’s report.
You file the reinstatement through CCFS, resolve any outstanding compliance issues, and pay the accumulated fees. Once approved, your LLC’s legal status is restored as if the dissolution never happened. Wait more than five years and reinstatement is no longer available; you’d need to form a new LLC.
One Thing You Don’t Owe Anymore
Under a March 2025 interim final rule, domestic LLCs are exempt from reporting beneficial ownership information to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).8FinCEN.gov. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting If you formed your LLC in Washington, you don’t need to file a BOI report. The requirement now applies only to certain foreign entities registered to do business in the United States.