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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Session 1 · Washington

Washington LLC Formation Class (2026): 7 Assignments and the 2 Best LLC Services

For starting an LLC in Washington in 2026, the class favorites are Mainstay Filing ($199) and WA Registered Agent.org ($199), graded from first to last. Numbers for the chalkboard: 7 assignments, a $200 filing fee, a $70 annual report.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

The quick version

Formation fee$200Source for this: sos.wa.gov, October 2026
Annual report$70 a yearCalendar entry: last day of the entity's anniversary month
What the state collects in three years$340Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Assignment count7Listed below

You will leave able to

  • Where and how to file a Washington LLC
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • How to stay in good standing
  • Who we would hire to file

Class favorites in Washington

Tuition over three years leads, then homework done, year-two tuition, Washington fit and readable fees (grading page).
Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for new owners who want the work done

First year $199; renewal $199; state fee extra

We start with Mainstay Filing; you hand in $199 each year and the formation, the registered agent and the annual report are taken care of.

WA Registered Agent.org is $200 cheaper over three years; this one still earns the higher grade because it does more of the work.

It files every annual report; the only extra is the state's own $70.

Covered by the tuition

  • Filing made with the state
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed on time
  • EIN application included
  • The official fee, nothing added

Strengths

  • $199 when you renew
  • A flat $199 each year
  • The EIN assignment is part of the package

Weak spots

  • After year one it costs $100 more each year
One-state plan

2. WA Registered Agent.org: best for a bare-bones formation

$199 the first year, $99 after

Our second pick, WA Registered Agent.org: $199 to begin, with no agent fee in year one, then $99 each year from year two.

You still file the annual report every year.

Covered by the tuition

  • Formation paperwork handled
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • First agent year included
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • The agent renews at $99

Weak spots

  • It leaves the annual report for you to file
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)

All the tuition in one table

#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.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Washington's $200 fee.

The assignments

  1. Assignment
    1

    Choose a name and see whether it is free

    Search the business records kept by the Washington Secretary of State first. They show whether the name is already on the Washington register.

    Have a runner-up name ready in case the first is taken.

  2. Assignment
    2

    Name the 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.

    Any of the graded services can take the registered agent role.

    Textbook page: Source for this: app.leg.wa.gov, October 2026

  3. Assignment
    3

    Self-filing versus a service

    Skip the service and you pay the state $200. Use one of the graded services and you pay $199 more to skip the forms.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Draw up the Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company

    You need three things for this assignment: the Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company, $200 and the Washington Secretary of State as the place to send them. Statute: RCW 25.15.071.

    Textbook page: Source for this: sos.wa.gov, October 2026

  5. Assignment
    5

    Apply to the IRS for an EIN

    The IRS gives out EINs, not Washington. Apply once you are approved, then hand the number to your bank. This assignment is inside the Mainstay Filing package.

  6. Assignment
    6

    Write an operating agreement

    Ownership and decision rules live in the operating agreement, an internal paper outside the Washington filing.

  7. Assignment
    7

    Keep the LLC active

    To stay active, send in the annual report every year ($70) by last day of the entity's anniversary month. Late filings bring $25.

    Textbook page: Source for this: sos.wa.gov, October 2026

What each assignment costs in Washington

AssignmentPaid toPrice
Filing to form the LLCState office$200
Annual reportState office$70 every year
If the report is lateState office$25
Paid helpService$199 in year one
Three-year state totalState office$340
Filing fee plus two later reports plus any minimum tax makes the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

How we graded the Washington picks

Homework the price does makes up 34% of the grade, and that is where got ahead in Washington.

WA Registered Agent.org costs less, though the annual report would be your homework.

Common questions

Which Washington fees come with a new LLC?

Washington bills $200. A graded service adds $199 in year one.

Which form creates the LLC?

Hand the Certificate of Formation - Limited Liability Company to the Washington Secretary of State.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Washington require each year?

Expect Washington to ask for the annual report every year, at $70, with timing described as last day of the entity's anniversary month.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

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

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing and WA Registered Agent.org, from the highest grade to the lowest.

More classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Class notes on Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division come straight from ccfs.sos.wa.gov (reread August 2026).
  2. Class notes on Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division come straight from sos.wa.gov (reread August 2026).
  3. Class notes on Washington yearly filing: Annual report, official source come straight from sos.wa.gov (reread October 2026).
  4. Class notes on Washington report due date come straight from app.leg.wa.gov (reread August 2026).
  5. Class notes on Washington formation fee: Filing fee, official source come straight from sos.wa.gov (reread October 2026).
  6. Class notes on Washington formation fee: Filing fee, official source come straight from sos.wa.gov (reread October 2026).
  7. Class notes on Washington registered agent statute come straight from app.leg.wa.gov (reread October 2026).
  8. Mainstay Filing's Washington service page, read on November 13, 2026
  9. WA Registered Agent.org's pricing page, read on November 13, 2026