The Real Cost of a Washington Corporation — Filing Fees and Beyond

The first cost is the Articles of Incorporation filing fee charged by the Washington Secretary of State. This is the mandatory, non-negotiable cost of creating the corporation, paid when you file through the CCFS portal. Filing online is cheaper than submitting paper by mail, so unless you have a reason to file on paper, online is the sensible default.

The receipt on this page shows the current state filing fee alongside anything we charge, kept transparent so you can see exactly what goes to Washington versus what pays for the service. What we charge is what's displayed — no fee is padded behind the scenes.

The Initial Report

Washington requires an Initial Report within 120 days of formation. It carries its own small state fee if you file it separately, though many people submit it together with the Articles to consolidate the paperwork. Either way, it's part of the true cost of getting a corporation properly stood up, not an optional extra.

Optional upfront costs

• Name reservation. If you want to lock your corporate name before filing, Washington offers a reservation for a small fee. Most filers skip this and simply file when ready.
• Expedited processing. If you're on a deadline, Washington offers expedited service for an additional fee. Standard online processing takes a few business days; expedited compresses that. It's optional — only worth it if timing is genuinely tight.

A corporation isn't a one-time purchase. Keeping it in good standing carries predictable annual costs that you should budget for from the start.

The annual report fee

Every year, by the anniversary of formation, your corporation files an annual report through CCFS, and Washington charges a fee for it. This is the price of staying registered and in good standing; skip it and the corporation eventually gets administratively dissolved. It's a modest, fixed cost, but it's non-optional for as long as the corporation exists.

Registered agent service

If you use a commercial registered agent — which most owners do for privacy and reliability — that's a recurring annual cost. If you serve as your own agent with your own Washington address, there's no fee, but you take on the availability requirement and put your address in the public record. The receipt reflects our registered agent pricing if you use ours.

The B&O tax

Separate from any Secretary of State fee, Washington's Business and Occupation (B&O) tax applies to your gross receipts and is paid to the Department of Revenue. This isn't a flat fee — it scales with revenue and varies by business classification — so it's not something the formation receipt can quote. It's a real recurring cost of operating in Washington, and because it's based on revenue rather than profit, it can apply even in unprofitable years. Plan for it with an accountant.

Beyond the standard filings, several costs apply only to some corporations. Knowing which ones might hit you prevents surprises.

Licenses and endorsements

Washington's business licensing runs through the Department of Revenue and can include a state business license plus city endorsements for the localities where you operate. Certain professions and industries require additional state licensing. These vary widely by what you do and where, so they're impossible to quote generically — but they're real, and they're separate from your incorporation.

Foreign qualification

If your corporation was formed in another state and is registering to do business in Washington, the Certificate of Authority filing carries its own state fee, plus you'll usually need a Washington registered agent. This applies only to out-of-state corporations qualifying here.

Amendments and changes

Changing your corporation later — amending the Articles, changing the registered agent, or altering authorized shares — can carry its own filing fees. These are occasional, situational costs, not part of the baseline budget.

It's worth being clear about the costs that don't exist in Washington, because assumptions from other states cause confusion.

No state income or franchise tax

Washington has no corporate income tax and no traditional franchise tax. The B&O tax on gross receipts takes their place. This is genuinely different from most states, where a corporation pays income tax on profit or an annual franchise tax for the privilege of existing. In Washington, your recurring state obligations are the annual report fee and the B&O tax.

No cost to get an EIN

An Employer Identification Number from the IRS is free. If a service quotes a fee "for your EIN," that fee is for the convenience of them filing it, not for the number itself. You can apply directly at IRS.gov in about ten minutes at no cost. We'll tell you plainly whether an EIN is part of a package or something you can do yourself for free.

No hidden fees from us

Our receipt shows the state fee and our service fee as distinct line items, and the amount displayed is the amount charged. We don't inflate the "state fee" and pocket the difference, and we don't bury add-ons in the checkout. If you want to compare against filing directly with Washington, the receipt makes that comparison honest.

A fair way to think about cost is to separate the fees Washington charges, which you pay no matter how you file, from the value of having someone handle the work. Being clear-eyed about both helps you decide what's worth paying for.

What's identical either way

The state filing fee for the Articles of Incorporation, the Initial Report fee, the annual report fee, and the B&O tax are the same whether you file yourself or use a service. Nobody can make Washington's fees cheaper; those are fixed by the state. Filing directly, your out-of-pocket is just those state charges.

What a service actually buys

• The filing done correctly. Getting the designator, authorized shares, and registered agent consent right the first time, so the Articles aren't rejected and refiled.
• The Initial Report handled within the 120-day window instead of forgotten.
• A registered agent with a compliant Washington address, if you'd rather not use your own or don't have one.
• Deadline tracking for the anniversary-based annual report, so the corporation doesn't quietly drift toward administrative dissolution.

For a founder who's comfortable with CCFS and has a Washington address to use, doing it yourself is entirely feasible and costs only the state fees. For someone who wants the paperwork off their plate, a private address, and reminders that keep the entity in good standing, the service fee buys time and peace of mind rather than a cheaper state filing. The receipt on this page lays out exactly which is which.