How to Reinstate an LLC in Washington

How reinstatement works in Washington

A Washington LLC that stays Delinquent for 120 days after the Secretary of State's notice date is administratively dissolved. It then has five years from the dissolution date to reinstate under RCW 23.95.615; after that, the option is gone. Reinstatement is done online in CCFS through Reactivate a Business. The cost is $70 for every missed annual report year plus a $140 penalty fee, so one missed year totals $210, and paying $100 more gets expedited handling in about three working days. If the next annual report is less than six months away, the system asks whether to cover the current year too. The filing must confirm the registered agent, principal office, governors, and nature of business. If someone else has taken the name, a name amendment must be filed first. Once accepted, reinstatement relates back to the dissolution date.

Steps to reinstate a Washington LLC

1. Pay the $70 annual report fee for each year a report was not filed
2. Pay the $140 reinstatement penalty fee
3. Confirm a Washington registered agent and a principal office street address with email
4. List current governors and the nature of business
5. File a name amendment first if the LLC's name is no longer available
6. Answer the controlling interest transfer questions
7. Form to use: Reinstatement (Reactivate a Business in CCFS).
8. File online in CCFS by selecting Reactivate a Business and searching by UBI number or name; paper reinstatement forms are also available from the Secretary of State.

Processing: Expedited filings are generally processed within three working days for an extra $100; a standard processing time is not published.

What reinstatement costs: a worked example

An LLC dissolved after missing 2 reports:

$140 penalty fee plus $70 for each missed annual report year; one missed year costs $210, and expedited processing adds $100. Whether late penalties are charged again at reinstatement varies; the state calculates the exact total when you file. Taxes, interest and tax-clearance costs are extra where they apply.

What happens to the LLC and its name

• Effect: Yes. RCW 23.95.615 provides that reinstatement relates back to the effective date of the administrative dissolution, and the LLC continues as if it had never been dissolved, subject to rights of people who relied on the dissolution.
• Your LLC name: The name is not reserved during dissolution; if the name lookup shows it as not available, the LLC must file and complete a name amendment before the reinstatement can be processed.

The most common cause is a missed Annual Report. See the Washington Annual Report guide for deadlines so it does not happen again.

Reinstatement in Washington and nearby states

Mistakes that slow down a Washington reinstatement

• Filing a reinstatement for an LLC that is only Delinquent, when filing the past-due annual report with the $25 fee within 120 days of the notice is enough.
• Starting the reinstatement before checking name availability, since an unavailable name blocks the filing until an amendment is completed.
• Saying no to paying the current year when the next report is less than six months away, then missing that report shortly after reinstating.