How To Form A Company In Washington

With our 5-step process, forming a company in Washington State is simple. A company may be formed by submitting formation paperwork with your state and forming a board of directors.

We’ll teach you how to form your own company in Washington.

In Washington, it is simple to form a corporation.

In Washington, you may form a company by submitting the Certificate of Incorporation, drafting corporate bylaws, and naming your first director (s).

To get started, follow the steps in our How to Start a Corporation in Washington tutorial below:

Step 1: Give Your Washington Corporation a Name

Step 2: Select a Registered Agent.

Hold an Organizational Meeting in Step 3

Step 4: Submit your Articles of Incorporation.

5th: Submit the Washington Initial Report

Step 6: Obtain an EIN

Step 1: Give Your Washington Corporation a Name

The first step in forming a company is to choose a business name. You must choose a distinct name that conforms with Washington company naming regulations.

1. Washington naming conventions:

Your name must include the words “corporation,” “company,” “incorporated,” or “limited,” or an abbreviation of one of these phrases, or words or abbreviations with the same meaning in another language.

Any of the following words or phrases are not permitted in your name: bank, banking, banker, trust, cooperative, any combination of the words “industrial” and “loan,” any combination of any two or more of the words “building,” “savings,” “loan,” “home,” “association,” and “society,” or any other words or phrases prohibited by any Washington state statute.

Your name must be distinct from any other current company in the state. This covers reserved names in Washington.

2. Is my business name accessible in Washington?

Your Washington company name must be distinct and distinct from other Washington business names. To see whether your selected company name is available, visit the Washington Corporations and Charities Division’s website.

Visit our How to Name a Business guide and pick Washington from the drop-down box for additional information on Washington corporation name searches.

3. Is the URL accessible?

Before forming your Washington company, check to see whether an appropriate URL for your selected business name is accessible. Even if you don’t intend to create a company website right immediately, we recommend purchasing a web domain right away to avoid other companies from obtaining it.

Step 2: Select a Registered Agent in Washington.

When you file your company with the Secretary of State, you must choose a Washington registered agent.

What exactly is a Registered Agent? A registered agent is a person or organisation chosen by an LLC or corporation to accept service of process, government communications, and compliance paperwork on behalf of a company.

Who Is Eligible to Be a Registered Agent? An person, a corporate organisation, or a professional registered agent service may serve as your registered agent. Any member of the company or an individual may act as your Washington agent for serving of process as long as the individual:

is at least 18 years old

has a physical address in the state where business is done

is accessible during regular business hours (in person).

Step 3 Hold an Organizational Meeting

Before filing the Articles of Incorporation formally in Step 4, you must conduct an organisational meeting to perform the following tasks:

Complete and sign the Articles of Incorporation.

Establish and approve bylaws

Choose your first director (s)

Determine your ownership structure.

Fill out an Incorporator’s Statement.

Establish and Approve Corporate Bylaws

Bylaws are the rules that regulate and control how your organisation is governed and operated. Consider the bylaws to be your corporation’s constitution. It clarifies the norms and priorities for all parties involved.

The bylaws of a company will augment any regulations established by the federal government or the state.

Include the following in your bylaws:

The governance of the company, including the roles of directors and officials

Meeting processes, voting procedures, and the election of executives or directors

How will records be preserved and managed?

How will disagreements be resolved?

How bylaws will be added/amended in the future

The annual shareholder meeting date

Contract Negotiation Techniques

Fiduciary responsibilities to the company (i.e. acting in the best interests of the corporation)

What is a quorum for voting purposes?

What exactly is a quorum? A quorum is the minimal number of members who must be present at a meeting in order for the meeting’s actions, including any votes, to be legitimate.

Appoint the First Directors

At least one director must be appointed to monitor your Washington company until the first shareholder meeting.

A corporate director is in charge of operational bylaw adoption, modification, and repeal, as well as the election, monitoring, and removal of officers.

Following the incorporation of the company, the incorporator(s) — or initial director(s), if listed on the formation papers — shall convene an organisational meeting. During this inaugural meeting, either the incorporator(s) or the initial director(s) will elect the board of directors.

Selecting a Share Structure and Strategy

A share of stock is a corporation’s unit of ownership. Each share of stock reflects a proportion of the company’s ownership. If a business issues one share of stock, the shareholder (stock owner) owns 100% of the corporation.

Shares may be divided into classes. Each class, known as a share class, has unique rights and advantages. There may be several classes, and each class can have an unlimited number of shares.

The Articles of Incorporation form in Washington enables you to choose whether the company will issue ordinary or preferred shares.

Preferred stock does not offer its shareholders voting rights, although common stock does. Preferred shareholders are compensated before regular stockholders when it comes to corporate assets.

NOTE: We suggest that you begin with a large number of authorised shares. Many lawyers advocate for a million dollars. Starting with a large number allows you to issue shares as required without incurring legal expenses to enhance your original permitted share size.

Make and implement an Incorporator’s Statement

The incorporator(s) shall sign and preserve an Incorporator’s Statement with the full names and addresses of all initial directors in the corporate records book.

The first director(s) named in this agreement will serve until the board of directors is chosen at the first shareholder meeting. It should be kept with the rest of your company’s records.

Step 4: Submit the Articles of Incorporation to the State of Washington.

To form a company in Washington, you must submit the Washington Articles of Incorporation. The Articles of Incorporation are the legal documents that establish your Washington company. You may submit it with the Washington Secretary of State by mail or online. The fee for submitting is $180.

This paper will address the fundamentals of your company, such as:

Name and address of the corporation

UBI (Unified Business Identifier) number (if already issued)

Name, signature, and address of the corporate registered agent

The maximum number of shares that a company may issue.

Date and duration of incorporation

Name(s) and address of incorporator(s) (es)

The Articles of Incorporation form in Washington enables you to choose whether the company will issue ordinary or preferred shares.

Preferred stock does not offer its shareholders voting rights, although common stock does. Preferred shareholders are compensated before regular stockholders when it comes to corporate assets.

Step 5: Submit the Washington Initial Report

Your company must submit an Initial Report within 120 days of its establishment date. The filing price is $10, or it may be included with your Articles of Incorporation at no extra charge. Each year after that, you must submit an annual report.

Step 6 Get an EIN for Your Washington Corporation

What exactly is an EIN? The federal government uses an Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Federal Tax Identification Number (FTIN) to identify a company organisation. It is effectively the company’s social security number.

Why do I need an EIN? An EIN is necessary for the following activities:

To establish a commercial bank account for the firm

In terms of federal and state taxation

To recruit workers for the firm

How can I get an EIN? After founding the firm, the business owner obtains an EIN from the IRS (free of charge). This may be done online or in the mail.