Start a nonprofit · Washington
How to Start a Nonprofit in Washington
Washington files nonprofit articles online, and it sets the fee by revenue: $80 by default, or $40 if the organization certifies that its gross revenue was under $500,000 in its most recent fiscal year. The annual report works the same way, at $60 or $20. The step that gets filings rejected is the dissolution clause. Washington requires a plan for distributing assets, and entries such as N/A or no assets are commonly rejected.
Every fee and rule on this page was checked against the agency's own publication on November 8, 2026. Sources are linked under each item.
At a glance
The Washington requirements in one table.
| Type of entity | A Washington nonprofit corporation under chapter 24.03A RCW, created by filing Articles of Incorporation online through the Secretary of State's Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS). Sources: SOS formation page, SOS fee schedule |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $80 by default, or $40 if you certify that gross revenue was under $500,000 in the most recent fiscal year. An online processing fee is added to either amount. Sources: SOS formation page |
| Expedited service | $100 more, generally processed within three working days. Same-day service is $150. Sources: SOS formation page, SOS fee schedule |
| Registered agent | Required. A commercial agent, or a noncommercial agent with a Washington physical street address (no PO boxes) and an email address. Sources: SOS formation page |
| Initial report | No fee if uploaded with the filing. Filing it later costs $10. Sources: SOS formation page |
| Federal exemption | Form 1023 ($600) or Form 1023-EZ ($275), filed electronically on Pay.gov. Sources: IRS fee page, IRS e-filing notice |
| Annual report | $60 by default, or $20 if gross revenue was under $500,000, due by the last day of the month in which the nonprofit was formed. Sources: SOS annual report page |
The steps
Five steps, in the order they happen.
Choose a registered agent and gather the names.
Every business must designate a Washington registered agent under RCW 23.95.415. You can choose a commercial agent from the search tool. A noncommercial agent needs a Washington physical street address, with no PO boxes or private mailboxes, and an email address. An email address is also required for the principal office.
The articles list the name and address of each initial director and of each incorporator. The incorporator signs the articles, and you must attest that the signatures were obtained.
Sources: SOS formation page
Write the distribution of assets clause carefully.
Washington requires a plan for distributing remaining assets when the corporation dissolves voluntarily. Entries such as N/A or no assets are commonly rejected. If you will seek 501(c)(3) status, use the dissolution language the IRS expects, which is in the Form 1023 instructions.
The name cannot include or end with designations such as incorporated, company, limited or partnership. It must be distinguishable from other registered businesses and should not include individual names.
Sources: SOS formation page
File online and pay.
Log in to CCFS, choose Create or Register a Business, then WA Nonprofit Corporation, and complete the articles. The form asks a required gross revenue certification question. The fee is $80, or $40 if you certify gross revenue under $500,000 in the most recent fiscal year, plus an online processing fee. Expedited service adds $100. If the entity already has a nine-digit UBI from a Washington agency, you enter it. Otherwise one is assigned when the filing succeeds.
Upload the initial report with the filing at no charge, or file it later for $10.
Sources: SOS formation page
Apply to the IRS for 501(c)(3) status.
Forming a Washington corporation does not make it tax-exempt. The federal application is Form 1023, with a $600 user fee, or the shorter Form 1023-EZ, with a $275 user fee, for smaller organizations that pass the eligibility worksheet in the form instructions. Both are filed electronically on Pay.gov, and the IRS returns paper applications. The IRS notes that the amounts can change.
The IRS answers with a determination letter, the written ruling that recognizes the exemption.
Sources: IRS fee page, IRS e-filing notice
Find out whether charity registration applies.
The Secretary of State's formation page asks whether the nonprofit is a charitable nonprofit, but the office cannot help you determine that. It directs you to a legal professional or to RCW 24.03A.010(5). Charity registration is handled separately by the Charities section, and online submission is required under WAC 434-120-035. Its information pages are linked from the Corporations and Charities home page, and the division's phone number there is (360) 725-0377.
Other Secretary of State fees
What else the Secretary of State charges a nonprofit.
These are the nonprofit fees from the Secretary of State's fee schedule under chapter 24.03A RCW. Payments are in US dollars and are not refundable.
After you form
Staying in good standing.
The annual report is the main recurring filing.
File the annual report by the end of the formation month.
The annual report is due by the expiration date, which is the last day of the month in which the nonprofit was first formed, and you can file up to 180 days before that date. The fee is $60, or $20 if the nonprofit certifies that its gross revenue was less than $500,000 in its most recent fiscal year. Expedited processing adds $100. The Secretary of State will not say whether you qualify for the reduced fee or how gross revenue is defined, so check with the person who oversees your finances.
Sources: SOS annual report page
Common questions
Quick answers.
How much does it cost to start a nonprofit in Washington?
The government fees are $40 or $80 to the Secretary of State, depending on the gross revenue certification, plus an online processing fee, plus the IRS user fee, which is $275 for Form 1023-EZ or $600 for Form 1023. That totals between $315 and $680 as of the date this page was verified.
What is the reduced fee in Washington?
The articles cost $40 instead of $80, and the annual report costs $20 instead of $60, if you certify that gross revenue was under $500,000 in the most recent fiscal year.
Why do Washington nonprofit filings get rejected?
The Secretary of State notes that entries such as N/A or no assets for the distribution of assets on dissolution are commonly rejected. Write an actual distribution plan.
Do I need to register as a charity in Washington?
That depends on whether the nonprofit is charitable under RCW 24.03A.010(5). The Secretary of State cannot determine this for you and refers you to a legal professional. Charity registration is a separate online filing with its Charities section.
After the filing
What comes next for a Washington nonprofit.
The state filing is the short part. These are the next four jobs, and the book that handles each.
- Book I
Get the federal application and first-year budget right
The name, bylaws, the IRS application, a founding board and a first-year budget that balances.
- Book X
Start from finished documents
Forty annotated documents, including bylaws, budgets, policies, job descriptions and board papers, as editable Word files.
- Book VII
Build the board on purpose
What a board is for, recruiting for the skills you lack, working with the chair and running meetings that reach decisions.
- Book VIII
Stay in good standing
Charitable solicitation registration, operating in a second state, insurance and annual filings.
The complete set
All ten books and forty documents, $149.
All ten books in PDF and EPUB, plus the forty documents from Book X as editable Word files. The books are not sold separately.
Free when you join the list
Every Document a New Nonprofit Needs
Articles, bylaws, minutes, the exemption application, the policies and the filings: the whole sequence a new organization has to produce, in the order it arrives.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
- Washington Secretary of State, Start a Domestic (WA) Nonprofit Corporation Online
- Washington Secretary of State, Fee Schedules and Priority Services
- Washington Secretary of State, File an Annual Report (Nonprofit 24.03A Only) Online
- Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities
- IRS, Form 1023 and 1023-EZ: amount of user fee
- IRS, Changes to the exempt organization determinations process
Last verified November 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the agency before you file. This page is general information and not legal or tax advice.