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Washington is one of the states with a real state level business license. It is issued by the Business Licensing Service, which sits inside the Department of Revenue. The Secretary of State handles the entity, and Revenue handles the license and the tax account. This page follows Revenue's apply for a business license page and its licensing and renewals FAQ.
Do you need a Washington business license?
Register with Revenue and get a license if any of these apply:
- Your business requires city, county or state endorsements.
- You do business under a name other than your full legal name.
- You plan to hire employees within the next 90 days.
- You sell a product or provide a service that requires collecting sales tax.
- Your gross income is $12,000 per year or more.
- Your business must pay taxes or fees to Revenue.
- You buy or process specialty wood products.
- Your business meets the nexus threshold reporting requirements.
The trade name trigger matters for an LLC. See Washington DBA, because trade names are also registered with Revenue.
What comes first, the LLC or the license?
A Washington domestic corporation, partnership, LLC or LLP must file with the Secretary of State before it files the Business License Application. Our Washington LLC guide covers that step. Then you apply to Revenue.
How do you apply, and how long does it take?
Start with the Business Licensing Wizard. It lists the agencies to contact and the endorsements you may need, then lets you apply online in your My DOR account. You can also download the forms and mail them.
- Online: about 10 business days.
- With city or state endorsements: two to three weeks more for approval.
- By mail: up to six weeks.
You receive a UBI number, a business license, and information from Revenue about sales tax and business and occupation tax. If you plan to hire, Labor and Industries and the Employment Security Department send their own reporting information.
What does it cost?
The base fee depends on your situation, and Revenue says to follow its instructions to work it out. We did not find a single number to quote, so we leave it out. Each endorsement adds a fee, and Revenue publishes city, county and state endorsement lists with their prices.
How do you renew?
If your license carries city or state endorsements, you renew it each year. The expiration date is printed in the upper right corner, and each endorsement may have its own date. Revenue sends a courtesy reminder a month before. You can renew online up to two months early, or call for a paper form. A renewal that is not completed by the expiration date incurs penalty fees. The renewal is due on that date whether or not the reminder reaches you. If your mailing address changed and the notice never came, contact the Business Licensing Service rather than waiting.
Where do you check a Washington license?
Revenue's Business Lookup has a general business license search. The FAQ says the tax account name may differ from the license name, and not every business has a tax account. It also points to the Secretary of State's corporations data for LLC names. See our business license lookup guide and state tax ID lookup.
For neighbors, see Oregon and Idaho. This page does not cover specific endorsements, city fees or licenses from other agencies.