The process of Legally Closing a LLC in Washington is called Dissolution.  After a Washington LLC has been Dissolved, it ceases to be Legally Active in the Washington Secretary of State's records and may no longer Legally conduct business in the state of Washington.

A Washington LLC is created when the WA Secretary of State approves the Formation Documents - the Articles of Organization.  A record of the Washington LLC is added to the list of LLCs which have officially registered with the Washington Secretary of State.  Once a LLC is registered with the Washington Secretary of State, that LLC immediately has both reporting and tax obligations which incur penalties if the obligations are not met by the required deadlines.

If you've registered a Washington LLC with the Washington Secretary of State and want to cease business activities you have to let the WA Secretary of State know that you intend to close your company.  Only after the WA Secretary of State has made sure that all of the obligations of the Washington LLC have been fulfilled will the Secretary of State approve of the closure of the company.

When the Washington Secretary of State approves the closing of a WA LLC, that Washington LLC is said to be Dissolved.  The process of Dissolving a Washington LLC is called Washington LLC Dissolution.

As soon as a Washington LLC is registered with the WA Secretary of State, that LLC is responsible for recurring obligations of the Washington Secretary of State and the Washington Department of Revenue.  If a Washington LLC does not file its required reports or pay its tax obligations, then that WA Limited Liability Company could be responsible for penalties which compound as time goes by.

Unless you Dissolve (Legally Close) your Washington LLC with the Washington Secretary of State that WA Limited Liability Company will be responsible for all recurring fees and penalties until the company has been legally closed.

Washington LLC Dissolution is one part of a larger process commonly called the "Winding Up" process.

There are things you need to do before you can request approval of LLC Dissolution from the Washington Secretary of State; and things that you have to do after the WA Secretary of State has approved Dissolution of the Washington LLC.

When a Washington LLC is originally created, the Members (owners) may create a document called an Operating Agreement.  The Operating Agreement may include pretty much anything that has to do with running the LLC, including specific requirements which need to be followed before the LLC may be Legally Closed.  Before you do anything else, you should review the Operating Agreement for anything that needs to be done before the Business is Legally Closed.

What you have to do both before and after the Washington LLC is Dissolved largely depends what kind of debts and liabilities that the Washington LLC has.  If the Washington LLC has not commenced business activities then the WA LLC Dissolution process is easier.

1. Hold a Members meeting and record a resolution to Legally Close the Washington LLC
2. File all required Annual Reports with the Washington Secretary of State
3. Clear up any business debts
4. Pay all taxes and administrative fees owed by the Washington LLC

1. Hold a Members meeting and record a resolution to Legally Close the Washington LLC
   
   Washington LLC Dissolution is one part of a larger process commonly called the "Winding Up" process.
   
   A meeting should be held of all Members of the Washington LLC and a vote to Legally Close the Washington Limited Liability Company taken.  There should be a majority of Members who vote Yes to Legally Close the company. A formal date on which the LLC will be closed should be specified.  Minutes of the meeting should be recorded and retained in the business records.  If the Washington LLC does not have any Members then the Organizer(s) have to apply for Dissolution of the Washington LLC.
   
   
   We can transcribe and compile any minutes or approvals into a form that is legally recognized by the Washington Secretary of State.
   
   
2. File all required Annual Reports with the Washington Secretary of State
   
   The Washington Secretary of State will not approve the Dissolution of a WA LLC until all required administrative reports have been filed.
   
   
   We can file any required Annual Reports with the WA Secretary of State quickly and easily.
   
   
3. Clear up any business debts
   
   All creditors of a Washington LLC should be given notice of the pending LLC Dissolution. Each creditor should be given a mailing address to which they may submit claims as well as a deadline by which claims may be submitted.
   
   
4. Pay all taxes and administrative fees owed by the Washington LLC
   
   The Washington Secretary of State will definitely not approve the Dissolution of a Washington LLC until all outstanding taxes and applicable registration and administrative fees have been paid.

1. Distribute all remaining assets of the Washington LLC
2. Close all business bank accounts of the Washington LLC
3. Cancel all local business licenses and permits
4. File Form 966 with the IRS
5. Cancel the IRS account associated with the WA LLC's Federal Tax ID (EIN)
6. Keep Records of all Pertinent Business Documents

1. Distribute all remaining assets of the Washington LLC
   
   If the Washington LLC has any remaining assets, these may be divided according to the Members' ownership interests in the WA Limited Liability Company.  Refer to the Articles of Organization for specific requirements, if any, for asset distribution.  All distributions to LLC Members must be reported to the IRS.
   
   
2. Close all business bank accounts of the Washington LLC
   
   If there are any business bank accounts that have been opened for the Washington LLC then those accounts must be closed.  If any business bank accounts are left open then there may be liability and obligations of the Dissolved Washington LLC which could lead to legal problems down the line.
   
   
3. Cancel all local business licenses and permits of the WA LLC
   
   If the Washington LLC has obtained any state, regional, county or city business licenses or permits, there may be cancellation requirements associated with those licenses or permits.  Each of those must be cancelled to avoid any reporting or fiscal obligations the Washington LLC may have.  This includes business registration licenses as well as reseller permits.
   
   
4. File IRS Form 966
   
   A dissolved Washington LLC may be required to file IRS Form 966 with the US Internal Revenue Service.  If a Washington LLC is required to file IRS Form 966, that filing is required within 30 days after the final Dissolution plan is approved.  Filing IRS Form 966 lets the Federal Government know that the Washington LLC has been legally Dissolved so that it may take the appropriate actions.
   
   
   We can prepare IRS Form 966 for you to file.
   
   
5. Cancel the IRS account associated with the WA LLC's Federal Tax ID (EIN)
   
   A Federal Tax ID, or Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN), is like a Social Security Number for the Washington LLC.  Once the IRS links an EIN to a Washington LLC, that EIN stays with the Washington LLC even after the Company has been Legally Closed by the Washington Secretary of State.
   
   When the IRS processes the final tax return for the Washington LLC, they automatically make the EIN inactive.  However, the account associated with the EIN is not automatically closed.  Closing the account associated with the EIN lessens the likelihood of any problems with the EIN account, or with the IRS, in the future.
   
   If you should decide to revive the Washington LLC down the line then the IRS will reactivate the old EIN for your new Business.
   
   Before a Washington LLC can close an EIN account, it must be in Good Standing with the IRS.  The Washington LLC must have filed all required tax returns and paid any applicable fees and penalties due to the IRS.  The Washington LLC cannot close its EIN account until the IRS has received payment for any tax amounts the Company may owe.
   
   
   We can prepare the formal documents which you can sign and submit to the IRS in order to close the account associated with your EIN.
   
   
6. Keep Records of all Pertinent Business Documents
   
   In order to avoid problems down the line, you should keep copies of all tax filings, contracts and employment records on file as well as Certified Copies of all company documents filed with the Secretary of State.  This includes your Formation Documents - your original Articles of Organization and any Amendments - and all Dissolution douments.

You notify the IRS that your Washington LLC has been Closed on the final tax return that is filed for your Business. 

If you have employees and file taxes quarterly with IRS Form 941, Employers Quarterly Tax Return, check the appropriate box on that form to let the IRS know that your LLC has Closed.  If you file yearly taxes do the same on IRS Form 944, Employers Yearly Tax Return. You should also attach a statement to the return showing the name of the person keeping the payroll records and the address where those records will be retained.

When you opened your Washington LLC you most likely were assigned a Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN).  Once the IRS links an EIN to a LLC, that EIN stays with the LLC even after the Company has been Dissolved.  If you don't plan to reopen your Washington LLC after it has been Closed, you should cancel the EIN account that has been assigned to your Company.

The time it takes to Dissolve a Washington LLC varies depending on how long it takes to complete the actions that are required in each specific case - holding meetings, closing accounts, distributing assets, etc.

Once the initial actions are completed, the Washington Secretary of State usually takes around 4 weeks to process the Certificate of Dissolution.

Processing times for Washington LLC Dissolution filings vary depending on the work load of the Secretary of State's staff.  We've found that normal processing of Washington Dissolution filings takes the state around 4 weeks.

We are dependent on, and have no control over, the staff and systems of the Washington Secretary of State .  In our experience 4 weeks is the time it usually takes the Washington Secretary of State to process a Washington Dissolution filing.  We get your Washington LLC Dissolution filing to the WA Secretary of State as soon as possible after we receive your order.  Once it is at the state we have no control over the Washington Dissolution approval process.

The total cost to Legally Close a Washington LLC varies depending on exactly what is required for each specific WA Dissolution.  We charge $249 plus any state fees for our Washington LLC Dissolution services. This includes:

• Same day processing
• Transcribe minutes of Members meeting which approves Closing the Company
• Prepare and file the Certificate of Dissolution with the Washington Secretary of State
• Prepare US IRS Form 966 for you to sign and file
• Prepare documents to cancel Federal EIN account
• Certified copy of Dissolution filing from WA Secretary of State
• Priority Mail Delivery of all documents
• Unlimited Customer Support

We also offer these Washington LLC Dissolution services separately as explained below.

If there are Foreign Limited Liability Companies in states other than Washington that are tied to the Domestic Washington LLC then each of those Foreign LLCs must be Dissolved before the Washington LLC can be legally Dissolved.

A Washington LLC company name becomes available for anyone to use when the Washington Limited Liability Company is Dissolved by the Washington Secretary of State. There are no LLC company name protections in Washington once a Washington LLC has been Dissolved by the Washington Secretary of State.

There are no state of Washington requirements for the publication of a Notice of Dissolution of a Washington LLC.

While the Washington Secretary of State does not legally require the publication of a Notice of Dissolution of a Washington LLC, publication is a good way to notify anyone who might have a claim against the Washington LLC.  Evidence of publication might prove useful down the line if someone makes a claim against the WA Limited Liability Company after the Washington LLC has been dissolved.