Professional Washington LLC

Washington PLLC

A PLLC, or Professional LLC, is a business entity option for companies that provide professional services. The state of Washington restricts some professionals from forming a traditional LLC. Instead, a person or a group of people who want to provide a professional service, like a dentistry or counseling, must form a PLLC.

A PLLC is formed by filing a Certificate of Formation of a Professional LLC with the Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division and paying the $200 filing fee.

Check out our step-by-step guide to forming a PLLC below!

Do I need a PLLC in Washington?

According to Washington law, certain licensed professionals are required to form a PLLC (rather than an LLC) in Washington. If you’re trying to determine whether an LLC or PLLC is right for your business, the Washington Secretary of State has a comprehensive list of state-regulated professional licenses. If the service you want to provide is on this list, you will need to form a PLLC.

Most medical services are required to form a PLLC or Professional Corporation, but so are a lot of other professions that are regulated by a state licensing board. Some other professions on the list include:

• Appraisers
• Cannabis (Growers, Distributors)
• Commercial Shellfish and Fishing
• Egg Handler/Dealers
• Embalmers
• Hospice Agencies
• Insurance (Adjusters, Agents, Brokers)
• Midwives
• Pesticide Dealers
• Real Estate (Agents, Brokers, Educators, Firms)
• Talkie-Tooters (Logging Radios)
• Whitewater River Outfitters

This list does not include every professional license on the Washington Secretary of State’s radar. The state has put together a Business and Professional Licensing Contacts directory that makes it easy to find the contact information for the government agency that issues and regulates your professional license.

Get a registered agent for your Washington PLLC

Just like domestic and foreign LLCs, Washington PLLCs are required to appoint a Washington Registered Agent. Your registered agent is the primary monitor of your compliance with state law. When you hire Washington Commercial Registered Agent LLC, we track your compliance deadlines to make sure your business stays in good standing with the state.

Why hire a Washington registered agent?

Some people aren’t bothered if their personal information is in the public record for everybody to see.

Not us.

Washington is a modern state that keeps with the times. The state has made it super easy to file digitally, but that also means it’s pretty easy for people to find your private information online.

As your Washington Registered agent, we help keep your private information out of public records. Our service includes:

• Use of our address on state paperwork
• Instant access to your business documents in your online account
• Real time document delivery
• Washington Business Presence, complete with domain name, SSL-secured website, business email addresses, and phone service.

Hire Washington Commercial Registered Agent! | $59/year

Washington PLLC vs. Washington LLC: What’s the difference?

The biggest difference between a PLLC and a traditional LLC in Washington is that a PLLC has stricter state regulations than an LLC. The professional services PLLCs provide tend to be high-liability services that require a state license and more liability protection than your average LLC.

Washington only allows licensed professionals (within that specific field) to be members of the PLLC, and all of the professionals in the PLLC must have the same license. (For example, a dentist and a surgeon cannot be members of the same PLLC.) If you’re forming your PLLC with other professionals, this business structure can protect you from claims of malpractice against them. It does not protect you from any claims of malpractice brought against you.

Both a Washington LLC and PLLC are considered “pass through” entities. This means your PLLC’s income will “pass through” to you and the other members, and you’ll report it on your personal tax return.

How to Get a Washington PLLC

If the professional service you want to provide is required to form a PLLC, here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Apply for the necessary professional licenses in Washington

PLLCs are regulated a lot more closely than Washington LLCs. One important requirement is that you will need to obtain and maintain the correct professional license with the state. The process of getting a professional license in Washington varies depending on your profession, but acquiring a license typically involves specific education and training, as well as meeting other licensing requirements.

Check out the Washington State Department of Licensing’s website for more information about which professions require a license and how you can qualify.

2. File a Certificate of Formation of a Professional LLC

Once you and the other professional members of the PLLC are licensed, you can file your company’s Certificate of Formation of a Professional LLC with the Washington Secretary of State. You will need to include the following information:

1. UBI number
2. Company name (must include one of the following designations: Professional Limited Liability Company, Professional Limited Liability Co., P.L.L.C., or PLLC)
3. Period of duration (can be perpetual, a specific number of years, or expire on a specific date)
4. Effective date (can be the date of filing or a specified date within 90 days of when the filing was received)
5. Registered agent name, phone number, email address, addresses (street and mailing), and signature
6. PLLC’s principal office address
7. Return address for filing (where the state will send confirmation of your PLLC’s formation)
8. Executor contact information and signature

Once complete, you can file your Certificate of Formation either online using the WA Secretary of State’s online filing system, or via regular mail or in-person delivery.

Mail to:

Washington Secretary of State
Corporations & Charities Division
P.O. Box 40234
Olympia, WA 98504-0234

Deliver in-person to:

801 Capitol Way S
Olympia, WA 98501-1226

The Certificate of Formation costs $200 to file online and $180 to file by mail or in-person. Filings usually take 2-4 weeks to process, but for an extra $100 you can expedite the filing so that you get it in 3 days.

3. File the Washington Initial Report

The state of Washington requires all new businesses to file an initial report either with the original formation paperwork (Certificate of Formation) or as a separate filing within 120 days of formation. If you file the report with your Certificate, it won’t cost you anything extra. If you wait, there’s an additional $10 filing fee.

The report requires contact information about the members or your PLLC, as well as other basic information about your company:

• The name of your PLLC (as recorded with the Washington SOS)
• UBI number
• Your registered agent’s name and addresses (street and mailing)
• The addresses (street and mailing) of your PLLC’s principal office
• The names of the PLLC’s members and/or managers
• A brief description of your business purpose
• An authorized signature