Washington Nonprofits State Tax Overview

- Updated April 21, 2023 - 8.00 AM - Admin, ExpressTaxExempt

Read through this page to explore everything related to the State of Washington's registration and reinstatement process of charity organizations.

To offer a comprehensive understanding, we have listed the filing methods the Washington state accepts, details of the form to file, how an organization can extend its filing deadline, the penalty imposed, and other links to important resources.

1. Registrations and Reinstatements of Nonprofit Corporations for Washington

Registrations of Nonprofit Corporations in Washington

  • The ‘articles of Incorporation’ is the document that creates the corporation. If your organization is going to apply for a corporation, it needs to meet both the state requirements for a nonprofit corporation as well as federal tax law requirements to qualify as a 501(c)(3) organization.
  • To plan for fundraising events from the public, the Washington Secretary of State requires your organization to register with the ‘Charities Program’. This registration with the ‘Charities program’ is a separate form in addition to filings with the corporate law. Please visit the ‘charities program’ to review the registration requirements and forms.
  • Registration with the Charities Program is separate from filings required under corporate law and needs to be filed along with it. Visit the Charities Program to review the registration requirements and registration forms.

Filing Fee to register as a Nonprofit Corporations in Washington

The filing fee for the registration of Nonprofit Corporations is, for Online $50 and for Paper $30.

Mailing Address for filing the registration statement

Mailing Address
Office of the Secretary of State Corporations & Charities Division
PO Box 40234
Olympia, WA 98504-0234

Reinstatement of Nonprofit Corporations in Washington

  • Failure to file an initial or annual report can lead to the dissolution of the corporation in Washington, apart from other reasons.
  • If your Washington Nonprofit Corporation was administratively dissolved you can file the reinstatement/reactivation paperwork. You can do this over online or by creating a user account, logging in, and selecting Reactivate Business in the new Corporations and Charities Filing System (CCFS).
  • Washington profit corporations, LLCs, and LPs are required to pay a reinstatement fee of $140 plus all delinquent fees. The reinstatement fees for a Washington nonprofit is $35 plus all delinquent fees.

2. Annual Reports and Filing Instruction for Nonprofits in Washington

Annual returns can be filed Online or by Paper. The filing fee for both is $10.

Mailing Address for filing the Annual Report

Mailing Address
Office of the Secretary of State Corporations & Charities Division
PO Box 40234
Olympia, WA 98504-0234

Deadline to file Annual Report for Washington

  • The deadline to file an annual report is on the last day of the organization’s incorporation month. A reminder will be sent to the registered agent at least 30 days before the required filing date. For example, an incorporation date of March 3, 2020, would have an annual report filing date of March 31, 2020.

Penalties for late filing of Annual Report for Washington

  • Failure to file this annual report by your expiration date will result in a $25 delinquency fee and may result in administrative dissolution.

E-File Form 990-N (e-Postcard), 990-EZ, 990, 990-PF, 1120-POL, 8868
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