LegalZoom vs Filing Your Own LLC in Washington

Quick facts: Washington

State fee, either way: $180 Certificate of Formation
LegalZoom: $0, $249 or $299 plus state filing fees
ZenBusiness: Starting at $0 plus state fees; registered agent $199/year
Northwest Registered Agent: Registered agent $125 per year
Annual report: $70 per year to the Secretary of State
Expedited filing: $100 per entity

Fees, rules and rates change, often on July 1 and January 1. Verify every item with the responsible agency before you rely on it.

Short answer: Washington charges $180 to file an LLC Certificate of Formation whether you file it yourself or pay a service. LegalZoom starts at $0 plus state fees and sells $249 and $299 packages on top. ZenBusiness starts at $0 plus state fees with a $199 per year registered agent. For a contractor, the DIY filing takes an evening; the services sell convenience and add-ons.

Updated October 12, 2026. Requirements and fees change; confirm with the agency named on this page.

Contractor Lane Startup Roadmap vs LegalZoom LLC formation

What you get	Contractor Lane Startup Roadmap	LegalZoom LLC formation
Files your LLC for you	No, walks you through filing it yourself with the official link	Yes
L&I contractor registration steps	Yes	Not listed on their site
Bond and insurance steps	Yes	Not listed on their site
Tax accounts and business license	Yes	Not listed on their site
Specialty class for your trade	Yes	Not listed on their site
Templates and worksheets through your first paid job	Yes	Not listed on their site
State fee for the LLC	$180, paid by you to the state	Plus state filing fees
Subscription	None, one time	Optional add-on plans listed
Price	$148 one time	$0, $249 or $299 plus state fees

LegalZoom column describes only what LegalZoom publishes on its LLC page, checked October 13, 2026. "Not listed" means we did not find it there. The two products do different jobs: LegalZoom forms the LLC; the Startup Roadmap walks a contractor through every step to the first paid job.

See the Startup Roadmap

The formation services advertise "$0" in big type and the state fee in small type. For Washington that fee is the same no matter who files: "$180" for a domestic LLC, per the Secretary of State fee page. This page shows what each option costs a contractor on top of that, and what you actually get. Prices checked October 13, 2026 on each vendor’s own pricing page. Vendors change prices and plan names without notice; confirm before you buy.

What the state charges, no matter who files

Certificate of Formation: "$180" (the SOS lists the same "Required Filing Fee" for a domestic LLC).
Expedited service: "$100 per business entity", or "$150 per business entity" for same-day.
Annual report: "$70" for profit entities including an LLC, with "an additional $25 delinquency fee" if it goes delinquent.
Initial report: free when filed with the formation, or "for an additional fee" within the first 120 days.

Every service below adds its own price to these.

LegalZoom

Three LLC packages: Basic at "$0+ state filing fees", Managed Service at "$249+ state filing fees" and Expert Service at "$299+ state filing fees". Basic files the Articles of Organization and includes a name check and a tax consult. Managed Service adds an operating agreement, an EIN, a business licenses report and a 30-day advisor; the page says the advisor review is "not an attorney review" and the advisor subscription renews at $49 a month. Expert Service adds an attorney review and a team that renews at ninety-nine dollars a month. The page says most states require a registered agent and LegalZoom "can do it for you," but prints no registered agent price on the LLC page.

ZenBusiness

"Starts at $0 + state fees." The LLC entry includes checking name availability and preparing and filing the Articles of Organization. Registered Agent Service is "$199/year". Plan contents for Starter, Pro and Premium are not printed on the pricing page.

Northwest Registered Agent

Registered agent service is "$125 Per Year". The LLC formation price is not printed on its Washington registered agent page. We compared Northwest with Bizee for Washington contractors here.

What you get for $0 from a service

The same filing you can do yourself on the Secretary of State site, plus a sales funnel. The things a contractor actually needs after formation are the EIN (free from the IRS), the UBI number and state business license (from the Department of Revenue), and the L&I contractor registration with its bond and insurance. No formation service does the L&I step. Our guide on how to get a Washington contractor license is the whole sequence.

When paying a service makes sense

You want a registered agent so your home address stays off the public record. That is a $125 to $199 per year decision, separate from formation. See do you need a registered agent in Washington.
You want an operating agreement and EIN handled in one place and are willing to pay $249 for the convenience.
You have partners and want an attorney to look at the setup. Note that LegalZoom's $249 tier is explicitly not an attorney review.

When DIY is enough

Single-owner contracting LLC, your own address is fine as the registered agent address, no partners. File the Certificate of Formation online with the Secretary of State for $180, get the free EIN from the IRS, then move to the Washington roadmap for the UBI, license and L&I steps in order. Whether an LLC is even the right structure is its own question: sole proprietor vs LLC for Washington contractors.

This guide is general education, not legal advice. Fees and vendor prices change; confirm with the Secretary of State and the vendor before you pay.

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Common questions

How much does it cost to form an LLC in Washington?

The Secretary of State charges $180 for the Certificate of Formation, plus $100 per entity if you want expedited service. The annual report is $70 a year. Formation services add their own fees on top of the $180.

Is LegalZoom worth it for a Washington contractor?

LegalZoom files the same document you can file yourself for $180. Its $0 package is the filing plus a sales funnel; the $249 package adds an operating agreement, EIN and a business licenses report, with a review the page says is not an attorney review. It does not handle L&I contractor registration.

Does a formation service register me as a contractor with L&I?

No. LegalZoom, ZenBusiness and similar services form the entity. The UBI number, state business license, contractor bond, insurance and L&I registration are separate steps you or the roadmap handle.

Sources

Official pages checked on 2026-10-12.

About Contractor Lane

Contractor Lane is built and maintained by working home-service operators. Every legal or numeric claim on this page was checked against the official source listed below on 2026-10-12.

General educational information for contractors. Requirements and fees change. Contractor Lane is not a law firm, CPA, insurance agency, or licensing agency. Verify each item with the responsible agency.