Hiring Washington remote workers alone does not require business registration

Employing a remote worker living in Washington does not alone count as doing business there for business registration purposes. The rule covers businesses and other organizations formed outside Washington that employ a remote worker living in the state. Other activities may still require the employer to register. This rule does not determine whether the employer owes taxes, faces other state rules, or can receive legal papers in Washington.

Organizations formed in Washington must send the secretary of state an initial report. The requirement covers organizations formed under Washington law, including nonprofit corporations and limited liability partnerships. The report must give current information about the organization, its leaders, and its business and contact details. Nonprofit corporations must also include their federal employer identification number and information required by the referenced nonprofit law. The deadline runs from the date the organization’s public formation document takes effect.

Washington’s secretary of state cannot confirm a notary’s signature on a personally created document that can or should be issued as an official certified copy. The rule covers people seeking state confirmation that a notary’s signature on these documents is authentic. The restriction applies when a city, county, or state body can or should issue the document as a certified copy.

The secretary of state records when a business filing arrives and returns a filed copy showing when it was processed. The processing rules cover business and nonprofit filings submitted to Washington’s secretary of state. A registered organization formed outside Washington must include its home jurisdiction’s filed name-change document when reporting a name change. For a refused filing, the office must return it or notify the sender and explain the refusal within 15 business days after receiving it.

The secretary of state collects annual license or renewal fees set by rule and divides the money between state accounts. The allocation covers annual license or renewal fees authorized under the business and nonprofit laws listed in the act. Fee increases made through rules cannot exceed the average two-year increase in service costs, measured by a cost study every two years. The secretary of state’s dedicated fund pays for registration, information services, and other legally authorized office work.