On November 13, 2017, the Washington Secretary of State implemented a new filing system for corporate and entity documents. One important consequence of this new system is a change in the way filing dates are assigned. Previously, the date the document was submitted was assigned as the date of filing. Under the new system, the filing date will be the date the filing process is completed, after the submission has been reviewed and approved.
When a specific file date is needed, a good strategy under the new system is to choose one of the expedited processing services offered by the WA Secretary of State to better ensure the file date will meet a particular deadline. The Secretary of State charges $50 per entity for the expedited processing of a document. Documents that are walked in can be processed on a same day basis if expedited, while expedited service requests submitted by mail can be processed in two to five days. Currently routine filing is taking about two weeks. However, with the transition to a new filing system and the usual year-end increase in volume, it is likely that processing times will increase.
As the calendar year comes to a close, it often becomes even more important to ensure formations, withdrawals, mergers and dissolutions are filed by a particular date. Please reach out to your COGENCY GLOBAL client service specialist for more information or assistance with your filings in the state of Washington.
