How to form an LLC in Washington DC (2026)

What are the steps to form an LLC in D.C.?

Washington, D.C. is a federal district, not a state, but its LLC steps run much like a state's. DLCP handles the name, the formation filing and the biennial report.

The District's tax office handles the franchise tax. Each step's form and fee is listed below.

1. Check that your LLC name is available with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), Corporations Division. You can reserve a name for $50.
2. Name a registered agent in Washington DC: a person or company with a Washington DC address who accepts legal papers for the LLC.
3. File the Articles of Organization (Form DLC-1) with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), Corporations Division. The state fee is $99.00. Filing methods: Online (BOSS, formerly CorpOnline), by mail or walk-in.
4. Wait for approval: Within 5 business days for non-expedited online filings. Faster options: $50 for 3-day service; $100 for 1-day service (by end of next business day).
5. File the recurring report (Biennial Report): due every two years, by April 1 (biennial report; first report due April 1 of the year after formation), fee $300.00.

Two of these steps carry District rules worth reading before you file. Any address a filing gives for the registered agent must be a street address in the District (D.C. Code §§ 29-104.03, 29-104.04), so an address in nearby Maryland or Virginia won't work. And the first report is due by April of the calendar year after formation, which can be only a few months away for an LLC formed late in the year.⁵

If you would rather hire a formation service than file yourself, the ranked list of LLC services for D.C. adds the District's fees to each plan.

How do you check or reserve an LLC name in the District?

An owner who wants to hold a name before filing can reserve it with DLCP for $50. DLCP's fee page lists the reservation price but doesn't publish how long a reservation lasts.²

A reservation is optional. It suits an owner who has picked a name but still needs time to settle who the members are or who will act as agent.

Who can be a registered agent for a D.C. LLC?

A District LLC can name a commercial registered agent, a noncommercial registered agent, or an officer or employee designated to accept legal papers (D.C. Code §§ 29-104.03, 29-104.04). Where the filing states an address, it must be a street address in the District.⁵

Going without an agent in the District for 60 days is a ground for administrative dissolution.⁶

The registered agent is the person or business that receives lawsuits and official notices for the LLC. D.C. law treats commercial and noncommercial agents differently. When the agent is a commercial registered agent, the filing gives only the agent's name. When it is a noncommercial agent, such as an owner or a friend, the filing gives that person's name and District address.

The address rule shapes the choice. An owner who lives in Maryland or Virginia can't list a home address, because the law asks for a street address in the District. That owner needs a District office, a person in the District, or a commercial agent.

Some services name the District in their coverage. Northwest Registered Agent lists agent offices in every state plus D.C. and Puerto Rico and sells its agent service at $125 per year. InCorp Services lists coverage of every state plus DC, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and charges $129/year. The registered agent guide explains what the agent does day to day, and the Northwest pricing page and the InCorp pricing page list each provider's prices.^{7, 8, 9, 10}

How do you file the Articles of Organization, and how long does DLCP take?

You file Form DLC-1 online through BOSS, formerly CorpOnline, by mail, or as a walk-in, and DLCP processes standard online filings within 5 business days. For mail filings, DLCP doesn't publish a processing time.^{1, 3}

DLCP's fee table names the same filing a "Certificate of organization", which is why you may see both names. The portal itself is recent: DLCP's form page notes that the new BOSS system launched August 10, 2026, so older guides that point to CorpOnline describe the system it replaced.¹

Expedited review in the District

DLCP sells two faster tiers on top of the $99.00 filing fee.²

1. $50 for 3-day service.³
2. $100 for 1-day service, which DLCP describes as finished by end of next business day.³

Mail filers have fewer choices. DLCP notes that expedited service may be limited or not available for mail-in filings. Walk-in filings pay the $100 expedite fee, per DLCP. So online filing is the one route where DLCP publishes both a standard processing time and both paid tiers.³

A formation service's stated speed is its own preparation time. DLCP's review starts once the filing reaches it, and only DLCP's expedite tiers shorten that part. The LLC timeline guide separates the two waits, and the fastest stated filing list compares what providers publish.

What does a D.C. LLC cost in its first and second year?

In year one a District LLC pays the $99.00 filing fee plus any plan or expedite fee you choose. Year two adds the $300.00 biennial report, even for an owner who files alone.²

The table puts each provider's compared plan next to those District fees. Rows follow our rating, with ties in our editorial order; how we rate explains the rating.

First year: state filing fee plus the provider's compared plan. Second year: the recurring state fee plus the plan's renewal, if it renews.

Totals are our arithmetic on the published figures. Registered agent renewals are extra unless a plan includes the agent. Try other plans in the calculator.

Every row has a second-year total, because the report fee is a flat figure. An LLC formed this year owes its first report by April of next year, and the report after that is due by April 1st of each 2nd calendar year thereafter, so the year after the first report has no DLCP report fee at all. A plan that renews yearly keeps billing in that off year.⁴

Plan billing drives most of the gap between providers. Inc Authority Free LLC totals $99 in year one and $300 in year two, both District fees only, but its included agent renews at $249/year after the first year, which the table leaves out. Northwest Registered Agent totals $138 and then $300. Tailor Brands Elite bills yearly, so it reaches $348 and then $549. Read Inc Authority's profile and Tailor Brands' profile for what each plan covers.¹¹

The franchise tax described below is not in the table. It depends on the LLC's income, so no single figure can be added. To try your own plan and expedite mix, use the LLC cost calculator, and the national LLC cost guide compares the District with other places.

What does a D.C. LLC owe after it is formed?

A District LLC files a Biennial Report with DLCP for $300.00, with the first report due April 1 of the year after formation and later reports due by April 1st of each 2nd calendar year thereafter. It may also owe the District's unincorporated business franchise tax, filed with the tax office rather than DLCP.^{2, 3, 4}

The biennial report

DLCP describes the report as the place to update the LLC's address, registered agent information, purpose and beneficial owner information. The D.C. Code also asks for the entity's addresses and the name of at least one governor. So the report names at least one person as well as addresses.³

A late report adds a $100 late fee to the filing fee. Missing it for longer puts the LLC at risk: the D.C. Code makes it a ground for administrative dissolution when the report is still undelivered 5 months after it is due. Reinstatement after an administrative dissolution costs $300.²

Some services sell annual report filing for a fee. Northwest Registered Agent lists its service at $100 + state fees, and InCorp Services at $89 + state fees; neither page names the District's biennial report, so confirm it is covered. Either fee comes on top of the District's $300.00. The annual report guide explains how these services differ from simple reminders.^{2, 12, 13}

The unincorporated business franchise tax

The District taxes many unincorporated businesses, and its tax booklet lists LLCs among them. The rate published for tax years 2018 to 2025 is 8.25% of net income, with a $250 minimum, or $1,000 if D.C. gross receipts exceed $1 million. An LLC with gross income of $12,000 or less doesn't owe it.¹⁴

The tax office's rate page lists those years with no 2026 rate shown, so check the current figure before you budget. What an LLC owes depends on its income, which makes it a question for an accountant, not a formation service.¹⁴

How do you change a registered agent in D.C.?

You change a District LLC's agent by filing Form RA-3, the Statement of Change of Registered Agent, with DLCP. The fee is $50.00.^{2, 15}

Order the steps so the LLC is never without an agent. The D.C. Code makes it a ground for administrative dissolution when an LLC fails to have a registered agent in the District for 60 days. Name the new agent first, then cancel the old service.⁶

An agent can also step down on its own. Its resignation takes effect on the 31st day after DLCP files the statement of resignation, or earlier if a new agent is designated, and the agent must promptly tell the LLC the date it was filed. That notice is the LLC's cue to file Form RA-3 naming a new agent. The guide to cancelling or switching a service covers the provider side of a switch.^{15, 16}

What if your LLC was formed outside the District?

An LLC formed outside the District registers to do business in D.C. by filing a foreign registration statement with DLCP for $220. This guide doesn't cover the statement's agent questions, so read DLCP's form first.²

That fee is higher than the $99.00 cost of forming a new District LLC. Whether to register an existing company or form a new one depends on where the business is based and taxed, so ask an accountant or lawyer. The Maryland LLC guide and the Virginia LLC guide cover the neighboring states. The foreign LLC guide compares registration fees, and the state fees table compares formation and report fees.²