Protect your business! Don’t be easy prey for crafty sales tactics

Protect your business! Don’t be easy prey for crafty sales tactics

Dolliver with sign

The Secretary of State’s Corporations and Charities Division recently received several calls about a notice to file annual minutes for shareholders, directors, and officers for the princely sum of $125.  In fact, Washington state law does NOT require corporations to file their minutes from their annual meeting.  But these notices look like an official state request and contain language that a filing is needed or required.

Corporations and Charities Division Director Pam Floyd has turned over the information the division has received to the consumer protection arm of the state Attorney General’s Office, who will look into it.  At this point, she recommends that anyone receiving one of these notices, be aware that annual reports, while required annually, only cost $71 and are filed through the Business License Services or our office. If they have received something and are in doubt, they should call our office at 360.725.0377 or visit our web site at www.sos.wa.gov/corps.

Depending on your business structure, you may have different filing requirements with the state.  Please be aware of and maintain your corporate records, consulting with your legal or financial adviser. There are services that can help manage your records requirements, but do your homework and beware of potential scams and business identity thieves.

2 thoughts on “Protect your business! Don’t be easy prey for crafty sales tactics”

  1. We have formed an LLC in WA State on June 23, 2014. Can you answer for me the following questions:
    1. When do I have to conduct a meeting of the officers of our LLC, and what type of information is required to be recorded as minutes?
    2. Do I merely maintain a file of these annual minutes myself, or do they have to be sent in to WA State?
    3. You mention in this website that there is a fee of $71. Is this an annual fee that I must pay to maintain our LLC registration, where do I send/submit this fee, and when is it due each year?

    Thank you.
    Thomas A. Galioto
    President, Galioto Engineering Consulting Services LLC

  2. Hi Thomas – One of our Corporations Division employees has provided these answers to your questions:
    1. Meeting minutes do not need to be filed with a State agency. Those are internal documents kept by the business. LLCs operate a little different than a corporation and have fewer internal requirements. Here are a couple of references that may help Small Business Guide http://www.oria.wa.gov/site/alias__oria/345/default.aspx, and the link to state laws regarding LLCs http://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=25.15
    2.Yes, the meeting minutes for businesses are internal documents and do not require filing.
    3. Each year an LLC is required to file an annual report due the same month as the original filing (anniversary month). The fee is $71 and the annual report is filed by our agent Business Licensing Service http://bls.dor.wa.gov/renewcorp.aspx.

    Let me know if you have other questions. Thanks. – Brian Zylstra, Deputy Communications Director, Office of Secretary of State

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