I have received a number of calls from my business clients about an “official looking” letter from an organization claiming that the individual or business needed to use the services of that organization for purposes of filing annual minutes with the Washington Secretary of State. Please note that this is not an organization affiliated with the Washington Secretary of State and appears to be a scam. See below scam alert notice from the Washington Secretary of State.
There is no requirement to file annual minutes with the Washington Secretary of State. Your corporation’s annual minutes are to be maintained by your business.
Also, the annual renewal fee is currently $71 and can be paid directly through to Washington Secretary of State’s website.
Should you have any questions regarding your corporation or limited liability company and the annual renewal process, then please feel free to review the below information from the Washington Secretary of State or contact my office.
Robert Rowley
CUSTOMER ALERT: Corporate Annual Minutes Form
The Secretary of State’s Corporations and Charities Division is receiving a large number of calls from customers regarding a form received in the mail from the following company:
ANNUAL BUSINESS SERVICES, 1001 COOPER POINT ROAD. SUITE 140 – #143, OLYMPIA, WA 98502
The form looks like an official form, requesting corporate information and payment of $125.
The form does state “ANNUAL BUSINESS SERVICES IS NOT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY AND DOES NOT REPRESENT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY”, and they do not file your information with any State Agency.
What You Should Do
You should ask them what they are doing with your corporate and payment information.
“Annual Minutes” ARE NOT required to be filed with the Secretary of State. They are to be kept by the business. DO NOT confuse these notices with the real annual report notices sent by the Secretary of State, or sent by the Business Licensing Service.
Washington State’s annual renewal fee for profit corporations is $71 when filed through the Business License Service http://bls.dor.wa.gov/ . Nonprofit corporations may file for $10 at the Secretary of State’s office http://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/NonprofitRenewal.aspx .
If you have completed the Annual Business Services form under the impression it was official, you may file a consumer complaint with the Attorney General at http://www.atg.wa.gov/FileAComplaint.aspx.
via CUSTOMER ALERT.