Washington Charity Registration Renewal

Q: When is a Washington charity renewal due?

The Washington Secretary of State says the annual Charity Renewal is due by the end of the 11th month after fiscal year end. A calendar-year charity therefore calculates November 30 of the following year.

Calculate the end-of-11th-month deadline

The Secretary of State's current forms page says a Charity Renewal is submitted annually and is due by the end of the 11th month after the fiscal year ends. A December 31 fiscal year therefore points to November 30 of the following year; a June 30 fiscal year points to May 31 of the following year. The renewal may be submitted after the financial information for the reporting period is finalized.

At fiscal year end

Lock the reported year, renewal date, registration number, FEIN, UBI, organization names, filing owner, and financial source.

After financials finalize

Complete the renewal fields, reconcile the financial section, review public contact data, and use the current filing route.

After submission

Monitor filing history until the renewal is officially filed, then save the updated status and renewal date.

Separate annual obligations: Washington charity registration is maintained through an annual Charity Renewal. A Washington nonprofit corporation may also have a separate business-entity annual report. Filing one does not automatically satisfy the other.

Prepare the fields that make a renewal reviewable

The Secretary of State's Charity Renewal instructions say most organization information is pre-populated while the financial information is not. Review every carried-forward field rather than assuming last year's record is still accurate.

Renewal area	What to verify	Practical control
Identity	Legal name, FEIN, 9-digit UBI when applicable, registration number, and every AKA used to solicit	Match the legal name to the connected corporation record and fundraising names to public campaigns.
Federal status	Tax-exempt status and determination letter or group-exemption support	Have the correct organization-level or central-organization evidence ready before filing.
Public contact	Organization email, website, phone, and purpose	Use an actively monitored email because the Secretary of State uses it for notifications.
Financial period	Fiscal year and all requested financial values for that same reporting period	Tie the entry to approved financial records and keep the calculation workpaper.
Organization relationships	Associated corporation or LLC and its jurisdiction	Use the UBI for a Washington entity when the form requires it.

Use the current fee and avoid return reasons

The published charitable-organization fee schedule currently lists $40 for a renewal registration and a $50 late fee for failure to renew by the due date. The Charities Program separately lists common reasons documents are returned: a missing or insufficient fee, missing phone number, omitted IRS determination letter, missing UBI or FEIN, incomplete financial information, and an unsigned or undated form.

Quality check before payment: compare the final renewal against the official return-reason list, then save the exact submitted data and attachments. A fix prompted by a rejection is harder to reconstruct if the original packet was not preserved.

Treat “submitted” and “filed” as different statuses

Search the Charity/Fundraiser/Trust public record by organization name, registration number, FEIN, or UBI. Save the current status and renewal date before filing.
Use the current Charity Renewal route linked from the Secretary of State's forms page. Confirm the live fee and instructions rather than relying on a saved copy.
Save the submission confirmation, payment evidence, and the exact renewal data and attachments.
Open filing history and monitor for staff review, a notice, or a filed-stamped record.
Close the task only after the public record shows the expected current registration status and next renewal date.

The Secretary of State explains that a submission requiring staff review is not officially filed until staff complete the process. The public filing history can show records, notices, certificates, and filed documents, making it the better final checkpoint than a receipt alone.

Official Washington sources

Charities forms and filing routesAnnual renewal purpose, end-of-11th-month deadline, re-registration, amendments, and closures. Charity Renewal instructionsIdentity, tax status, entity relationship, contact, purpose, and renewal-field instructions. Charitable-organization fee scheduleRenewal, re-registration, late, copy, and expedited-service fees. CCFS tools and public-record verificationSearch fields, filing history, current status, renewal date, and submitted-versus-filed distinction.

Washington renewal FAQ

When is a Washington charity renewal due?

The Secretary of State says the annual Charity Renewal is due by the end of the 11th month after fiscal year end. A calendar-year charity therefore calculates November 30 of the following year.

What is the Washington charity renewal fee?

The official fee schedule currently lists $40 for a renewal registration and $50 for failure to renew by the due date. Confirm the live fee before filing.

Is the Washington charity renewal the same as a nonprofit annual report?

No. The Charities Program renewal and the business-entity annual report are separate filings with different records and timing.

What information should a Washington charity review before renewal?

Review the organization name, FEIN, UBI when applicable, solicitation names, federal tax status, connected entity, purpose, public contact information, and requested financial data for one consistent fiscal period.

How does a nonprofit confirm Washington processed the renewal?

Use the Charity/Fundraiser/Trust search and filing history to confirm the current registration status, filed record, and next renewal date. A submission under staff review is not yet the final filed result.

Official sources reviewed August 4, 2026. This operational guide is not legal or tax advice; confirm the current filing route, form, fee, and organization-specific requirements with the Washington Secretary of State.