How to Verify a Notice is from the Secretary of State
Quickly recognizing a Third-Party Solicitation
We want to help you quickly determine whether the notice you received is an official notice from our office.
❌ If you answer NO to any of these questions, the notice received is not from our office.
Does the notice include our official Division logo?
Does the sender's email address end in '.GOV'?
Do the fees quoted seem high or differ from our filing fees?
Is the notice sending you to a website that doesn't end in '.GOV'?
❌ If you answer Yes to any of these questions, the notice received is not from our office.
Does the notice use language like "Immediate", "Final Notice", "penalty", or "legal action" without prior contact?
Was the notice a text message?
Was the caller's area code not in Washington State?
Does the notice contain a payment link that doesn't end in '.GOV,' or does it request payment using gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other unusual methods?
Does the notice have a QR code?
Still not sure?
Follow each step below, in order to determine if you are receiving an official notice from our office.
Step 1: Consider the timing of the notice
Confirm whether the timing of the notice aligns with official communication from our office. We issue notices per RCW 23.95.255(7) based on your business entity’s expiration date, which you can verify for free in our filing system using the link provided in the next step. Official notices are sent according to the following schedule:
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Annual Report Due Date: Sent on the 1st of the month before your anniversary month (about 60 days prior to expiration).
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Delinquency Notice: Sent on the 1st of the month after the expiration date if the annual report hasn’t been filed. Submitted reports remain pending until processed by our office.
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Administrative Dissolution: Sent 120 days after the expiration date to domestic entities without a filed annual report (commonly sent around the 3rd of the month).
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Statement of Termination: Sent 90 days after the expiration date to foreign entities without a filed annual report.
If a notice is received outside of this timeline, it is most likely not from our office.
Step 2: Verify information on public record in our system
By following the steps outlined on our Online Filing page, you can verify your corporation's (business entity's) public record. This verification will allow you to confirm your business registration, structure, current status, filing history, and expiration date.
Click here to verify your official status on public record.
If you received a notice other than a correction letter, it will be on record in your filing history.
Click here to check if the notice is in your filing history.
Step 3: Read the fine print
Third Party Solicitors must inform the recipient that action through them is not mandatory and that they can file with our office.
It might be easy to miss, read all language provided in the notice.
What if it doesn't have this statement but is not from your office?
If you’ve determined that the notice is not from our office and it does not include this statement, you may report the solicitation by following the instructions in the Next Steps section below.
Next Steps
Filing a Complaint
- If you are already on the Federal/FTC do not call list, you may file a report or complaint with the FTC here.
- If you are not part of the do not call list, you can join the National Do Not Call Registry here.
- this is a two-step process; you will have to register and then open the email to activate.
- this is a two-step process; you will have to register and then open the email to activate.
If you feel the third-party solicitor is operating in a deceptive or illegal manner, you may contact the Consumer and Business Fair Practice Division of the State Attorney General's Office through the below methods.
- 1-800-551-4636
- TDD: 1-800-276-9883
- File a formal complaint online
Other related pages and resources
For more information on notices outside our office, please click the links below.