The Department of Revenue’s Voluntary Disclosure Program encourages unregistered businesses to comply with Washington tax laws and to voluntarily register and pay prior tax obligations. If your business has established substantial nexus in Washington, and is required to register and report taxes according to WAC 458-20-101, we can assist you in becoming compliant.
Businesses can come forward through the Voluntary Disclosure Program by submitting an online application. The "look back" period is generally limited to four years plus the current year. Penalties will either be partially or fully waived and interest will be imposed at the statutory rate. Upon approval into the program, you are required to complete a Business License Application and pay the application fee.
If your business is discovered through the department’s normal investigation, examination, or audit procedures you may be liable for tax, interest, penalties of 39 percent of the tax due, and a “look back” period of seven years plus the current year (WAC 458-20-228 and 458-20-230).
The Voluntary Disclosure Program can offer you the following benefits:
Full statutory interest will still be imposed on all amounts due.
To qualify for full voluntary disclosure benefits a business must have:
If a business that has been or is currently registered discovers it has underreported its tax obligations, it does not qualify for a Voluntary Disclosure Agreement. However, we encourage you to come forward so you can become current with your reporting.
If you are unsure if your business has been previously registered with the Department of Revenue for tax collection purposes, you can go to our Business Lookup and do a search for your business.
To disclose an underreported tax obligation for prior periods, you will need to file an amended return(s). Returns can be amended electronically or by paper. If you have more than one year of periods to amend, submit a summary schedule or spreadsheet of adjustments through My DOR. You can send an "Amended Tax Returns" web message with the schedule or spreadsheet attached.
The department may verify the amended returns you file. In addition, the following penalties may apply to the underreported amounts. For delinquent taxes paid on or after August 1, 2015, new penalty rates apply (9%, 19%, 29%). See our Special Notice - Late Payment Penalties Increase for additional information:
For questions about filing amended returns, contact the Taxpayer Account Administration Division at 360-705-6215.
If our records indicate your business was previously contacted by the department in an effort to determine your registration and reporting requirements, or regarding other enforcement issues, you will not qualify for the Voluntary Disclosure Program. (WAC 458-20-228 (5)(a)(iii)).
Contact could include, but is not limited to: a phone call or written correspondence inquiring about your registration status, a request to complete the Washington Business Activities Questionnaire, or a notification of audit or examination.
If you have unregistered affiliates, subsidiaries, or related entities that are required to register and report, they are encouraged to come forward through the Voluntary Disclosure Program. A separate application must be filed for each business entity.
If the department has contacted you for enforcement purposes (e.g., a phone call, written correspondence, etc.) and has asked for information regarding any affiliates and related entities, then they, too, are considered to have been contacted and would not qualify for the program. It does not matter whether the affiliates or related entities were identified by name.
A contact with a business is considered a contact with a business’ affiliates and related entities if 1) the contact is for enforcement purposes, 2) the contact makes it clear that it is intended to reach both the business and its affiliates and related entities; and 3) the contact requires the business and its affiliates and related entities to take action(s) in response to the contact.
The term “affiliate” means a person that is “affiliated” with another person; and “affiliated” means under common control; and “control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of more than 50 percent of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person, whether through the ownership of voting shares, by contract, or otherwise. Under these definitions, “affiliates” would include “subsidiaries.” (RCW 82.04.29005; RCW 82.04.645).
At the time of application you will be asked to disclose the business name and contact information so we can verify your eligibility. However, there is still an option to come forward anonymously.
If you choose to apply anonymously you must disclose the business identity within 15 calendar days of the application date. You are afforded protection from discovery by the department for this period of time only.
The department will send a reminder email to you after submitting the application. If you do not disclose your name and contact information by the 15th day, your application will not be approved and you will need to re-submit an application. If discovered by the department before you reapply, any tax and interest owed could be subject to an extended look back period of seven years plus the current year as well as penalties of up to 39 percent of the tax due. For delinquent taxes paid on or after August 1, 2015, new penalty rates apply (9%, 19%, 29%).
To work with a third party representative, you must provide a completed Confidential Tax Information Authorization (CTIA) at the time of disclosure in order for the department to correspond with them regarding your confidential taxpayer information.
All requests for voluntary disclosure must be submitted through the department’s online application. You will receive a confirmation that your application has been received.
If the department has determined that you meet the voluntary disclosure qualifications, you will be approved for the program. The department will prepare a Voluntary Disclosure Agreement which must be signed and returned to the department within 30 calendar days of the original application date. If you do not return the signed agreement within 30 days, your application will not be approved and any tax and interest owed could be subject to an extended look back period of seven years plus the current year as well as penalties of up to 39 percent of the tax due.
Once the signed agreement is timely returned, the department will sign the agreement and return a copy to you.
Find a copy of a sample agreement here.
After a formal agreement is signed and returned to the department, you will receive instructions for registering your business and will be asked for information to determine your tax liability. Below is a sample of the steps you may be requested to complete:
Once your tax liability has been determined the department will prepare a tax assessment with penalties, if applicable, and interest. You will be sent a draft copy of the assessment for review. The assessment will then be submitted for processing and you will receive an invoice. Full payment must be received according to the payment instructions on your invoice. Additional interest and late payment penalties will accrue if the assessment is not paid in full by the due date.
In the event your application was not approved, you will receive an explanation from the department along with further instructions.
If you would like more information about our Voluntary Disclosure Program, please contact us by:
The information obtained from your application will be used by the department to determine your eligibility for the Voluntary Disclosure Program as well as to respond directly to you regarding your desire to comply with Washington's tax law. The department will maintain confidentiality of the information, as well as any Voluntary Disclosure Agreement, as provided in RCW 82.32.330. For more information please review our Privacy Statement.