Download the editable budget workbook.
Checked October 18, 2026; existing-asset reconciliation added at 11:20 AM Pacific. USD. This is a planning budget, not a bill, paid receipt, registration certificate or statement that the business is fully cleared for every activity.
The $60–$300 generic new-infrastructure allowance was removed from the remaining budget. Future renewal/usage costs are unpriced, not assumed permanently zero. The .org domain is an owned internet address; it does not itself establish a nonprofit or tax-exempt legal entity.
| Budget | Amount | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| WA opening application + one trade name | $55.00 | $50 + $5, assuming a genuinely new first-location application and no duplicate prior filing |
| Seattle first-year certificate | $36.50 or $73.00 | Half fee only for a qualifying actual July 1-or-later business start, not merely a late filing |
| Government opening-fee subtotal, current sole-proprietor path | $91.50–$128.00 | Excludes payment/postage, prior years, penalties and any activity-specific endorsements |
| Optional online LLC formation | +$200.00 | $180 filing + $20 online processing; initial report filed together; no expedited service |
| Government subtotal if a new LLC is chosen at the outset | $291.50–$328.00 | Alternative legal structure, retaining one separately registered trade name; not required for a sole proprietor |
| Internal initial-work and 12-month operating allowances | $2,800.00–$9,500.00 | Unquoted budget targets for insurance, scoped professional review and optional printing |
| Defined sole-proprietor budget with those allowances | $2,891.50–$9,628.00 | Remaining defined budget; future infrastructure usage/renewals unpriced; not market quotes or a full-compliance price |
| Same defined budget with optional online LLC | $3,091.50–$9,828.00 | Annual LLC report and other excluded costs still separate |
| Actual debt owed / complete cost to be ready for every buyer | Not determined | Requires actual account records, dates, applicable scope and written quotes |
The current planning basis is one Washington sole proprietor using Civic Continuum, one Seattle place of business, and no covered workers. Do not infer any registration, insurance, certification or payment is complete. A business based outside Seattle may have different city obligations; a small nonresident exemption must not be assumed for a Seattle-based business. Confirm actual start date and prior records before applying.
There is no separate UBI purchase and no mandatory LLC filing for a sole proprietor. One opening application is not multiplied by the number of inventions. Register additional trade names only when actually used in business. The LLC comparison retains the $5 separate trade-name assumption; if operating solely under the exact registered LLC name, verify whether that fee is unnecessary. Later conversion to an LLC is not just a $200 name change: account/tax/ownership/contract changes may cost more and need review.
These are research and planning entries, not 33 confirmed fees quoted by an adviser. Each amount is per item/unit described, not something to add indiscriminately. Reserve means an internal allowance chosen for planning, not a vendor estimate. Conditional/Optional entries are excluded from the defined subtotal unless explicitly stated.
| # | Item | Amount / unit | Type and timing | Applicability / limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IRS EIN | $0.00 | Free; Already obtained | Existing sole-proprietor EIN recorded; do not publish its number or purchase another EIN. |
| 2 | WA Business License Application | $50.00 | Government; Opening | One $50 first-location opening application, not one fee per invention. Existing active business updates may use different processing fees. |
| 3 | UBI and DOR tax registration | $0.00 | Free; Opening | No separate UBI purchase. Tax registration endorsement is $0; application fee is row 2. |
| 4 | Civic Continuum DBA / trade name | $5.00 | Government; Opening | One trade name in the opening application. Trade name registration is not exclusive trademark protection. |
| 5 | Additional trading names | $5.00 | Optional; When used | $5 each if actually used as a business name. Do not register all invention titles automatically. Later applications may also have a processing fee. |
| 6 | Seattle business license certificate | $36.50–$73.00 | Government; 2026 first year | $36.50 only if genuine business start is July 1 or later. Otherwise $73. Assumes Seattle place of business and no exemption. Renew annually by Dec 31; 2027 rate not verified. |
| 7 | Online payment fees / mailing cost | Quote / calculation needed | Conditional; At submission | City payment service/card/ACH charges or postage may add cost. Government subtotal excludes these. Confirm selected payment method before paying. |
| 8 | Optional WA LLC formation online | $200.00 | Optional; Before new entity | $180 formation + $20 online fee. Mail base $180 plus mailing. Additional $100 expedited service optional; not needed for baseline. Sole proprietor does not need an LLC to operate legally. |
| 9 | LLC initial report with formation | $0.00 | Optional; Formation | Included if submitted with formation. Deferred report has $10 filing fee and potentially online processing. Do not add twice. |
| 10 | LLC annual report | $70.00 | Optional; Annual anniversary | $70 recurring. First anniversary renewal is separate from initial filing. No annual LLC report for current sole proprietorship. |
| 11 | LLC registered agent | Quote / calculation needed | Conditional; Annual | No government requirement to buy a commercial agent. Eligible consenting noncommercial agent may cost $0; otherwise obtain quote. WA physical address and availability required; filing details public. |
| 12 | DOR endorsement renewal processing | $5.00 | Conditional; Annual if applicable | $5 processing when renewing endorsements, plus endorsement charges. Trade name remains registered indefinitely. Not a separate annual UBI fee; Seattle renewal is separate. |
| 13 | FinCEN BOI / CTA filing | $0.00 | Free; Current US setup | Current FinCEN page exempts US-created companies; current sole proprietor has no domestic-company BOI filing to purchase. Recheck if structure or rules change. |
| 14 | General liability insurance | $300.00–$900.00 | Reserve; 12 months | Internal budget allowance, not insurer pricing. Confirm operations, limits, deductibles, exclusions and customer COI requirements. Premium may exceed allowance. |
| 15 | Technology E&O / professional liability | $600.00–$1800.00 | Reserve; 12 months | Internal allowance for professional error claims. Obtain quote; compare combined technology E&O/cyber policy so overlapping coverage is not paid twice. |
| 16 | Cyber / privacy insurance | $600.00–$1800.00 | Reserve; 12 months | Internal allowance, not quote. May be bundled with row 15; replace both with actual combined premium if bundled. |
| 17 | Contract, privacy and license legal review | $500.00–$2000.00 | Reserve; Initial scoped work | Internal paid fallback allowance. Eligible Communities Rise service may be free, but eligibility/availability not confirmed. Patent matters excluded. Scope and quote before engagement. |
| 18 | Accountant / bookkeeping and tax setup | $300.00–$900.00 | Reserve; Initial support | Internal scoped setup/review allowance, not ongoing monthly bookkeeping or all tax returns. Taxes themselves are separate. |
| 19 | Independent security and accessibility review | $500.00–$2000.00 | Reserve; Initial limited review | Internal limited-review allowance. Not a comprehensive penetration test, certification or approval for school/bank production data. Broader work needs separate quote. |
| 20 | Domain, email and hosting | Quote / calculation needed | Reserve; 12 months | civiccontinuum.org receipt confirms $7.98 paid through 2027-09-26. No replacement domain needed. $11.84 was a historical renewal estimate, not a current invoice. Existing contact forwarding, Sites and Cloudflare free-plan record established; current paid usage/add-ons and future renewal costs still unpriced. |
| 21 | Business bank account | Quote / calculation needed | Conditional; Opening / monthly | No universal government fee. Choose account after legal identity/licensing facts are ready. Minimum deposit is cash retained as an asset, not a fee; bank charges unconfirmed. |
| 22 | Basic business cards / flyer | $0.00–$100.00 | Reserve; Initial | Digital outreach can be $0. Internal maximum allowance for small print run, not required registration or a vendor quote. |
| 23 | SAM.gov registration and UEI | $0.00 | Free; Federal awards | Direct government registration/renewal and UEI free. Not a general business license and not a promise of an award. No paid registration intermediary needed. |
| 24 | NAICS classification code | $0.00 | Free; Registration / bids | Industry classification selected to match actual activity. No government code purchase or certificate fee. It does not authorize regulated professional services. |
| 25 | WEBS vendor registration | $0.00 | Free; WA procurement | Free registration; bid eligibility/agency requirements separate. Not a contract award or statewide business license. |
| 26 | OMWBE state/federal certification | $0.00 | Free; If eligible | Current application and renewal fees waived indefinitely. Ownership/control and program eligibility still must be established. Certification not yet claimed. |
| 27 | SBA WOSB / EDWOSB | $0.00 | Free; If eligible | Direct SBA certification free. Optional third-party certification may charge; not needed for direct route. Citizenship/ownership/size and EDWOSB finances must be verified. |
| 28 | SBDC and Business Impact NW coaching | $0.00 | Free; Current programs | No-cost SBDC advising and free BINW one-to-one coaching. Individual courses can have separate fees; no paid class enrollment assumed. |
| 29 | L&I, UI, PFML and WA Cares | Quote / calculation needed | Conditional; Before covered workers | Sole owner generally exempt from owner workers comp. Employees and some contractors trigger coverage, wage reporting and premiums/taxes. No payroll supplied; not priced at $0 for hiring. |
| 30 | School/bank/privacy and regulated-product requirements | Quote / calculation needed | Conditional; Before applicable pilot | FERPA/COPPA/HIPAA, DPA/BAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, procurement and product-safety duties depend on actual activity. No universal government certification package. No student/bank/health data pilot assumed. Hardware/manufacturing/specialty permits need separate product budget. |
| 31 | USPTO trademark application | $350.00 | Optional; After clearance | Base $350 per class if requirements met. Additional, intent-to-use, legal and future maintenance fees extra. Application is not guaranteed registration; not mandatory to open business. |
| 32 | Provisional patent application | $65.00–$325.00 | Optional; After invention review | Government filing only: micro $65, small $130, standard $325. Eligibility, drafting, prior art and later nonprovisional costs separate. No patent granted by provisional. No mass filing of all concepts. |
| 33 | WA, Seattle and federal taxes | Quote / calculation needed | Conditional; As activity requires | Sales tax sourced/classified per sale, WA B&O may apply on gross receipts, Seattle 2026 threshold $2m but reporting still required, federal income/SE taxes depend on facts. Arrears/penalties not determined. No amount owed asserted. |
| Item | Lower allowance | Upper allowance |
|---|---|---|
| General liability, 12 months | $300 | $900 |
| Technology errors and omissions, 12 months | $600 | $1,800 |
| Cyber/privacy coverage, 12 months | $600 | $1,800 |
| Initial scoped legal review | $500 | $2,000 |
| Initial accounting/tax setup | $300 | $900 |
| Limited independent security/accessibility review | $500 | $2,000 |
| New domain/email/hosting purchase | Excluded: already established | Renewal/usage unpriced |
| Optional basic printing | $0 | $100 |
| Remaining allowances | $2,800 | $9,500 |
These amounts are internal funding envelopes only. No insurer, lawyer, accountant, assessor or host has quoted these amounts for Civic Continuum. Prices and required scope can exceed the upper allowance. They are not a requirement to spend on every line. Pursue free legal assistance first. If a policy bundles E&O and cyber, replace the two allowances with the actual combined premium to avoid double counting. Coverage is subject to exclusions and customer-required limits. An annual premium is budgeted even if payments can be monthly. Existing subscriptions need reconciliation to avoid duplicate purchases.
Use the workbook’s Pay today tab as a blank planning template. Enter only the amount designated for business after protected obligations. The example reserves one $55 state/name application bundle first, then $73 Seattle conservatively; reduce the city amount only after actual half-year eligibility is established. Both registration-verification flags start at zero. The sheet distinguishes money reserved from payment readiness and is not authority to spend.
Existing domain/EIN/contact/web infrastructure must be reused. Refresh fees, check actual issued records and subtract already-paid costs before any recommendation. Actual cash amounts and populated allocation copies remain private. Unknown prices, taxes and transaction charges remain outside any apparent spendable balance until resolved.
Checked October 18, 2026. Free professional services reduce an expense if accepted; grants are competitive money, not an award we already have. No pending support is deducted from the budget.
| Route | Costs it may help with | What is available | Important prerequisite / limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle OED legal assistance | Entity/contract/IP questions | Free individual counseling and workshops | Seattle-based business; confirm actual intake and scope. Not a promise that filing fees are paid. |
| Communities Rise direct services | Formation, contract drafting, licenses/privacy | Free legal assistance if accepted | Registration, financial eligibility and capacity require confirmation. Patents excluded. This overlaps City legal referral routes; do not add duplicate savings. |
| Seattle ABC consulting | Accounting/bookkeeping, operations, financial planning, marketing/branding | Up to 10 hours per category, up to 40 hours total, free | Requires active Seattle license, Seattle location, no more than two locations, 50 or fewer staff and revenue under $5m; application approval needed. Not a cash grant. |
| Seattle Public Library legal consults | Initial business-law/IP questions | Free volunteer-attorney appointment | Does not review or comment on legal documents. Useful triage, not a substitute for contract drafting/review. |
| Washington TILE Patent Pro Bono | Patent attorney services | Free professional assistance if eligible and matched | Inventor still pays USPTO and other out-of-pocket costs. Matching not guaranteed; up to three months. Existing intake should be followed rather than duplicated. |
| Verizon Digital Ready / LISC | Potential business funding | Competitive $10,000 grants; free platform/application route | Two eligible courses/events during 2026 through December 7 unlock application. US/territory for-profit business, adult owner and finalist documentation required. Approved uses and current account/application status need checking; no award claimed. |
| Awesome Foundation Seattle | A defined local public-benefit project | Typically $1,000, not a loan or equity purchase | Competitive chapter selection. No application charge shown on official form. Do not assume general business overhead or personal bills will be funded; project fit/use needs confirmation. |
| Washington SBDC / Business Impact NW | Licensing sequence, budgeting and resource referrals | Existing no-cost advising/free coaching | Coaching is not cash, tax representation or an insurance premium payment. Use established adviser relationships. |
We publish costs and evidence to make progress understandable. A published policy, LLC or insurance purchase does not guarantee complete protection, official endorsement or customer acceptance. Claims should follow actual filings, current certificates, scoped test results, accurate privacy/terms disclosures and a working delivery/support process.
The immediate priority is confirming the correct registrations and lowest-cost sequence, then obtaining actual insurance and professional-review quotes for one narrow offer. Free advising and eligible no-cost assistance come first. No paid membership, loan, matching contribution, purchase or subscription is authorized by this budget.
We welcome introductions to eligible no-cost legal help, licensed insurance advice, accessibility/security reviewers and consenting independent testers through contact@civiccontinuum.org. No payment collection link is enabled in this document. If financial support is offered, agree its terms and verify the payment route before accepting it. Do not represent contributions to this business as tax-deductible charitable donations, investments/equity, prepaid services or guaranteed outcomes. Crowdfunding tax treatment depends on the facts; support is not automatically tax-free. Record funding and its use privately and publish only appropriate aggregate receipts/status.
All public sources below checked October 18, 2026. Several sites returned readable official search-index excerpts but blocked full-page retrieval; amounts are attributed to the official indexed fee schedules and should be rechecked at filing. No third-party filing-service price is treated as a government fee. Internal allowances have no market-price source.