Maintain Your License (Annual Compliance)

Keeping Your License Active

You must complete annual compliance every year to keep your child care license. To avoid license closure, you must finish all required steps on time.

What You Must Do Each Year

Every year, you must:

  • Pay your annual licensing fee
  • Fill out and submit the Annual Declaration of Compliance
  • Complete required background checks:
    • Every 5 years
    • When you hire new staff
    • When a new household member moves into a licensed family home
    • When a household member in a family home turns 13

All of these must be done 30 days before your license anniversary date.

How to Submit Your Annual Compliance Form

Beginning Jan. 29, 2026, you can submit all annual compliance forms online in the Provider Portal.

  • If you use the Provider Portal, your forms will be available 90 days before your anniversary date.
  • Paper forms are still allowed. Contact your local Early Learning and Child Care Office if you need them.

Email Reminders

You will get reminder emails that direct you to the Provider Portal:

  • 90 days before your anniversary date — forms are ready to complete
  • 60 days before — if forms are not finished yet
  • 30 days before — if forms are not finished yet
  • 15 days before — final warning that your license will expire on your anniversary date if you do not complete everything

Important: If your license expires, it will be closed. You must submit a new application to become licensed again (RCW 43.216.305(3)).

Child Care Licensing Fees

Fees are set by law (RCW 43.215.255). Fees are based on licensed capacity, not enrollment.

  • Family Home Child Care:
    • $30 per year
  • Child Care Centers and School-Age Programs:
    • $125 per year for the first 12 children
    • $12 per year for each additional child, up to your licensed capacity

How to Pay Your Licensing Fee

You will receive an invoice by mail from the DSHS Financial Services Administration about 90 days before your fee is due.

Mail payments to:

DSHS
Financial Services Administration
PO Box 9501
Olympia, WA 98507-9501

Frequently Asked Questions

Provider Portal Help:

Visit the WA Compass Provider Portal Support page. Here, you'll find:

Didn’t Get an Annual Compliance Email?

These emails are reminders only — they do not include forms.

If you didn’t get one:

  • Log in to the Provider Portal
  • Go to "Help," then "Tip Sheets" for instructions

All forms are completed in the Provider Portal. 

After you submit them, copies are saved in WA Compass and emailed to you.

Not Receiving Emails?

Add these addresses to your safe senders list:

You may need to:

  • Look up instructions for your email provider, or
  • Mark a DCYF email as “Not Spam” or “Safe”

Language Support

The Provider Portal has a Google Translate feature so you can view screens in your preferred language. To access language services, please work directly with your DCYF representative or email Language Access at dcyf.languageaccess@dcyf.wa.gov