DOR experiencing busy telephones

Our Telephone Information Center (both BLS and Tax) has become an extremely busy place.

For the next two weeks, callers should expect longer wait times and busy signals when trying to reach us. Most active Washington businesses have a January 31 reporting deadline. This generates thousands of phone calls.

We are less busy between 8 - 9 a.m. and between 4 - 5 p.m. We recommend that taxpayers call during those times for a shorter wait time.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. 

Some addresses are truncated in ATLAS reports

Truncated apartment and suite addresses

It has been brought to our attention that address fields in some of our reports, are not including the Apt, Ste, Unit, etc. Because of this, complete mailing or physical addresses may not show in the reports for some accounts. The reports affected include:

• Partner Welcome
• Partner Licensee
• Partner Public Disclosure

Partner ImpactIf you are using these reports for mailings, the mailings could be returned due to truncated addresses.

Next steps

We have created a high priority work item to fix this issue, and it is currently being worked out.

You may want to wait to do any mass mailings until the fix is in place.

Contact BLS Partnership Services with any questions.

Thank you.

Revenue’s Bellingham office reopens to public

The customer service counter that provides tax and licensing assistance to Whatcom and Skagit county businesses is reopening on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017.

Operations are back to normal for the Washington State Department of Revenue (Revenue) office in Bellingham, which had been closed to the public since Dec. 19 because of damage from a broken water pipe.

The office, located at 1904 Humboldt Street, Suite A in Bellingham, will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information about the office, visit our Bellingham Contact Us page.

January 2017 BLS Update

ATLAS Partner Portal upgrade implemented

A new Navigation Panel, an improved search history, and attachment scanning features are part of the ATLAS Partner Portal upgrade deployed on Dec. 28. Some fonts and descriptions are modified, but most functions are the same as before. More enhancement details are here.

New report tallies your totals

Need to know how many new licenses have been issued or renewed? Count them with just a few clicks. The Endorsement Application Statistics report is now in your ATLAS Launchpad. 

• Select your city or program.
• Input the date range -- such as December 1 to December 31 
• Click [Generate].

(Figures prior to June 2016 are not available in ATLAS.)

Counts by day and by endorsement type also shown in the report output

Notes features are viewable by all users

Be brief and clear when adding notes to user accounts in ATLAS. Use simple descriptions for:

• Status updates
• Missing required information
• Phone or email contact with the business
• Next steps to take by the business or staff

Remember: Notes are seen by all users statewide, not just those in your city or program. Also, they are subject to public disclosure. Avoid recapping long conversations or logging items specific to city or program staff members.

Happy 2017!

Best wishes for a Happy New Year from your friends at the Business Licensing Service.