Forming an LLC in Rhode Island
Dependable resident agent service throughout Rhode Island — $99 annually. That fee covers the office address, scanning of legal correspondence, and reminders for state filings.
One filing creates a Rhode Island LLC: the Articles of Organization, Form 400, submitted to the Rhode Island Secretary of State with $150. Everything else, the agent, the operating agreement, the EIN, the yearly filings, hangs off that one document. Steps and numbers below.
Form Your Rhode Island LLC
$199 and we handle the whole filing: drafting the Articles, submitting to the Division of Business Services, tracking to approval.
The $150 Rhode Island LLC Filing Fee
Rhode Island's fee statute, § 7-16-65(1), puts the Articles of Organization at $150. Mail the paper form and $150 is the entire state charge. File through the online portal and checkout lands around $156; the difference is a roughly $6 enhanced access charge that RI.gov collects to operate the e-filing service. Vendor charge, not a state fee.
| What | Amount |
|---|---|
| Formation service (ours) | $199 once |
| Articles of Organization, Form 400 | $150 by mail, about $156 online |
| Registered agent | $99 a year |
| Annual report, Form 632 | $50 each year |
| Minimum tax, Division of Taxation | $400 each year |
That last row is a tax, not a filing. The Division of Taxation bills LLCs a minimum of $400 a year whether the company made money or not, entirely apart from anything the Secretary of State charges.
Form 400: the Articles of Organization
Form 400 is short. It wants the LLC's name, the principal office, the registered agent's name and Rhode Island address (the form says resident agent, the statutory term), whether members or managers run the company, and the organizer's signature. Authority for the filing sits in R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-5, the section letting "one or more persons" organize an LLC by delivering executed articles to the Secretary of State.
Paper filings go to the Division of Business Services; electronic filings go through the state portal. The state publishes no guaranteed turnaround, so build slack into your timeline either way.
How to Form a Rhode Island LLC, Step by Step
- Clear the name. Designator required (LLC, L.L.C., or the spelled-out version), and the name must be distinguishable on the state's records. The entity search settles it in a minute. Words implying a bank, insurer, or government body are off the table without extra approval.
- Put a registered agent in place. Non-negotiable under § 7-16-11: an individual Rhode Island resident or an authorized entity, at a street address in the state, on the public record. We take the slot for $99 a year and keep your address out of the database.
- Submit Form 400 with the state fee. $150 on paper, about $156 through the portal with RI.gov's access charge folded in.
- Draft the operating agreement. The state never sees it; your bank and your co-members will. Skip it and Chapter 7-16's defaults govern ownership, votes, and exits.
- Take the free EIN. IRS.gov, ten minutes, no fee. Anyone charging for this is reselling a free government form.
- Stay compliant. Form 632 annual report ($50) between February 1 and May 1 starting the year after organization, the $400 Division of Taxation minimum on its own schedule, an agent on file without gaps, and clean separation between company and personal money.
Blow the report or lose the agent and revocation proceedings follow; a revoked LLC protects nobody until reinstated.
The Rhode Island Registered Agent Rule
Skip-proof requirement: an agent on file every day the LLC exists. The agent needs:
- A physical Rhode Island street address on the record (PO boxes alone fail)
- Somebody present in business hours to take legal service
- Fast turnaround on everything: lawsuits, state notices, tax mail
Your own address in that slot means process servers and list scrapers know exactly where to find you. $99 a year swaps in ours.
Common Rhode Island LLC Questions
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Rhode Island?
$150 to the state for the Articles of Organization, or about $156 online once RI.gov's portal charge is included. Ongoing, the annual report is $50 and the Division of Taxation minimum tax is $400.
How long does it take to form an LLC in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island does not commit to a processing timeline. Portal filings cut out mail time; that is the main lever you control.
Does Rhode Island require an annual report?
Yes. Form 632, $50, filed in the February 1 to May 1 window every year after the year you organize. The $400 minimum tax is billed separately by the Division of Taxation.
Do I need a registered agent for my Rhode Island LLC?
Yes, continuously, under § 7-16-11. The statute's word is resident agent; the requirement is what every state calls a registered agent.
Can I form an LLC in Rhode Island if I live in another state?
Yes. No residency rule applies to owners. The agent is the in-state piece, and our $99/year service supplies it.
Start Your Rhode Island LLC the Right Way
Direct filing works: Form 400 to the Secretary of State, $150 (about $156 online), agent listed. Prefer it handled? $199 covers our full filing service.
We're the registered agent that goes on the formation document either way: our Rhode Island address on the record, same-day scans, and a reminder ahead of every filing window.
Looking for the registered agent on its own? The registered agent service is $99/year by itself.
Questions about Rhode Island LLC formation or the agent side? Browse the FAQ or email us Monday through Friday.
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