Skip to content
LLC SchoolhousePlain LLC lessons, one state at a time.

Session 1 · Rhode Island

How to Start an LLC in Rhode Island (2026): a 8-Step Lesson and the 3 Best LLC Services

If you want help setting up an LLC in Rhode Island during 2026, our graded list reads Mainstay Filing ($199), Rhode Island Registered Agent.co ($199) and RI Registered Agent.org ($199). Expect 8 steps and a $150 state fee, followed by the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company every year.

Taught by the LLC Schoolhouse editors

This lesson at a glance

Filing fee$150Look it up at docs.sos.ri.gov; last checked October 2026
Recurring report$50 a yearPay and file by the date given as May 1
State minimum tax$400Look it up at tax.ri.gov; last checked October 2026
State total for years 1 to 3$1,450State charges only
Number of steps8Numbered below

What you will learn

  • How formation works in Rhode Island
  • What the agent rule says
  • How to stay in good standing
  • Who we would hire to file

Who we would hire in Rhode Island

Three-year cost and the number of steps a price takes off your list weigh the most; the grading page lists all five criteria.
First choice

1. Mainstay Filing: best for new founders who want it handled

$199 a year

Mainstay Filing comes first, and here is why: one yearly price of $199 does three lesson steps for you: the filing, the resident agent and the annual report.

Over three years it costs $200 more than Rhode Island Registered Agent.co, but the grade rewards the extra steps it takes care of.

That includes the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company, with the state's $50 billed at cost.

What the price covers

  • Filing with the state
  • Resident agent for twelve months
  • Annual report prepared and filed
  • The EIN application
  • The state fee is passed through at cost

Marks in its favor

  • The same $199 every year
  • $199 per year for the whole bundle
  • The EIN step is in the price

Where it loses points

  • A $100 yearly premium over Rhode Island Registered Agent.co
One-state plan

2. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co: best for founders staying in Rhode Island

$199 in year one, $99 after

Rhode Island Registered Agent.co lands in second place, and the reason is clear: $199 on top of the state fee, with the first year of agent service thrown in, then $99 yearly.

You file the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company on your own every year.

What the price covers

  • Filing with the state
  • The first year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • The first agent year is included
  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 plus the state fee

Where it loses points

  • There is no Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company service
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)
One-state plan

3. RI Registered Agent.org: best for founders who prepare their own reports

$199 in year one, $99 after

RI Registered Agent.org lands in third place, and the reason is clear: $199 on top of the state fee, with the first year of agent service thrown in, then $99 yearly.

You file the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company on your own every year.

On price it is level with Rhode Island Registered Agent.co.

What the price covers

  • Filing with the state
  • The first year of agent service

Marks in its favor

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • The agent renews at $99
  • The first agent year is included

Where it loses points

  • There is no Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company service
  • The EIN application is not included ($99)

Our Rhode Island picks side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Rhode Island Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3RI Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit RI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as posted on November 13, 2026. Add Rhode Island's $150 fee to each row.

Forming the LLC in order

  1. Step
    1

    Check that the name is available

    Your first task is a name search in the records kept by the Rhode Island Secretary of State, because a taken name in Rhode Island can get your filing returned.

    Have a spare name ready.

  2. Step
    2

    Decide who your resident agent will be

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Rhode Island resident, or a corporation, limited partnership or LLC formed in Rhode Island or authorized there.

    The address has to be a Rhode Island street address, not a P.O. box, where the agent is available during business hours.

    Each of the picks above is able to act as your resident agent.

    Where this comes from: Look it up at webserver.rilegislature.gov; last checked October 2026

  3. Step
    3

    Decide: do it yourself or hire help

    Either way the state keeps $150. A filing service adds $199, and our grades show which one is worth it.

  4. Step
    4

    Prepare and file the Articles of Organization

    Here is the filing that creates the company: the Articles of Organization (Form 400), which you deliver to the Rhode Island Secretary of State with a $150 fee, under R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-5.

    Where this comes from: Look it up at docs.sos.ri.gov; last checked October 2026

  5. Step
    5

    A Rhode Island requirement most states do not have

    • $400 a year minimum tax to the Division of Taxation (Form RI-1065), owed whether or not the LLC makes a profit.

    Where this comes from: Look it up at tax.ri.gov; last checked October 2026

  6. Step
    6

    Obtain an EIN

    With the Rhode Island approval in hand, ask the IRS for an EIN so the LLC can open accounts in its own name. Mainstay Filing treats the EIN application as part of the package.

  7. Step
    7

    Sign an operating agreement

    Even if you are the only owner, a written operating agreement kept with the company records is a good idea for a Rhode Island LLC.

  8. Step
    8

    Keep the LLC active

    What recurs is the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company ($50, every year, by May 1). Filing late adds $25. On top of that, the state taxes the LLC: $400 a year minimum tax to the Division of Taxation (Form RI-1065), owed whether or not the LLC makes a profit.

    Where this comes from: Look it up at sos.ri.gov; last checked August 2026

What you will pay

ItemPaid toPrice
The formation stepState office$150
Report to the stateState office$50 every year
Missing the deadlineState office$25
State minimum taxState office$400 a year
Filing service (optional)Service$199 in the first year
State fees for three yearsState office$1,450
State amounts come from Rhode Island's official schedules (see the references); service prices come from each company's site. The three-year state total adds the filing, the reports from year two and any yearly minimum tax.

How the grade worked out

Homework the price handles carries 33% of the report card, and that is where pulled ahead in Rhode Island.

Having the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company handled counted for more than Rhode Island Registered Agent.co's lower three-year cost.

Short answers

Which fees come with forming an LLC in Rhode Island?

$150 goes to the state. Add $199 if a service files it for you.

Which form creates the LLC?

Step 4 of this lesson shows how to complete the Articles of Organization (Form 400) and where to send it: the Rhode Island Secretary of State.

Is a resident agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Rhode Island require each year?

The yearly task is the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company ($50, every year, due May 1). A yearly minimum tax applies as well.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

A service is optional. Owners can send the paperwork themselves with the $150 fee, provided they appoint a resident agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

By grade: Mainstay Filing, Rhode Island Registered Agent.co and RI Registered Agent.org. Mainstay Filing is first because you pay $199 each year and the formation, the resident agent service and the annual report all get done.

Keep studying

Class references

  1. Class reference on Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division: docs.sos.ri.gov (the state's own page), reread in August 2026 for this lesson.
  2. Class reference on Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division: sos.ri.gov (the state's own page), reread in August 2026 for this lesson.
  3. Class reference on R.I: webserver.rilegislature.gov (the state's own page), reread in August 2026 for this lesson.
  4. Class reference on Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source: sos.ri.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  5. Class reference on Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source: docs.sos.ri.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  6. Class reference on Rhode Island registered agent statute: webserver.rilegislature.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  7. Class reference on Rhode Island other cost: tax.ri.gov (the state's own page), reread in October 2026 for this lesson.
  8. Prices taken from the Rhode Island service page of Mainstay Filing on November 13, 2026
  9. Prices taken from the pricing page of Rhode Island Registered Agent.co on November 13, 2026
  10. Prices taken from the pricing page of RI Registered Agent.org on November 13, 2026