Start a Free LLC in Rhode Island

Per the Rhode Island Department of State, as of September 2026, Rhode Island charges $150 to file the Articles of Organization. After that, the Annual Report costs $50 every year. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year Rhode Island registered agent service, so year one costs $249.

Processing takes about 1–3 business days. Rhode Island does not offer paid expedited processing for LLC formations. Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Rhode Island, choose an available name, appoint a Rhode Island registered agent, and file the Articles of Organization with the Rhode Island Department of State for $150. Then sign an operating agreement, get a free EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account and register for any state taxes. LLC Register files it for you as part of the $99-a-year registered agent service.

Yes. You can file online through the Department of State's filing system, by mail, or in person in Providence. The Articles of Organization costs $150.

In Rhode Island you form an LLC by filing the Articles of Organization with the Rhode Island Department of State. Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $150.

No. Rhode Island does not offer paid expedited processing for LLC formations. Processing takes about 1–3 business days.

Use the Rhode Island Department of State's free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Rhode Island LLC name must include "limited liability company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C.". It must be distinguishable from other business names on file with the Department of State.

Your Rhode Island LLC name must include "limited liability company" or an abbreviation such as "LLC" or "L.L.C.". It must be distinguishable from other business names on file with the Department of State. The rules are set by the Rhode Island Limited-Liability Company Act, R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 7-16.

Yes. You can reserve a name for $50. A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every Rhode Island LLC must have a registered agent. Your registered agent must be a Rhode Island resident (or an entity authorized to do business in the state) with an actual Rhode Island street address, available during normal business hours. A P.O. Box, mail-forwarding address or virtual address is not accepted.

Yes. A member or manager who is a Rhode Island resident with a street address in the state can serve as the LLC's registered agent. Your address becomes public record, and someone must be there during business hours to accept legal papers.

Not as your registered agent's address. Your registered agent must be a Rhode Island resident (or an entity authorized to do business in the state) with an actual Rhode Island street address, available during normal business hours. A P.O. Box, mail-forwarding address or virtual address is not accepted. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Rhode Island.

File the Statement of Change of Registered Agent with the Rhode Island Department of State. The fee is $10.

Serving as your own Rhode Island registered agent is free if you qualify. Commercial registered agents charge a yearly fee. LLC Register's Rhode Island registered agent service is $99 a year and includes LLC formation and annual report filing.

Yes. Rhode Island LLCs must file the Annual Report every year. The state fee is $50.

The Annual Report is due between February 1 and May 1 every year. Your first one is due between February 1 and May 1 of the year after your LLC is formed. It is filed with the Rhode Island Department of State.

Per the Rhode Island Department of State, as of September 2026, the Annual Report state fee is $50. It is due between February 1 and May 1 every year. LLC Register files it for you at no extra service fee while your registered agent service is active.

A $25 late fee applies if you have not filed by June 1. Filing online adds a $3.00 electronic filing fee on top of the $50 report fee. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

Rhode Island does not charge a separate franchise or privilege tax on a pass-through LLC. An LLC that elects to be taxed as a corporation instead pays Rhode Island's corporate income tax, which has its own annual minimum.

Rhode Island taxes an LLC the way the IRS does by default, so profits pass through to the members' personal income tax returns. Rhode Island also assesses every LLC a minimum annual charge through the Division of Taxation, separate from the Secretary of State's annual report. Federally, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC like a partnership, unless it elects to be taxed as a corporation.

If you sell taxable goods or services, register for a Sales Tax Permit with the Rhode Island Division of Taxation before your first sale.

Before you hire, register for unemployment insurance with the Department of Labor and Training, and for income tax withholding with the Division of Taxation. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Rhode Island regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the Rhode Island business portal.

Rhode Island does not require an operating agreement, and you never file one with the state. The law recognizes agreements among members without mandating a written form. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every Rhode Island LLC it forms.

You need an EIN if your LLC has employees or more than one member, and most banks ask for one to open a business account. A single-member LLC without employees can use the owner's Social Security number for federal taxes, but an EIN keeps it off business paperwork.

Apply for free on the IRS website once the state has approved your LLC; online applicants receive the EIN immediately. Owners without a Social Security number can apply with Form SS-4 by fax or mail.

Yes. You do not have to live in Rhode Island or be a U.S. citizen to form a Rhode Island LLC. You do need a registered agent with a physical address in Rhode Island. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. Rhode Island allows an LLC with a single owner. By default the IRS taxes a single-member LLC like a sole proprietorship, reported on the owner's personal return.

No. Rhode Island's LLC Act does not provide for series LLCs.

Yes. Rhode Island does not require a separate professional LLC designation; licensed professionals generally form an ordinary LLC subject to their licensing board's rules.

No. Rhode Island does not require newspaper publication to form an LLC.

Order a Certificate of Good Standing / Legal Existence from the Rhode Island Department of State for $22. Banks, lenders and other states often ask for one as proof your LLC is current with the state.

An LLC formed in another state registers to do business in Rhode Island by filing the Application for Registration (foreign LLC) with the Rhode Island Department of State. The fee is $150, and the LLC needs a Rhode Island registered agent. Foreign LLCs must submit a certificate of good standing from their home state, dated within 60 days, when registering in Rhode Island.

File the Articles of Amendment with the Rhode Island Department of State for $50. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Articles of Dissolution (Form 404) with the Rhode Island Department of State for $50. Before you file, wind up the business: pay debts, close tax accounts and distribute what is left to the members.

File a Fictitious Business Name Statement (Form 624B) with the Rhode Island Department of State for $50. Rhode Island fictitious names never expire and do not need to be renewed. A DBA lets your LLC trade under another name without forming a new company.

Yes. An eligible LLC can elect S corporation tax status by filing IRS Form 2553. The election can reduce self-employment tax once profits are high enough to pay yourself a reasonable salary. Rhode Island taxes an LLC the way the IRS does by default, so profits pass through to the members' personal income tax returns. Rhode Island also assesses every LLC a minimum annual charge through the Division of Taxation, separate from the Secretary of State's annual report.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Rhode Island it costs $150 to form and the Annual Report is $50 every year.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. A Rhode Island LLC costs $150 to form and protects your personal assets, with the same pass-through taxes by default.

Usually not if your business operates in Rhode Island. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Rhode Island for $150 and keep a Rhode Island registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year Rhode Island registered agent service. The state still charges its $150 filing fee, which we pass through at cost.

For $99 a year plus the $150 state fee: Rhode Island LLC formation in year one, a Rhode Island registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Annual Report every year. Renewal is $99 a year. State fees are passed through at cost.

No. FinCEN has exempted companies created in the United States from beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting. Only foreign companies registered to do business in a U.S. state still have to report.

The Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at 148 W. River Street, Providence, RI 02904.

Yes, you should. Mixing business and personal money can weaken the liability protection your LLC gives you. Banks usually ask for your filed Articles of Organization, your EIN and your operating agreement.