How much does it cost to start an LLC in Rhode Island?

The Rhode Island state filing fee is $150 for Articles of Organization submitted to the Rhode Island Secretary of State. Including the $50 annual report fee and Rhode Island's $400 minimum annual charge, your total first-year state cost is $600, for example, an LLC formed in March 2026 owes the $150 filing fee upfront and files its first annual report between February 1 and May 1, 2027. Additional costs may include registered agent services, operating agreement preparation, and any industry-specific business licenses. Exception: no annual report is due in the calendar year you register (Rhode Island requires the first report in the year after registration) but an LLC not taxed as a corporation owes the $400 annual charge from the first tax year, so budget for that rather than the $50. Rhode Island income tax applies at rates from 3.75% to 5.99% on LLC profits. File online at the Rhode Island Secretary of State portal for fastest approval.

How long does it take to form an LLC in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island publishes this figure, which many states don't: within 2 business days. In the Rhode Island Secretary of State's own words: within two business days. Treat this as a genuine planning figure rather than a guarantee, and confirm it on the Rhode Island Secretary of State's own site before committing to a date.

Do I need to publish my Rhode Island LLC formation in a newspaper?

No, Rhode Island doesn't require LLC formation notices to be published in newspapers. Once your Articles of Organization are filed with the Rhode Island Secretary of State and approved, the Department of State processes all filings within two business days, your LLC is fully legally formed and authorized to conduct business without any additional publication steps. For example, a Providence-based LLC can immediately begin signing client contracts, opening a business bank account, and hiring employees as soon as the Secretary of State issues its approval. No newspaper publication runs are needed. This distinguishes Rhode Island from states like New York, which mandates 6 consecutive weeks of newspaper publication, at rates the newspapers set, and suspends an LLC's authority to do business if proof is not filed within 120 days. Exception: certain regulated professional LLC types in Rhode Island may have additional disclosure requirements under their specific licensing boards. For standard Rhode Island LLCs, however, no publication is required at any stage.

What are Rhode Island's ongoing LLC requirements?

Rhode Island LLCs must file an annual report between February 1 and May 1 each year with a $50 fee paid to the Rhode Island Secretary of State, for example, an LLC formed in any month of 2026 owes its first annual report and $50 fee by May 1, 2027, not by November 1, 2026. The annual report confirms your LLC's current registered agent, principal address, and member or manager information, and is filed online through the Secretary of State portal. Failure to file by May 1 results in the LLC being placed in delinquent status and eventually dissolved administratively. Exception: reinstatement after dissolution requires filing all overdue annual reports plus back fees and a reinstatement filing fee, significantly increasing your total cost compared to simply filing on time. Rhode Island income tax rates of 3.75% to 5.99% apply to LLC profits. Set a recurring February reminder each year to prepare and file your annual report well before the May 1 deadline.

Can I be my own registered agent in Rhode Island?

Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent in Rhode Island if you've a physical Rhode Island street address, not a P.O. box, and are available during normal business hours to receive legal documents and official notices. When filing Articles of Organization with the Rhode Island Secretary of State, you list your own name and Rhode Island address as the registered agent. For example, a Warwick-based LLC owner with a fixed office location can serve as their own agent at no extra cost. Exception: if you run a home-based business and prefer not to have your home address listed on publicly accessible Rhode Island business records, or if your schedule prevents reliable weekday daytime availability, a professional registered agent service is the better option. Professional services charge a yearly fee, offer mail forwarding and scanning, and provide reminders for compliance deadlines such as the May 1 annual report.

Does Rhode Island have franchise tax for LLCs?

Rhode Island imposes no franchise tax under that name, but every LLC not taxed as a corporation pays a flat $400 annual charge to the Division of Taxation each year, whether or not it made a profit. The due date depends on the LLC's federal tax classification, so confirm it with the Division of Taxation. Rhode Island members are also subject to state income tax at rates ranging from 3.75% to 5.99% on business income. Single-member LLCs treated as sole proprietorships report LLC income on their personal Rhode Island income tax returns, while multi-member LLCs taxed as partnerships may need to file a separate Rhode Island partnership return. Articles of Organization are filed with the Rhode Island Secretary of State, but tax registration is handled through the Rhode Island Division of Taxation. Exception: LLCs that elect to be taxed as corporations at the federal level are subject to Rhode Island's corporate income tax structure rather than the individual pass-through rates. Consult a Rhode Island tax professional to choose the optimal tax structure for your business.

How to Start an LLC in Rhode Island: $150 to File

Form your LLC quickly and affordably in the Ocean State with our complete formation guide.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: October 2026

Filing an LLC in Rhode Island costs $150 upfront and has an annual report due May 1 (window opens Feb 1) ($50). Processing time: Within 2 business days. See breakdown below.

Rhode Island publishes its LLC filing turnaround as within 2 business days

That's the Rhode Island Secretary of State's own published figure, standard filings within 2 business days.

Source: MyStateLLC 50-state primary-source processing verification, July 2026

Read this guide for another state:

Choosing an LLC formation service for Rhode Island?

We compared Northwest Registered Agent, Bizee, ZenBusiness and LegalZoom, the formation services we partner with, on 3-year cost, BBB rating and Trustpilot score.

Compare Services →

$39 with Northwest, plus your $150 state fee. Northwest's $39 includes a year of registered agent service.

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Form your LLC with Northwest ($39 + state fee)Includes a year of registered agent service. After year one, registered agent service is $125/yr. That enrolls you by default in annual report filing at $100 plus state fees, charged automatically to your saved payment method and cancellable any time.

Forming in Rhode Island? Compare the best LLC services in Rhode Island.

Prefer to file directly? File yourself at the Secretary of State → ($150 state fee, no service fee)

Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →

Quick Facts

State filing fee	$150
Processing time	Within 2 business days
Annual report due	May 1 (window opens Feb 1)
Annual report fee	$50
State income tax	Members pay 3.75% to 5.99% on pass-through profits. Every LLC not taxed as a corporation also owes a flat $400 annual charge, profit or not

Source: Rhode Island Secretary of State (verified July 2026)

Step diagram for forming an LLC in Rhode Island, showing the 7 required steps, $150 state filing fee, $50 annual report. — The 7 steps to form an LLC in Rhode Island, with the state's own filing fee and annual report cost. Source: Rhode Island Secretary of State, verified July 2026.

How to Form an LLC: Step-by-Step

1
Choose Your Rhode Island LLC Name
Select a unique name ending with 'LLC' or 'Limited Liability Company.' Check availability using the Rhode Island Secretary of State's business search tool. Your name can't conflict with existing businesses and must comply with Rhode Island naming rules.
How to search Rhode Island's business entity records →
Pro tip: Reserve your chosen name for 120 days by filing a Name Reservation form with a $50 fee if you need more time to prepare your formation documents.
2
Designate a Registered Agent
Appoint a registered agent with a Rhode Island street address to receive legal documents and official notices. This can be yourself, a trusted contact, or a professional registered agent service. The agent must be available during business hours.
Rhode Island registered agent rules, costs and options →
Pro tip: A professional registered agent service puts its address, not yours, on the registered agent line of the public filing, and accepts legal papers during business hours.
3
File Articles of Organization
Submit your Articles of Organization to the Rhode Island Secretary of State with the $150 filing fee. File online through the Secretary of State website for fastest processing.
What You File in Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, the formation document is the Articles of Organization (Form 400), filed with the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division. The state filing fee is $150. Rhode Island lets you fill in and file the Articles of Organization online. The state's published processing time: Within 2 business days. The form itself requires the LLC's name, the registered agent's name, the registered office address, the organizer's name, whether the LLC is member-managed or manager-managed and an email address. Every line of the Articles of Organization, field by field →
Processing Times
- Online: The RI Department of State processes all filings within two business days. The state doesn't split this by filing channel
- Mail: Not published, Rhode Island Secretary of State states no standard turnaround for mailed filings, and every state that comments says mail is slower than online
- Expedited: No paid expedite option is published for LLC filings
Pro tip: The Department of State states it “processes all filings within two business days”. Mailed certificate and certified-copy orders are separate and run 5-7 business days.
4
Create an Operating Agreement
Draft an operating agreement outlining ownership percentages, member responsibilities, and business procedures. This page has not confirmed whether Rhode Island law requires an LLC to have an operating agreement. A written agreement signed by every member is worth having either way: it records who owns what share, who makes decisions and how profits are divided.
Rhode Island LLC operating agreement: what to include →
Pro tip: Even single-member LLCs benefit from an operating agreement to establish clear separation between personal and business affairs for tax and legal purposes.
5
Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)
Apply for a free EIN from the IRS online, which typically takes 15 minutes. Most banks ask for this federal tax ID to open a business bank account, and the IRS requires one if the LLC hires employees, owes certain employment or excise taxes, or is taxed as a partnership or corporation. Multi-member LLCs must have an EIN.
How to get your LLC's EIN from the IRS, free →
Pro tip: Apply for your EIN immediately after receiving your Articles of Organization approval to avoid delays in opening business accounts.
6
Open a Business Bank Account
Separate your business and personal finances by opening a dedicated business bank account. Bring your Articles of Organization, EIN confirmation letter, and operating agreement to the bank. This separation matters for maintaining your LLC's liability protection.
Business bank accounts for Rhode Island LLCs →
Pro tip: Shop around for business banking packages, as many Rhode Island banks offer special rates and fee waivers for new small businesses.
7
Obtain Business Licenses and Permits
Research and apply for any required business licenses based on your industry and location. Contact your local city or town clerk's office for municipal permits and check with Rhode Island state agencies for professional or industry-specific licenses.
Does your Rhode Island LLC need a business license? →
Pro tip: The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation offers a Business One-Stop portal to help identify required licenses and streamline the application process.

Watch: How to Start an LLC in Rhode Island (2026): Step-by-Step Guide

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each Secretary of State publishes for forming an LLC, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own filing needs: fees and forms change between our reviews, several occupations cannot use an ordinary LLC at all and must use a professional entity, and your city or county may require a registration of its own. Confirm the current fee and form with the filing office named on this page before you send anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

: The Rhode Island state filing fee is $150 for Articles of Organization submitted to the Rhode Island Secretary of State. Including the $50 annual report fee and Rhode Island's $400 minimum annual charge, your total first-year state cost is $600, for example, an LLC formed in March 2026 owes the $150 filing fee upfront and files its first annual report between February 1 and May 1, 2027. Additional costs may include registered agent services, operating agreement preparation, and any industry-specific business licenses. Exception: no annual report is due in the calendar year you register (Rhode Island requires the first report in the year after registration) but an LLC not taxed as a corporation owes the $400 annual charge from the first tax year, so budget for that rather than the $50. Rhode Island income tax applies at rates from 3.75% to 5.99% on LLC profits. File online at the Rhode Island Secretary of State portal for fastest approval.
: Rhode Island publishes this figure, which many states don't: within 2 business days. In the Rhode Island Secretary of State's own words: within two business days. Treat this as a genuine planning figure rather than a guarantee, and confirm it on the Rhode Island Secretary of State's own site before committing to a date.
: No, Rhode Island doesn't require LLC formation notices to be published in newspapers. Once your Articles of Organization are filed with the Rhode Island Secretary of State and approved, the Department of State processes all filings within two business days, your LLC is fully legally formed and authorized to conduct business without any additional publication steps. For example, a Providence-based LLC can immediately begin signing client contracts, opening a business bank account, and hiring employees as soon as the Secretary of State issues its approval. No newspaper publication runs are needed. This distinguishes Rhode Island from states like New York, which mandates 6 consecutive weeks of newspaper publication, at rates the newspapers set, and suspends an LLC's authority to do business if proof is not filed within 120 days. Exception: certain regulated professional LLC types in Rhode Island may have additional disclosure requirements under their specific licensing boards. For standard Rhode Island LLCs, however, no publication is required at any stage.
: Rhode Island LLCs must file an annual report between February 1 and May 1 each year with a $50 fee paid to the Rhode Island Secretary of State, for example, an LLC formed in any month of 2026 owes its first annual report and $50 fee by May 1, 2027, not by November 1, 2026. The annual report confirms your LLC's current registered agent, principal address, and member or manager information, and is filed online through the Secretary of State portal. Failure to file by May 1 results in the LLC being placed in delinquent status and eventually dissolved administratively. Exception: reinstatement after dissolution requires filing all overdue annual reports plus back fees and a reinstatement filing fee, significantly increasing your total cost compared to simply filing on time. Rhode Island income tax rates of 3.75% to 5.99% apply to LLC profits. Set a recurring February reminder each year to prepare and file your annual report well before the May 1 deadline.
: Yes, you can serve as your own registered agent in Rhode Island if you've a physical Rhode Island street address, not a P.O. box, and are available during normal business hours to receive legal documents and official notices. When filing Articles of Organization with the Rhode Island Secretary of State, you list your own name and Rhode Island address as the registered agent. For example, a Warwick-based LLC owner with a fixed office location can serve as their own agent at no extra cost. Exception: if you run a home-based business and prefer not to have your home address listed on publicly accessible Rhode Island business records, or if your schedule prevents reliable weekday daytime availability, a professional registered agent service is the better option. Professional services charge a yearly fee, offer mail forwarding and scanning, and provide reminders for compliance deadlines such as the May 1 annual report.
: Rhode Island imposes no franchise tax under that name, but every LLC not taxed as a corporation pays a flat $400 annual charge to the Division of Taxation each year, whether or not it made a profit. The due date depends on the LLC's federal tax classification, so confirm it with the Division of Taxation. Rhode Island members are also subject to state income tax at rates ranging from 3.75% to 5.99% on business income. Single-member LLCs treated as sole proprietorships report LLC income on their personal Rhode Island income tax returns, while multi-member LLCs taxed as partnerships may need to file a separate Rhode Island partnership return. Articles of Organization are filed with the Rhode Island Secretary of State, but tax registration is handled through the Rhode Island Division of Taxation. Exception: LLCs that elect to be taxed as corporations at the federal level are subject to Rhode Island's corporate income tax structure rather than the individual pass-through rates. Consult a Rhode Island tax professional to choose the optimal tax structure for your business.

Sources

6 documents

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Rhode Island sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so.

sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-servicesRhode Island Secretary of State: business entity filings
sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/business-basics/costs-and-feesRhode Island LLC filing fees
webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE7/7-16/7-16-66.HTMRhode Island statute: Annual Report
sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/ri-business/file-your-annual-reportRhode Island Secretary of State: file the Annual Report
webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE7/7-16/7-16-67.HTMRhode Island statute: Annual charge
tax.ri.gov/tax-sections/corporate-tax/tax-filing-requirementsRhode Island Division of Taxation: file the Annual charge

More for Rhode Island LLCs

Start and set up

Taxes, money and growth

Stay compliant

Operate in other states

Compare structures

By owner type

By profession

Ready to Form Your Rhode Island LLC?

$39 with Northwest, plus your $150 state fee. Northwest's $39 includes a year of registered agent service.

Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Prefer to file directly? File yourself at the Secretary of State → ($150 state fee, no service fee)

Not sure which service is right? Compare formation services →

Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.

How we check facts

Quick Facts

How to Form an LLC: Step-by-Step

Choose Your Rhode Island LLC Name

Designate a Registered Agent

File Articles of Organization

What You File in Rhode Island

Processing Times

Create an Operating Agreement

Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Open a Business Bank Account

Obtain Business Licenses and Permits