Skip to content
LLC 101 Guide

Unit 1 · Rhode Island

Starting an LLC in Rhode Island (2026): 8 Tasks and the 3 Best LLC Services

Rhode Island Registered Agent.co ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and RI Registered Agent.org ($199): that is the order of the services we would hire in Rhode Island in 2026 for setting up an LLC. Rhode Island wants $150 when you file and the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company every year; the 8 tasks below walk through all of it.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

What the state charges to file
$150
Taken from docs.sos.ri.gov in October 2026
Recurring report
$50 a year
Deadline wording: May 1
Yearly minimum tax
$400
Taken from tax.ri.gov in October 2026
Three years of state fees
$1,450
State charges only
Unit tasks
8
Listed below

By the end you will know

  • The official Rhode Island fee and form
  • Who can be the resident agent
  • The state filing that recurs
  • How the picks stack up

The Rhode Island honor roll

Five published criteria decide the order; read them on how we grade.

Top of the class

1. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co: best for owners who stay in Rhode Island

Our first pick$199 the first year, $99 after

Our first pick is Rhode Island Registered Agent.co; a $199 formation fee, followed by $99 yearly for the agent.

The decision is cost: across three years it totals less than Mainstay Filing.

The Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company falls outside the price.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • A small $99 renewal
  • $199 and the state fee

What to weigh

  • Filing the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company is not in the price
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Mainstay Filing: best for getting the annual report done for you

Upkeep covered$199 a year, state fee on top

Mainstay Filing takes second place: $199 a year hands over three assignments at once: the filing, the resident agent and the annual report.

A $200 difference from Rhode Island Registered Agent.co over three years decides where it lands.

It also sends in the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company, with Rhode Island's $50 fee billed at cost.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • Resident agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed for you on time
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee at cost

What works

  • It files your EIN application for you
  • The renewal holds at $199
  • A single $199 yearly price, annual report included

What to weigh

  • Renewal costs $100 above Rhode Island Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. RI Registered Agent.org: best for LLCs that stay in Rhode Island

Local choice$199 the first year, $99 after

RI Registered Agent.org is a solid third-place option: a $199 formation fee, followed by $99 yearly for the agent.

The Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company falls outside the price.

Its prices are the same as Rhode Island Registered Agent.co's, so either works.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • A small $99 renewal
  • $199 and the state fee

What to weigh

  • Filing the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company is not in the price
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit RI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Rhode Island picks compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Rhode Island Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner 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 listed on November 13, 2026. The $150 state fee is left out of the figures.

The tasks

  1. Task 1

    Make sure nobody else has the name

    the Rhode Island Secretary of State keeps the records. Search them now, because in Rhode Island a name that is taken can send the filing back.

    If the first name fails, you want another ready.

  2. Task 2

    Get a resident agent in place

    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.

    Hire any one of the recommended services for this task.

    Source: Taken from webserver.rilegislature.gov in October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Decide who submits the filing

    Filing on your own costs just the $150 state fee. A service adds $199 and handles the forms; the ranking shows which to choose.

  4. Task 4

    Work through the Articles of Organization

    Once the Rhode Island Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization (Form 400) and $150, the LLC exists, as R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-5 provides.

    Source: Taken from docs.sos.ri.gov in October 2026

  5. Task 5

    One more Rhode Island rule to handle

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

    Source: Taken from tax.ri.gov in October 2026

  6. Task 6

    Apply to the IRS for an EIN

    After Rhode Island approves the LLC, ask the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; banks and payroll companies want it. Mainstay Filing does this step for you at no added charge.

  7. Task 7

    Put the ownership rules on paper

    Owners sign it to settle shares, voting and what happens when a member leaves. It is a private document and never gets filed.

  8. Task 8

    Handle Rhode Island's recurring filing

    To stay active, send the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company every year ($50) by May 1. Late filings bring $25. There is a yearly tax as well: $400 a year minimum tax to the Division of Taxation (Form RI-1065), owed whether or not the LLC makes a profit.

    Source: Taken from sos.ri.gov in August 2026

What this unit costs

What forPayeeSum
Setting up the LLCState agency$150
Repeating reportState agency$50 every year
Missing the deadlineState agency$25
Yearly minimum taxState agency$400 a year
A filing service (optional)Your service$199 for year one
Three years of state feesState agency$1,450
To get the three-year state number we add up the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax, and we keep service fees separate.

The reasoning behind the order

What decided it was course fee across three years, which carries 34% of the grade.

Rhode Island Registered Agent.co comes to $397 across three years, a saving of $200 next to Mainstay Filing.

Check your Rhode Island answers

What is the Rhode Island state fee for a new LLC?

Rhode Island bills $150. Our recommended services bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Articles of Organization (Form 400), which you send to 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?

What repeats is the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company ($50, every year, due May 1). A yearly minimum tax comes on top.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You may. File alone for $150 and line up a resident agent as well.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Rhode Island Registered Agent.co, because $199 gets you started and the agent costs nothing in year one; from year two it is $99. After it come Mainstay Filing and RI Registered Agent.org.

Reading list and sources

  1. Further reading on Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division: our unit draws on docs.sos.ri.gov, which we reopened in August 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  2. Further reading on Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division: our unit draws on sos.ri.gov, which we reopened in August 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  3. Further reading on R.I: our unit draws on webserver.rilegislature.gov, which we reopened in August 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  4. Further reading on Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source: our unit draws on sos.ri.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  5. Further reading on Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source: our unit draws on docs.sos.ri.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  6. Further reading on Rhode Island registered agent statute: our unit draws on webserver.rilegislature.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  7. Further reading on Rhode Island other cost: our unit draws on tax.ri.gov, which we reopened in October 2026 so you can compare it with the original.
  8. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. Mainstay Filing Rhode Island service page, opened November 13, 2026
  10. RI Registered Agent.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026