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How to start an LLC in Rhode Island

Every step to form your LLC in Rhode Island, with the state's fees and the official page for each. Checked against the state's own pages on September 30, 2026.

Filing fee
$150
Regular report
$50
What you file
Articles of Organization
Where
The Rhode Island Department of State

Get the free checklist It follows these steps with you, for your business, and keeps track of what's done.

What an LLC costs in Rhode Island

Filing Articles of Organization with the Rhode Island Department of State$150
The regular report that keeps it in good standing$50
Franchise taxSee its step
An EIN from the IRSFree
A registered agentFree if you're your own; a service charges a yearly fee

The state's fees only. Card or handling fees, a registered agent service, local licenses and taxes come on top where they apply. Checked against official sources on September 30, 2026. It's general information, not legal or tax advice.

Step by step

In the order most owners do them. Each step says where it happens and links to the official page.

  1. With the state

    Check your name is free

    Search the Rhode Island Department of State's business records to check no business already uses your name, or one too close to it. An LLC's name must also end with "LLC" or a similar ending.

    Search business names (opens the official site)

  2. Your records

    Choose a registered agent

    Rhode Island calls it a resident agent for an LLC and a registered agent for a corporation: a Rhode Island resident, or a business allowed to do business in the state, at a Rhode Island street address (not a P.O. box or virtual address) where it can be reached during normal business hours. Naming a corporation's agent without the agent's authority is a misdemeanor.

  3. With the state

    File your Articles of Organization

    File them with the Rhode Island Department of State, online (paid by credit card) or on paper by mail or in person. The state's fee is $150; filing online adds a small enhanced access fee that goes to RI.gov, and paper filings don't have it. Once they're filed, your business exists.

    File online (opens the official site)

  4. Your records

    Write an operating agreement

    It sets out who owns the LLC, how decisions are made and what happens if someone leaves. It isn't filed with the state: keep it with your records. A lawyer can help you write one.

  5. With the IRS

    Get an EIN from the IRS

    An Employer Identification Number is your business's tax number, for taxes, hiring and a bank account. Apply once your Articles of Organization are filed. It's free from the IRS: with a Social Security number or ITIN, you can apply on the IRS's own site and get it at once. Watch out for look-alike sites that charge for it.

    Apply for an EIN on IRS.gov (opens the official site)

  6. With the state

    Register for state taxes

    If you'll make retail sales or hire employees, register with the Rhode Island Division of Taxation before you start, using its free online Business Application and Registration. A retail sales permit costs nothing but is renewed every year. The same application sets up your unemployment insurance account with the Department of Labor and Training's Employer Tax Unit. Otherwise, the Division registers your business when you file your first tax return.

    Register for state taxes (opens the official site)

  7. With the state

    Pay Rhode Island's $400 minimum tax each year

    Every corporation and LLC owes the Rhode Island Division of Taxation at least $400 each year, even if it did no business or made no profit, and the amount isn't prorated for part of a year. A corporation files Form RI-1120C (Form RI-1120S for an S corporation) and pays income tax with a $400 minimum; an LLC taxed as a corporation pays the corporate tax too. Any other LLC, including a single-member LLC, files Form RI-1065 and pays an annual charge equal to that minimum, $400, and owes $100 more if it pays late. For a calendar year, Forms RI-1065 and RI-1120S are due by March 15, and Form RI-1120C and a single-member LLC's RI-1065 by April 15.

    About the tax (opens the official site)

  8. City or county

    Check local licenses and permits

    Many Rhode Island businesses need a license from one or more state agencies, depending on what they do; the RI Business Assistant builds a checklist of the state licenses and permits for your type of business. Some cities and towns, such as East Providence and Johnston, require every business to register with them, and others may need a home occupation permit or zoning approval.

    Find your local requirements (opens the official site)

  9. Your records

    Open a business bank account

    Keep the business's money apart from your own: it keeps your records clear at tax time, and keeps the LLC separate from you. Banks usually ask for your filed Articles of Organization and your EIN.

  10. With the state

    Put the yearly report in your calendar

    Every LLC in Rhode Island files an annual report with the Department of State between February 1 and May 1 each year, starting the year after it's formed. The fee is $50, plus $2.50 to file online. A $25 late penalty applies from June 1, and the state starts proceedings to revoke a business that doesn't file.

    About annual reports (opens the official site)

Questions about an LLC in Rhode Island

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

The state's fee to file Articles of Organization is $150. To stay in good standing, it also files a regular report, which costs $50. It also asks for franchise tax, which can cost more. An EIN from the IRS is free.

Does Rhode Island require a yearly report for an LLC?

Yes. Rhode Island asks every LLC for a regular report to stay in good standing. It costs $50, and the step below says when it's due and where to file it.

Can I form an LLC in Rhode Island myself?

Yes. You file Articles of Organization with the Rhode Island Department of State and pay the state's fee, and the steps above show where. You don't need a lawyer, though one can advise on your situation. PressUp's free checklist follows these steps with you.

Is this legal or tax advice?

No. PressUp isn't a law firm or an accountant. This guide is general information from Rhode Island's official pages, checked on September 30, 2026. For advice about your own situation, ask a lawyer or an accountant.

Where this comes from

Rhode Island's official pages, read on September 30, 2026:

LLC guides for other states