[0:00] The short answer Dan: To start an LLC in Rhode Island, you file Articles of Organization on Form 400 with the Rhode Island Department of State, and pay $150, or $156 online. Maya: What's the extra six dollars? Dan: That's an online fee on top of the filing fee. Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Today, Rhode Island for 2026, step by step with every cost, including a tax most states don't have, and the three best ways to have it filed for you. Where do we begin? [0:32] Step 1: Choose a name Dan: The name has to end with limited liability company, or the letters LLC. Maya: Anything else? Dan: It must be distinguishable from names on the Secretary of State's records. The state has a free corporate database to search. Maya: And reserving a name? Dan: A reservation lasts 120 days, and it's $50. [0:53] Step 2: Name a resident agent Maya: Rhode Island has its own word for the agent, right? Dan: It does. The law calls it a resident agent. Maya: Who can serve? Dan: A Rhode Island resident, or a business authorized here, at a Rhode Island street address. No P.O. boxes or virtual addresses. Maya: Any hours? Dan: The agent has to be reachable there from 9 to 5. And the address is public. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Thanks, Maya. Changing the agent's name later costs $20. [1:23] Step 3: File Form 400 Maya: How do I file? Dan: Online for $150 plus a $6 online fee. By mail or in person, it's $150. Maya: How long does it take? Dan: The state says it processes filings within two business days. Maya: What shouldn't I put on the form? Dan: The members. Rhode Island doesn't keep an ownership record on the Articles. Maya: How will I know it went through? Dan: No confirmation is mailed. Check the corporate database. [1:50] Step 4: Write an operating agreement Maya: So where is ownership recorded? Dan: In your operating agreement. It isn't filed with the state. Maya: What should it cover? Dan: Who owns what, how profits are split, who makes decisions, and what happens if a member leaves. Maya: In writing? Dan: Yes. Keep it with your records. [2:07] Step 5: Get a free EIN Maya: What's the federal step? Dan: An EIN. Apply free with the IRS at IRS.gov, after the state files your Articles. Maya: Anything to watch? Dan: The tax box on the Articles isn't sent to the IRS, so you choose it again there. Maya: And the ownership report? Dan: Skip it. FinCEN no longer requires one from U.S. companies. [2:31] Step 6: Pay the minimum tax Maya: What's this tax you mentioned? Dan: Rhode Island has a $400 minimum tax, owed every year to the Division of Taxation. Maya: Even with no profit? Dan: Even with no profit. And it isn't prorated. Maya: Is there a form? Dan: Form RI-1065 is for LLCs not taxed as corporations. [2:53] Step 7: File the annual report Maya: And the annual report? Dan: File it between February 1 and May 1 every year, starting the year after you form. It's $50, or $52.50 online. Maya: What if I'm late? Dan: After June 1, a $25 penalty is added. Maya: And if it's never filed? Dan: The state can revoke the LLC. Reinstating starts with a $50 letter of good standing from the Division of Taxation. [3:18] What it costs Maya: Give me the do-it-yourself math. Dan: $156 to file online. Then $52.50 a year for the annual report online, plus the $400 minimum tax. The EIN is free. Maya: So year one is? Dan: $156, plus the $400 tax, which makes $556. Maya: And year two? Dan: $452.50, with the online report and the tax. [3:49] Online, mail, or in person Maya: What does the filing method change? Dan: Only the fee. Online is $150 plus $6. Mail or in person is $150. Maya: So mail saves six dollars. Dan: Yes, though online may be faster. The state says it processes within two business days, and its start page says one to three. Maya: Which one should I believe? Dan: Plan for the longer range, and check the database for the result. [4:16] The minimum tax over time Maya: Let me total the tax across years. Dan: $400 a year. Over three years, that's $1,200. Maya: Does the state fee come on top? Dan: Yes. The first report is due the year after you form, so years two and three bring two online reports at $52.50, which is $105. Add $156 to form. Maya: So all in, for three years? Dan: $156 plus $105 plus $1,200, which is $1,461. [4:55] The late annual report Maya: Let me press on the annual report. What's the window? Dan: February 1 to May 1. The $25 penalty is applied from June 1. Maya: And the penalty is? Dan: $25, added on top of the $50 fee. Maya: What if the LLC gets revoked? Dan: Reinstatement starts with a $50 letter of good standing from the Division of Taxation. Maya: Why the tax division? Dan: That's the state's process. Separately, the $400 minimum tax is owed to that same division every year. Maya: So there are two yearly items. Dan: Yes, the report and the tax. Put both on one calendar. [5:35] Choosing your agent Maya: Back to the resident agent. Could I do it? Dan: If you're a Rhode Island resident with a street address here, reachable from nine to five. Maya: What's the downside? Dan: The address is public, and you have to be reachable. Maya: And a commercial agent? Dan: They put their address on the record. Many owners prefer that. Maya: What about changing the name later? Dan: $20. [5:56] First-year checklist Maya: Order of operations? Dan: Search the name. Choose your agent. File Form 400 for $150, or $156 online. Maya: And the rest? Dan: Write your operating agreement, get your EIN, and plan for the $400 minimum tax and the annual report by May 1. [6:17] The 3 best ways to file in Rhode Island Maya: What if I'd rather have someone else handle it? Dan: Here are the three best ways to file in Rhode Island. Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state fee. With the $156 state fee, checkout comes to $355. Maya: What's included? Dan: Your Articles filed, your EIN application, and your resident agent every year. It renews at the same $199. Maya: And the annual report? Dan: Mainstay files it by May 1 each year. You pay only the state fee. Maya: Number two? Dan: RI Registered Agent.org. It prepares and files your Articles for $199 plus the state fee, also $355 at checkout. The first year of agent service is free, then $99 a year. Maya: And number three? Dan: Rhode Island Registered Agent.co. Same offer. $199 plus the state fee, first year of agent service free, then $99 a year. Maya: How should I choose? Dan: If you'll file the annual report yourself, numbers two and three cost less from year two, at $99 a year for the agent alone. The state fee and the $400 minimum tax are the same either way. [7:38] Three years of service fees Maya: Give me the three-year view. Dan: Mainstay is $199 a year, so $597. Number two or three is $199 in year one, then $99 in each of the next two years, for $397. Maya: A $200 gap. Dan: Yes. With Mainstay, that gap covers your annual report being filed for you. [8:03] Recap Maya: Can you recap? Dan: Choose a name with LLC in it, name a resident agent at a Rhode Island street address, file Form 400 for $150, or $156 online, write an operating agreement, get your free EIN, file your $50 annual report by May 1, and budget for the $400 minimum tax. Maya: The links to all three services and every official source are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast, and good luck with your new Rhode Island LLC.