Cheapest LLC formation in Rhode Island

What does Rhode Island charge to form and keep an LLC?

Rhode Island's fixed charges are small to form and larger to keep. They are state charges, and no provider can discount them.

The formation fee is $150 for the Articles of Organization, and the state lists one fee for both online and paper filing. You can file online, by mail, or in person; the price is the same each way. The state doesn't publish a name reservation fee or a foreign registration fee on a page we can cite, so check with the Business Services Division if you need either.⁷

Two charges recur. The annual report is filed on Form 632 and costs $50; the state says LLCs file it "starting the calendar year after they register their business". Online filing adds an "Enhanced Access" fee of $2.50. The bigger charge is the $400 minimum annual tax, which is not pro-rated and is owed whether or not the LLC trades. That alone is more than the formation and report fees combined. The tax page we cite doesn't say when a new LLC's first payment falls due, so ask the Division of Taxation before you budget year one. If you are weighing a neighbouring state, compare its yearly costs as well, for example Massachusetts LLC costs and Connecticut LLC costs.^{4, 5}

What raises the cost of a Rhode Island LLC?

The state pages we cite list no paid expedite tier, so we found no state charge for speed. The bill grows through the agent, report-filing services, yearly packages and late filing.

The resident agent

Every Rhode Island LLC needs a resident agent (R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-11). The cheapest option is to serve yourself if you qualify as an individual resident of this state; your address then goes on the public record as the agent's, and you need to be there to receive papers. The next cheapest is a free first year bundled with formation, which then renews at the provider's normal price. Who may serve and the address rules are in the Rhode Island resident agent guide.⁸

If a renewal price stops making sense, switching costs $20 on the Statement of Change of Agent (Form 642). File it before you cancel the old agent: if the LLC fails for 30 days to appoint and maintain a resident agent, the Secretary of State may revoke its certificate of organization. The steps are in how to change a resident agent.^{9, 10}

Report-filing services

Because Rhode Island has a report every year, several providers sell a service that files it for you, priced separately from the state's own $50 fee. Published prices include ZenBusiness's $100 per report, LegalZoom's $99 + state filing fees, bills once, InCorp's $89 + state fees and Harbor Compliance's $199 per state per year plus filing fees. Two others can start on their own. Northwest says its agent customers will "automatically be enrolled in our renewal service", at $100 + state fees, charged at filing. Swyft Filings' packages include a trial of ComplianceGuard ($199/year), described as a 14-day free trial then auto-charged. Filing it yourself costs only the state's fee, plus the small online charge described under the fixed costs above if you file online.^{11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16}

Yearly packages and memberships

Some packages are billed every year rather than once: Tailor Brands' Essential and Elite, doola's plans and Rocket Lawyer's memberships. Each renewal adds to the yearly floor of the report and the tax.

Late filing

The report window is February 1 to May 1 each year. The state's pages we checked don't publish the late-filing penalty, and they don't give a fixed reinstatement fee for a revoked LLC either, so the cost of falling behind can't be priced in advance. What keeps an LLC in good standing is covered in staying compliant in Rhode Island.⁵

Which providers have the lowest published prices for a Rhode Island LLC?

Rows follow our score, highest first, with ties in editorial order; the table isn't sorted by price.

The summary below sets each provider's cheapest route against what recurs in the second year, beyond the state's report fee and tax.

A few of these need a closer read before you pick on price.

Among packages that include an agent, Bizee's Basic keeps year one closest to the state fee, because the agent is free for that year; the second year brings its agent renewal on top of the report and tax. doola's Starter includes the agent, but the plan is yearly, so the full plan price returns every year. Northwest's low formation price may or may not include an agent for an LLC, since only its corporation page says so, and its report service starts automatically for agent customers.

Rocket Lawyer's formation is free with a membership. Standard, the cheapest one, leaves the agent out. Adding the agent means Plus ($249/year) or Pro ($349/year), and report filing is $100 with Pro membership. Harbor Compliance discounts its first agent year, then renews higher, and stopping that renewal takes notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term.^{30, 37, 38}

Tailor Brands' Lite and LegalZoom's cheapest package charge no provider fee for the filing but leave the agent out. Tailor Brands' Essential includes annual compliance (report filing and updates), which takes the report off your list in exchange for a yearly plan price. Agent-only prices nationwide are on the cheapest resident agent services page, and formation packages are compared in more detail in Rhode Island LLC formation services.¹⁷