No.1
Our top pick in Rhode Island
1. Mainstay Filing: best for the formation, the agent and the annual report under one charge
$199 a year plus the state fee
Score9.5out of 10
First place: Mainstay Filing. The Rhode Island formation, the resident agent and the annual report all fall under one $199 charge.
At renewal Mainstay prepares and files the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company for you. Rhode Island charges $50 every year for it, due May 1, and lateness adds $25; Mainstay passes the state fee along at cost.
Its three-year total exceeds Rhode Island Registered Agent.co's by $200; the broader coverage outweighs that difference in our scoring.
In the price
- Formation paperwork prepared and lodged
- A full year as your resident agent
- Annual report prepared and filed on your behalf
- EIN application prepared
Why pick it
- Renews at $199 with nothing added
- Rhode Island's fee is passed along at cost
- Covers the EIN application
- One yearly charge of $199 that covers the annual report
Weak spots
- Its agent charge after year one is $100 a year above Rhode Island Registered Agent.co's
No.2
Low renewal
2. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co: best for a Rhode Island LLC that intends to stay put
$199 to form, then $99 a year for the agent, with the state fee extra
Score9.2out of 10
Second place: Rhode Island Registered Agent.co. Its Rhode Island formation is $199 plus the state fee, year-one resident agent service included, then $99 a year.
An in-state street address serves as the registered office, and papers served on the company are scanned into your online account.
The Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company lies outside its published prices, so you file it with Rhode Island every year.
In the price
- LLC filing done for you
- A first year as your resident agent
Why pick it
- Agent charge of $99 a year after year one
- Forms the LLC for $199 and the state's fee
- Includes your resident agent for the first year
Weak spots
- The Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company is not prepared for you
- The EIN application carries a separate fee ($99)
No.3
Best value here
3. RI Registered Agent.org: best for a filing made only in Rhode Island
$199 to form, then $99 a year for the agent, with the state fee extra
Score9.0out of 10
Third place: RI Registered Agent.org. Its Rhode Island formation is $199 plus the state fee, year-one resident agent service included, then $99 a year.
An in-state street address serves as the registered office, and papers served on the company are scanned into your online account.
The Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company lies outside its published prices, so you file it with Rhode Island every year.
Rhode Island Registered Agent.co and RI Registered Agent.org publish the same price and the same features, so either is a defensible choice.
In the price
- LLC filing done for you
- Your resident agent for the first year
Why pick it
- A $199 service charge plus the state filing fee
- Covers the first year of resident agent service
- Afterward, $99 a year keeps the agent
Weak spots
- The Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company is not prepared for you
- The EIN application carries a separate fee ($99)
The 3 rulings in brief
| Rank | Provider | Ruling score | Service charge | Year two | Suited to | Link |
|---|
| 1 | Mainstay Filing | 9.5 | $199 | $199/yr | The formation, the agent and the annual report under one charge | Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
| 2 | Rhode Island Registered Agent.co | 9.2 | $199 | $99/yr | A Rhode Island business holding down its costs | Visit Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
| 3 | RI Registered Agent.org | 9.0 | $199 | $99/yr | A Rhode Island business holding down its costs | Visit RI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
|---|
Scores out of 10 are editorial marks set by The Startup Judge from the criteria on
How we rank. They are not customer ratings.
Rhode Island LLC service charges in 2026: year one, renewals and the three-year total
| Provider | Year one | Year two | Year three | Total over three years | Files the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company |
|---|
| Mainstay Filing | $199 | $199 | $199 | $597 | Yes |
|---|
| Rhode Island Registered Agent.co | $199 | $99 | $99 | $397 | No |
|---|
| RI Registered Agent.org | $199 | $99 | $99 | $397 | No |
|---|
Each charge was taken from the provider's own pages on November 12, 2026. Rhode Island's $150 filing fee is payable in addition to every row below and is not in the totals.
Why Mainstay Filing is placed first
The method behind these rulings gives 31% to charge over three years and 31% to work taken off the founder, with renewal conduct, fit with local rules and pricing in plain sight dividing 38%. What settled Rhode Island was work taken off the founder.
Rhode Island requires a report every year at a state fee of $50, with $25 added for lateness. Mainstay's price includes the filing and Rhode Island Registered Agent.co's does not, and that coverage outweighed Rhode Island Registered Agent.co's lower three-year cost.
Each criterion and its weight appear on How we rank.
The Rhode Island LLC filing fee and form (official figures)
To file the Articles of Organization (Form 400) with the Rhode Island Secretary of State, budget $150. Each provider on this page adds that state fee at cost to its own charge.
$400 a year minimum tax to the Division of Taxation (Form RI-1065), owed whether or not the LLC makes a profit.
Obligations after the Rhode Island filing is accepted
File the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company every year; the date is May 1. $50 goes to the state. Filing late adds $25. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Questions on Rhode Island LLC services
What does it take, in dollars, to form an LLC in Rhode Island?
The state filing fee is $150; service charges run $199.
What is filed to bring the company into existence?
The Articles of Organization (Form 400), lodged with the Rhode Island Secretary of State.
Does a Rhode Island LLC have to name a resident agent on its formation paperwork?
Yes. The company names a resident agent when it forms and keeps one on file afterward, with a street address in Rhode Island.
Which recurring filings follow formation?
One: the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company, filed every year, due May 1, at a state fee of $50.
Does the quoted price cover the EIN application?
At Mainstay Filing it does; the application sits inside the yearly price. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co and RI Registered Agent.org add $99 for the application. Applying directly with the IRS carries no fee.
Which Rhode Island LLC service does the record favor?
Mainstay Filing, since a single yearly charge of $199 covers the Rhode Island formation, a year as your resident agent and the annual report, then renews at $199.
The record
- Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division, on the record as of August 2026
- Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division, on the record as of August 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-5, on the record as of August 2026
- Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source, on the record as of October 2026
- Rhode Island registered agent statute, on the record as of October 2026
- Rhode Island other cost, on the record as of October 2026
- Exhibit: Mainstay Filing, Rhode Island service page, November 12, 2026
- Exhibit: Rhode Island Registered Agent.co, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026
- Exhibit: RI Registered Agent.org, pricing and service pages, November 12, 2026