Every state · RI
Forming an LLC in Rhode Island from outside the United States.
Here's what Rhode Island charges to form and keep a company, what it asks for every year, and what its public record shows about you. You'll also get a straight answer on whether a founder abroad should form here at all.
See why founders abroad choose Wyoming The Rhode Island figures
01The figures
What does a Rhode Island LLC cost to form and keep?
State fees for a domestic LLC filed online, checked against the Rhode Island Department of State in September 2026.
- Filing fee
- $150
- Recurring charge
- $450 a year
- Processing
- Online filings are usually approved within a few business days
- Five-year state cost
- $2,350
Between 1 February and 1 May each year, starting the year after the LLC is formed
As the state publishes it
The filing fee and every state charge due in the first five years
State income tax
Rhode Island taxes an owner's share of profit earned in Rhode Island. Every Rhode Island LLC also pays a $400 annual charge to the Division of Taxation, even a single-member LLC with no income.
The public record
The articles list the managers of a manager-managed LLC. Members are not required on the articles, and the annual report names only a contact person.
On the recurring charge
The $50 is the annual report. The other $400 is the annual charge every Rhode Island LLC pays the Division of Taxation, whether or not it earned anything. A report filed after 31 May adds a $25 penalty.
Checked September 2026 against the Rhode Island Department of State. If a figure here has changed, email us and we'll correct it.
02The straight answer
Should a founder abroad form in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's $50 annual report isn't the real cost. Every Rhode Island LLC also pays a $400 annual charge to the Division of Taxation, whether or not it earned anything, even with a single owner. That makes it $450 a year to keep, more than seven times Wyoming's charge, and Rhode Island offers a founder abroad nothing to justify it.
Rhode Island is right anyway when
- You'll have staff, an office, a warehouse or property in the state
- A bank, a marketplace or a licensing body has told you the company must be formed in this state
| Rhode Island | WyomingWe file here | DelawareWe file here | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To file | $150 | $102.40 | $110 |
| Every year | $450 a year | $60 a year | $400 a year |
| Five years | $2,350 | $342.40 | $1,710 |
| Owners public | No | No | No |
| State income tax | Rhode Island taxes an owner's share of profit earned in Rhode Island | No personal or corporate income tax | No Delaware income tax on a company that doesn't do business in Delaware |
03What we would file instead
The same company, in Wyoming.
A Wyoming LLC costs $102.40 to file, keeps owners off the public record, and is the state banks and payment processors are used to seeing from founders abroad. Here's the whole first year, from the same price list checkout uses.
| WYOMING | Starter | StandardMost chosen | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our feeCharged once, when you confirm | $289 | $499 | $1,299 |
| Wyoming filing feePaid to the state, passed through at cost | $102.40 | $102.40 | Included |
| Due on the dayBefore any extras you choose | $391.40 | $601.40 | $1,299 |
| Then, every yearOur registered agent renewal and Wyoming's yearly charge | $179 | $309 | $1,059 |
Extras are optional and asked one at a time, each with its price. Filing yours ahead of our next batch costs $75. We email you before anything renews.
04Questions
Questions about a Rhode Island LLC.
If yours is not here, email us at [email protected] before you order.
Yes. Every LLC formed in Rhode Island owes a $400 annual charge to the Division of Taxation, filed on Form RI-1065, even a single-member LLC that earned nothing. It's separate from the $50 annual report filed with the Department of State.
Yes. Rhode Island, like every state, doesn't require an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents. It does require a resident agent, Rhode Island's name for a registered agent, with a street address in Rhode Island. Its recurring filing is due between 1 February and 1 May each year, starting the year after the LLC is formed.
It costs $150 to file, and then $450 a year, counting the $400 minimum annual charge to the Division of Taxation. Over five years that comes to $2,350 in state charges. A Wyoming LLC costs $342.40 over the same five years.
No. We file in Wyoming and Delaware only. For a founder outside the US, they're the two states worth being in, and we'd rather know two states well than fifty a little. If your business will have staff, an office, stock or property in Rhode Island, it'll need to register there whichever state formed it, and we'll tell you so before you order.
05Every state
Every other state, with its figures.
Each state's filing fee and recurring charge, as published in September 2026. Rhode Island is highlighted.
Ready when you are
Form it in the state that suits you.
Most founders abroad choose Wyoming for an LLC, or Delaware for a corporation that will raise money. The order form explains the trade-off where you choose.