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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 2 · Rhode Island

Rhode Island Registered Agent Walkthrough (2026): 6 Stages and the 3 Best Agents

Ranked for 2026, the services worth your call for naming a registered agent in Rhode Island are Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Rhode Island Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and RI Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in that order. You are 6 short stages away from a properly named resident agent.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Walkthrough snapshot

Legally required?
Yes
webserver.rilegislature.gov, seen in October 2026
Cost of hiring an agent
$99 to $149 a year
As each company lists them
Recurring report
$50 a year
sos.ri.gov, seen in August 2026
State minimum tax
$400
tax.ri.gov, seen in October 2026
Stage count
6
Listed below

What you will get from this walkthrough

  • What Rhode Island requires of a resident agent
  • Who qualifies, and the address test
  • Getting the agent listed
  • Who we would phone as agent

Who we would phone in Rhode Island

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we score), and three-year cost and work taken off your desk count most.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a nationwide agent at one price

Top recommendation$149 yearly, no change at renewal

In Rhode Island, Mainstay Filing leads the list: one annual fee of $149 follows the company when it expands, and renewal stays $149.

You will pay $150 more than at Rhode Island Registered Agent.co over three years, but this service does more of the legwork, and we count that.

What you get

  • A street address for the registered office
  • Papers served on the company are scanned for you, no charge
  • Up to three government mailings a year are scanned for free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • Goes with you to any state
  • A flat $149 yearly

What to watch

  • $50 yearly more than the local option
  • Agent service only, so reports stay with you
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co: best for a low yearly agent fee

Local choice$99 yearly, no change at renewal

Second place goes to Rhode Island Registered Agent.co, since a street address in the state for $99 a year.

What you get

  • A Rhode Island address for the registered office
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • $99 a year, same at renewal
  • Yearly price below the national pick

What to watch

  • Only works in Rhode Island; any other state needs its own agent
  • Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company is a job it leaves to you
Visit Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. RI Registered Agent.org: best for another local option

Local choice$99 yearly, no change at renewal

Third place goes to RI Registered Agent.org, since a street address in the state for $99 a year.

On price it is a tie with Rhode Island Registered Agent.co.

What you get

  • A Rhode Island address for the registered office
  • Served documents appear online

What works

  • Yearly price below the national pick
  • $99 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • Only works in Rhode Island; any other state needs its own agent
  • Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company is a job it leaves to you
Visit RI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Rhode Island picks side by side

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Rhode Island Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Rhode Island Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3RI Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit RI Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. Rhode Island asks the same either way.

The Rhode Island agent, in order

  1. Stage 1

    Know what Rhode Island requires

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Check it yourself: webserver.rilegislature.gov, seen in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Who counts as an agent

    A Rhode Island resident, or a corporation, limited partnership or LLC formed in Rhode Island or authorized there. Read R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-11 for the wording.

  3. Stage 3

    Choose a compliant address

    The address has to be a Rhode Island street address, not a P.O. box, where the agent is available during business hours.

    Hire a service and its Rhode Island street address goes on the record, not yours.

  4. Stage 4

    Go solo or hire out

    If you pass the tests above you can name yourself. Hiring one of our picks costs $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Stage 5

    Name the agent in the filing

    The Articles of Organization (Form 400) asks for the agent's name and address, and the Rhode Island Secretary of State also handles the change filing when you switch.

    Check it yourself: docs.sos.ri.gov, seen in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Track the repeating filing

    Send the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company on time ($50, May 1) and the agent record stays right. $400 a year minimum tax to the Division of Taxation (Form RI-1065), owed whether or not the LLC makes a profit.

    Check it yourself: sos.ri.gov, seen in August 2026

Agent and state costs

EntryPayeeSum
Agent serviceThe service company$99 to $149 a year
Agent renewalThe service company$99 to $149 a year
Repeating reportThe state$50 every year
Minimum tax each yearThe state$400 a year
Add the filing fee, two later reports and any minimum tax and you have the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

How we scored the Rhode Island picks

What decided it was work taken off your desk, which carries 32% of the score.

Reach put it ahead of Rhode Island Registered Agent.co.

Short answers

Is having a resident agent the law in Rhode Island?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own resident agent?

An owner can serve when eligible; the tests sit in stages 2 and 3.

Can I change my resident agent later?

Yes; the Rhode Island Secretary of State takes change filings, and stage 5 says what to send.

What does a registered agent cost in Rhode Island?

Prices here run $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The state's yearly line is the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company at $50 every year, alongside the yearly minimum tax.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Phone Mainstay Filing, because $149 a year with a single provider, however many states the LLC ends up in. After that come Rhode Island Registered Agent.co and RI Registered Agent.org.

Where we got the facts

  1. Where the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division advice comes from: docs.sos.ri.gov, viewed August 2026.
  2. Where the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division advice comes from: sos.ri.gov, viewed August 2026.
  3. Where the R.I advice comes from: webserver.rilegislature.gov, viewed August 2026.
  4. Where the Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sos.ri.gov, viewed October 2026.
  5. Where the Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: docs.sos.ri.gov, viewed October 2026.
  6. Where the Rhode Island registered agent statute advice comes from: webserver.rilegislature.gov, viewed October 2026.
  7. Where the Rhode Island other cost advice comes from: tax.ri.gov, viewed October 2026.
  8. Mainstay Filing: Rhode Island service page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. Rhode Island Registered Agent.co: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  10. RI Registered Agent.org: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026