Rhode Island Corporation

You can get an EIN directly from the IRS. The application is free, and most businesses can apply online. However, if you don’t have a social security number, you’ll need to submit a paper application form. Can’t bear to fill out yet another application? Hire Northwest to get your EIN for you. Just add on EIN service during checkout when you sign up for our incorporation service.

Corporate bylaws cover basic policies and procedures for issues such as company finances and management. Bylaws should cover a range of topics, answering key questions like those below:

• Meetings: When and where will meetings for shareholders and directors be held? How many attendees are required to transact business? What are the procedures for voting or proxy voting? How do you call a special meeting? What actions can be taken without a meeting?

• Stock: How are stock certificates issued and transferred? How is voting affected by issues such as corporate stock owners or fractional shares?

• Directors and officers: How many directors must there be? Which officer positions are required? What powers do they have? How do you fill a vacancy or remove a director or officer?

• Finances: What are the procedures for retaining profits, issuing dividends, and paying bills? Who can withdraw money from the corporate bank account or sign checks?

• Records: Where is the corporate book to be kept? What information will be maintained? How are requests for review or access honored? Can records or copies be kept or distributed digitally?

• Amendments and emergencies: Who can amend bylaws and how? Can emergency bylaws be adopted in the case of disaster?

Rhode Island bylaws can make other provisions as well, assuming additions are in accordance with state law. For example, RI Gen L § 7-1.2-812 states that the officers of a corporation will consist of a president, a secretary, and a treasurer, but other officers can be authorized by your bylaws, just as long as each one is elected by the board of directors or by the shareholders. Your bylaws can also establish the authority and the duties each officer has within your corporation.

Creating bylaws can be overwhelming—where do you start? Northwest can help. We give you free corporate bylaws when you hire us to form your Rhode Island corporation. We know what kinds of topics and questions corporations need to address, and we’ve spent years refining and improving our forms. We offer many other free corporate forms as well, including templates for resolutions and meeting minutes.

$50. Add an extra $2.50 if you decide to file online.

The filing is due by May 1st.

These filings can be easy to forget—which is why we send our clients automatic reminders for your Rhode Island Annual Report filings. Or better yet, let us file for you. With our business renewal service, we submit the report for you for $100 plus state fees.

Rhode Island corporations are required to pay a corporate net income tax. The rate is a flat 7%. There’s a minimum tax of $400. S Corporations pay the $400 minimum as well. Actually, almost every entity will pay at least $400—Rhode Island tax laws require LLCs, LPs, and LLPs to pay an annual fee “equal to the minimum business corporation tax.”

The Rhode Island sales tax is also a flat %7 with no additional local sales taxes. This means customers will pay the same sales tax rate at the counter from Westerly to Woonsocket.

If your corporation requires a permit for retail sale, an income tax withholding account or a state unemployment insurance account, you’ll need to register. You can register via the Rhode Island Division of Taxation or by filing a Rhode Island Business Application and Registration. You’ll need your EIN before you can register.

$230 for up to 75,000,000 shares. (Technically, this is a $70 filing fee and a $160 license fee—the license fee goes up by 1/5 cent per share if you have more than 75 million shares.) If you file online, add on $8 for the state’s “enhanced fee.”

Hire us for a one-time fee of $463, including the state filing fees, a year of registered agent service, a business address and more.

File your Articles of Incorporation online for 1-2 day processing. Note that there’s an $8 “enhanced fee” for online submissions. If you submit a paper form (either in person or by mail), it will take a bit longer to process—usually an extra day or two. Occasionally, it can take a week or more.

There isn’t a singular, general license for Rhode Island corporations. However, the Department of Business Regulation licenses a wide variety of business activities and professions, from breweries to debt collectors. Some business activities require local licenses as well. For instance, most cities and towns license businesses like pawn brokers, laundries, and pool halls.

For some license applications you may need an EIN or a certified copy of your Articles of Incorporation. At Northwest, we can streamline the process and get these for you—simply add on these items during checkout.

A corporation formed outside of Rhode Island—but which conducts business in the state—is considered a foreign Rhode Island corporation. For example, if you incorporated in Massachusetts but decide to open a storefront in Rhode Island, you would be a foreign Rhode Island corporation. This also means you would need to register with the state by filing an Application for Certificate of Authority with the Rhode Island Secretary of State, Division of Business Services. Foreign corporations are required to file the Rhode Island Annual Report each year as well.

Absolutely! We’re happy to start a nonprofit corporation for you. Note that incorporating a Rhode Island nonprofit requires a different form and paying a lower filing fee. Rhode Island nonprofits still pay the state’s corporate income tax, but may qualify for exemption from the state’s sales and use tax. You’re required to file an annual report each year as well.

It’s a conundrum: you need a local number to display on your website and give to customers, but you don’t want to make your personal number quite so…public. We get it. And we’ve got you covered with Northwest Phone Service. We can provide you with a virtual phone number in any state—plus unlimited call forwarding and tons of easy-to-use features. You can try Phone Service free for 60 days when you hire us to form your corporation, and maintaining service is just $9 monthly after that. No contract required.