Start a nonprofit · Rhode Island
How to Start a Nonprofit in Rhode Island
Rhode Island charges $35 to file the articles of a domestic non-profit corporation, and the board must have no fewer than three directors. The annual report costs $20 and is due between February 1 and May 1 each year, starting the year after incorporation.
Every fee and rule on this page was checked against the agency's own publication on November 8, 2026. Sources are linked under each item.
At a glance
The Rhode Island requirements in one table.
| Type of entity | A Rhode Island domestic non-profit corporation, formed by filing Form 200 under RIGL 7-6-34. Sources: Form 200 |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $35, payable to the RI Department of State. Sources: Form 200, SOS Your Structure |
| Incorporators | At least one, who signs and dates the form. Sources: SOS filing guide, Form 200 |
| Initial board | No fewer than three directors, kept at all times, with each director's name and address on the form. Sources: SOS filing guide, Form 200 |
| Registered agent | An agent with a Rhode Island street address. No P.O. box or virtual address. Sources: SOS filing guide, Form 200 |
| Federal exemption | Form 1023 ($600) or Form 1023-EZ ($275), filed electronically on Pay.gov. Sources: IRS fee page, IRS e-filing notice |
| Annual report | $20, filed February 1 to May 1 each year except the year of incorporation. Sources: Form 631, SOS filing guide |
The steps
Four steps, in the order they happen.
Seat at least three directors and name an agent.
The board must have no fewer than three directors at all times, including at formation. The registered agent must have a Rhode Island street address, called the Registered Office, and be reachable there during regular business hours. A P.O. box or virtual business address is not allowed. The principal office can be a P.O. box or an out-of-state address.
Sources: SOS filing guide, Form 200
File Form 200 and pay $35.
Type the form, because illegible documents are rejected. It states the specific purposes, lists each incorporator and director with an address, and names the agent. Every incorporator signs and dates it. The fee is $35 by check to the RI Department of State, or in person at the Providence office. The corporation is perpetual unless the form states a dissolution date. The form does not declare federal tax-exempt status, which the IRS recognizes separately.
Sources: Form 200
Apply to the IRS for 501(c)(3) status.
Forming a corporation does not make it tax-exempt. The federal application is Form 1023, with a $600 user fee, or the shorter Form 1023-EZ, with a $275 user fee, for smaller organizations that pass the eligibility worksheet in the form instructions. Both are filed electronically on Pay.gov, and the IRS returns paper applications. The IRS notes that the amounts can change.
The IRS answers with a determination letter, the written ruling that recognizes the exemption.
Sources: IRS fee page, IRS e-filing notice
Check charity registration with the Attorney General.
The Department of State's page states that charitable trust registration goes to the Rhode Island Attorney General, at $50, with an annual report at $50 due by July 1. The page describes charitable trusts and does not say whether it covers a non-profit corporation that solicits donations, so confirm with the Attorney General's office. Form 200's instructions also note that filings with the Division of Taxation are required.
Sources: SOS Your Structure, Form 200
Annual report
What the Rhode Island annual report requires.
The annual report is filed even before the organization is active.
No activity needed.
The filing is required even if the organization has not conducted business, opened a bank account or generated revenue.
Sources: SOS filing guide
Late penalty.
If the form is not filed by May 31, an additional $25 penalty applies.
Sources: Form 631
After you form
Staying in good standing.
One state filing recurs every year.
Common questions
Quick answers.
How much does it cost to start a nonprofit in Rhode Island?
The articles cost $35, plus the IRS user fee of $275 for Form 1023-EZ or $600 for Form 1023. That totals $310 or $635 as of the date this page was verified.
How many directors does a Rhode Island nonprofit need?
No fewer than three, at all times including when it is formed.
When is the Rhode Island nonprofit annual report due?
Between February 1 and May 1 each year, at $20. A $25 penalty applies if it is not filed by May 31.
After the filing
What comes next for a Rhode Island nonprofit.
The state filing is the short part. These are the next four jobs, and the book that handles each.
- Book I
Get the federal application and first-year budget right
The name, bylaws, the IRS application, a founding board and a first-year budget that balances.
- Book X
Start from finished documents
Forty annotated documents, including bylaws, budgets, policies, job descriptions and board papers, as editable Word files.
- Book VII
Build the board on purpose
What a board is for, recruiting for the skills you lack, working with the chair and running meetings that reach decisions.
- Book VIII
Stay in good standing
Charitable solicitation registration, operating in a second state, insurance and annual filings.
The complete set
All ten books and forty documents, $149.
All ten books in PDF and EPUB, plus the forty documents from Book X as editable Word files. The books are not sold separately.
Free when you join the list
Every Document a New Nonprofit Needs
Articles, bylaws, minutes, the exemption application, the policies and the filings: the whole sequence a new organization has to produce, in the order it arrives.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
- Rhode Island Department of State, Form 200, Articles of Incorporation (Domestic Non-Profit Corporation)
- Rhode Island Department of State, Non-Profit Corporation Articles of Incorporation Filing Guide
- Rhode Island Department of State, Form 631, Non-Profit Corporation Annual Report
- Rhode Island Department of State, Your Structure (non-profit)
- IRS, Form 1023 and 1023-EZ: amount of user fee
- IRS, Changes to the exempt organization determinations process
Last verified November 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the agency before you file. This page is general information and not legal or tax advice.