Annual report filing period open for R.I. corporations

By PBN Staff
Twitter: @ProvBusNews

PROVIDENCE – With the new year comes the annual report filing period for Rhode Island’s for-profit corporations. Rhode Island’s 30,000 for-profit corporations are required to file their annual reports with the Secretary of State’s office between Jan. 1 and March 1.

In a release, Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis urged nonprofits to file their reports online via the office’s website.

“Our customers have really embraced the upgrades we made a few years ago. About half the annual reports filed in 2012 came via the Internet,” Mollis said in prepared remarks. “Improvements like this make it easier for companies to do business in Rhode Island.”

Rhode Island’s corporations can still file by mail or in person at the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division at 148 West River St. in Providence, during normal business hours.

Failure to file can result in fines and the revocation of a company’s certificate of incorporation or certificate of authority – making it illegal for them to conduct business-related activities in the state.

“State law makes my office responsible for corporate record-keeping. We work hard to give the public access to quick and accurate access to information. The business community deserves credit for being partners in this endeavor,” said Mollis, whose office posts the reports on its website. The public can search databases by corporation name, location and type of business, among other criteria.

“This transparency is consumer-friendly and ensures that the public has a place to turn for information about businesses,” said Mollis. “Corporations that file annual reports demonstrate a commitment to openness, and that can make people thinking of doing business with them more confident.”