Annual reports deadline looms for local corporations

By PBN Staff

PROVIDENCE – More than 30,000 for-profit corporations in Rhode Island, ranging from car dealers to restaurants, have from Jan. 1 to March 1 to submit their annual reports.

Failure to do so can result in the revocation of the corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation or Certificate of Authority; state law also includes fines for late filing, a news release said.

Corporations can file online, with their Customer Identification Number and Personal Identification number; by mail; or in person at the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division at 148 West River St.

“Our customers have really embraced the upgrades we made. More than half the annual reports filed last year came over the Web,” said Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis. “We’re making it easier for companies to do business in Rhode Island.”

The reports will be posted online so the public can search the database by the corporation’s name, location, type of business, etc.

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

There are 60,000 corporate entities registered to do business in Rhode Island.