PROVIDENCE, R.I. (March 30, 2009) — Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis is reminding for-profit corporations that tomorrow is the deadline to file their 2009 annual reports with his office or face penalties that include fines and the loss of their corporate status.
Thanks to improvements Mollis made to his website, businesses have until midnight March 31 to file. Until last year, companies had to file in person at the secretary of state’s office by 4:30 p.m.
Now businesses can beat the deadline by filing online at www.sec.state.ri.us/corps and clicking on the “File Corporations Online” link. Every company has been assigned its own unique Customer Identification Number and Personal Identification Number order to ensure security. Annual reports filed before midnight March 31 will not be considered delinquent.
“The business world doesn’t operate from 9-to-5 anymore. Technology has changed all that. With the upgrades we have made, you can work with my office 24 hours a day, seven days a week whether you are in Rhode Island or on the road,” said Mollis.
State law requires for-profit corporations to report a variety of information including the names and contact information of their officers and board of directors to the Secretary of State at the beginning of every year. More than 35,000 companies are subject to the requirement.
Business owners can still choose to file by mail or in person at the Secretary of State’s Division of Business Services at 148 West River St. in Providence.
Under state law, for-profit corporations have until March 31 to file their annual reports or face a $25 fine. Failure to file an annual report can also result in the revocation of a company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Certificate of Authority.
Those certifications provide companies with the legal basis for conducting a variety of business-related activities in Rhode Island such as direct sales. In 2008, more than 2,200 companies lost their corporate status as a result of failing to file.
At other times of the year, non-profit corporations and limited liability companies are also required to file annual reports with the Secretary of State.
“State law makes my office responsible for corporate record-keeping, and we are committed to giving the public easy access to current information. The business community deserves recognition for contributing to that goal,” said Mollis.
The Secretary of State’s office works with every company registered to do business in Rhode Island — nearly 65,000 in all. The office also oversees recording commercial liens, protecting corporate trademarks and providing advice to start-up businesses.
Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making it easier for Rhode Islanders to vote, helping businesses grow and making government more open and accessible. For more information about filing an annual report, visit www.sec.state.ri.us/corps or call (401) 222-3040.
