Rhode Island licenses motor fuel distributors through the Division of Taxation, and R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-36-3 conditions the registration on a bond running to the general treasurer for the fuel tax you collect. The amount is set by a statutory table that starts at $250,000. We issue it at a flat 3% — one soft credit pull, never affecting the rate.
















Your distributor registration is waiting on this bond. Because the amounts here are large, there is a quick underwriting step — here is the whole thing:
Business details, owner information, the bond amount the Division of Taxation set, and the effective date. The only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
These are large bonds, so an underwriter reviews the file — most clear quickly, and you hear back within 48 hours if anything else is needed. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score.
Pay online and receive the executed bond (form MFT-EB) ready to file with your distributor registration (form MFT-APP). Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
Bond amount × 3% = your premium, one-time per term. The $250,000 statutory minimum lands at $7,500; enter the figure on your Division of Taxation notice and the premium updates.
Rhode Island taxes motor fuel through the Division of Taxation, and R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-36-3 conditions a distributor's registration on a surety bond. The bond runs to the general treasurer and is conditioned to pay any final judgment against the distributor for failure to pay the motor fuel taxes assessed under Chapter 31-36. It is filed on the Division's bond form (MFT-EB) alongside the distributor registration (MFT-APP).
The amount is not a single fixed figure — it is set by a statutory table tied to your average estimated annual tax, beginning at a $250,000 minimum for distributors estimating up to $1,000,000 in annual tax, and rising in steps. By statute, the bond can never exceed $5,000,000. The Division of Taxation tells you which figure applies; enter that on your application.
Rhode Island's motor fuel tax is a per-gallon excise the distributor collects and remits — $0.40 per gallon as of July 1, 2025, with biannual CPI adjustments scheduled to begin in 2027. Because these bond amounts are large, surety underwriting reviews the file; the rate stays a flat 3%, and a soft credit pull informs approval, never the price.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Because these are large bonds, an underwriter reviews the file before issuing — usually within 48 hours.
Start the application →If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
Five-minute application, flat 3%, soft pull only. Enter the amount the state set and e-sign once underwriting clears — usually within 48 hours.