- Rhode Island rates in one table
- The statute's step-up schedule
- Tipped pay
- Student rates at nonprofits
- Who doesn't have to be paid the minimum
- Weekly pay, Sunday premiums and meal breaks
- Rhode Island against its neighbours
- Federal rules underneath
- Mistakes Rhode Island employers make
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
The minimum wage in Rhode Island is $16.00 an hour as of October 2026, and state law raises it to $17.00 on January 1, 2027. Tipped staff such as waitstaff get a cash wage of at least $3.89 an hour, and cash plus tips must always reach $16.00.
The schedule is written into Rhode Island General Laws section 28-12-3, and the Department of Labor and Training enforces it. This page draws on the department's minimum wage page, the statute itself, and the U.S. Department of Labor's state, tipped, payday and meal break tables, all read in October 2026.
Rhode Island rates in one table
| Rule | Now (as of October 2026) | From January 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage | $16.00 | $17.00 |
| Tipped cash wage | $3.89 | Check the department's page |
| Maximum tip credit | $12.11 | Check the department's page |
| Student rates, nonprofit employers only | $14.40 or $12 | Check the department's page |
The statute's step-up schedule
| Commencing | Rhode Island rate |
|---|---|
| October 1, 2020 | $11.50 |
| January 1, 2022 | $12.25 |
| January 1, 2023 | $13.00 |
| January 1, 2024 | $14.00 |
| January 1, 2025 | $15.00 |
| January 1, 2026 | $16.00 |
| January 1, 2027 | $17.00 |
That's a rise of a dollar every January since 2023, all set in law in advance. The statute writes each step as a fixed figure, so the rates are known well ahead.
Tipped pay
The department says jobs that rely on tips, like waitstaff and hotel employees, get a minimum cash wage of $3.89 an hour, with a maximum tip credit of $12.11, which together equal the $16.00 minimum in 2026. Total pay including tips must always be at least $16 an hour. The department adds that this doesn't apply to taxi drivers or some small public vehicles. The federal tipped table defines a tipped employee in Rhode Island as one getting more than $30 a month in tips. My guide to tip pooling covers shared pots.
Student rates at nonprofits
Here's the exception most people outside the state don't know. Students under 19 working for a nonprofit school, religious group, library or community service organisation can be paid less than the full minimum. The department sets it out:
- The department's reduced student rate for these employers is $14.40 an hour in 2026.
- Its listed rate for a student working 24 hours or less a week is $12 an hour in 2026.
- A student working more than 24 hours a week gets the full $16 for all hours worked.
The rule applies only to those nonprofit employers. A student at a shop or restaurant gets the full $16.00.
Who doesn't have to be paid the minimum
- Volunteers for charities, schools, religious groups or nonprofits who aren't officially employees.
- Newspaper carriers delivering papers to homes.
- Outside salespeople who do most of their work away from the office.
- A parent hiring their child, or a child hiring their parent.
- Some seasonal resorts and camps, under conditions set by the department.
The department warns that a job title alone doesn't make someone exempt. If the work doesn't meet the test, the minimum wage applies.
Weekly pay, Sunday premiums and meal breaks
Rhode Island has three rules that catch employers from other states. The federal payday table says most Rhode Island employers must pay weekly, though employers meeting the tests in section 28-14-2.2 can petition to pay at least twice a month. The federal state table notes time and a half for Sunday and holiday work in retail and certain other businesses under two separate laws. And the federal meal break table says employees get a 20-minute meal break in a six-hour shift and 30 minutes in an eight-hour shift, with exceptions for licensed health care facilities and employers with fewer than three people on a shift.
Rhode Island against its neighbours
| State | Basic minimum wage (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $16.00 |
| Connecticut | $16.94 |
| Massachusetts | $15.00 |
Rhode Island now pays more than Massachusetts and a little less than Connecticut. My Connecticut minimum wage guide covers the higher neighbour.
Federal rules underneath
Rhode Island's rate sits on top of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The Department of Labor's reference guide sets overtime at time and a half after 40 hours a week for non-exempt staff and says the federal law doesn't cap the hours an employee aged 16 or over can be scheduled. For teens, it limits 14 and 15 year olds to no more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week.
Mistakes Rhode Island employers make
- Paying fortnightly without the department's permission under section 28-14-2.2.
- Paying a student rate at a shop or restaurant, when it only applies to listed nonprofits.
- Skipping time and a half for Sunday or holiday work in retail.
- Treating a job title such as outside sales as an exemption without checking the work.
- Forgetting the January 2027 rise to $17.00.
My verdict
Rhode Island is easy to plan for because the law sets every step in advance: $16.00 now and $17.00 from January 2027. The traps are weekly paydays, Sunday and holiday premiums in retail, and the meal break rule. If you move staff between Rhode Island and Massachusetts, run the higher Rhode Island rate for anyone who works in Rhode Island.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Rhode Island?
It's $16.00 an hour as of October 2026, rising to $17.00 on January 1, 2027.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Rhode Island?
Tipped staff get a cash wage of at least $3.89 an hour, with a maximum tip credit of $12.11.
Can students be paid less in Rhode Island?
Only students under 19 at nonprofit schools, religious groups, libraries or community service organisations.
How often must Rhode Island employers pay?
Most employers must pay weekly, unless they petition under section 28-14-2.2 to pay at least twice a month.
Does Rhode Island require meal breaks?
Yes. 20 minutes in a six-hour shift and 30 minutes in an eight-hour shift, with some exceptions.
Does Rhode Island pay extra for Sunday work?
Time and a half for Sundays and holidays applies in retail and certain other businesses under two separate laws.
Is Rhode Island's minimum wage higher than Massachusetts?
Yes. Rhode Island pays $16.00 an hour and Massachusetts $15.00 as of October 2026.
Who enforces the Rhode Island minimum wage?
The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.
Which workers don't have to be paid the Rhode Island minimum wage?
Volunteers who aren't employees, newspaper carriers, outside salespeople, family hiring family and some seasonal resorts and camps.
