Rhode Island minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Rhode Island is $16.00 an hour in 2026, rising to $17.00 on January 1, 2027. Rhode Island's rate climbs through fixed steps that the General Assembly writes into R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-3, with no automatic inflation adjustment, while the tipped cash wage has stayed at $3.89 since January 1, 2017.
Contents12 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $16.00 an hour, since January 1, 202616 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $17.00 on January 1, 2027 (set in law)1 |
| Tipped employees | $3.89 cash wage, tip credit up to $12.1137 |
| Overtime | 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours a week6 · details |
| Full-time pay | $640 a week, $33,280 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Labor Standards |
What to know about the Rhode Island minimum wage
Rhode Island raises its minimum wage by statute, one step at a time, rather than by an inflation formula. Each increase is written into R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-3 by the General Assembly: the rate went from $12.25 on January 1, 2022 to $13.00, $14.00 and $15.00 in the following three Januaries.1 Public Laws 2025, chapters 222 and 223, added two more steps, $16.00 on January 1, 2026 and $17.00 on January 1, 2027. Nothing is scheduled after that, so any later increase needs another act of the legislature.1
The tipped cash wage has not moved with those steps. Restaurants, hotels and other tipped businesses may pay $3.89 an hour, the same figure since January 1, 2017, and count tips toward the rest, but only with substantial evidence that tips make up the difference; taxicab and similar drivers are excluded from the credit.3 When the minimum reaches $17.00 on January 1, 2027, the gap that tips must cover widens to $13.11 an hour.
Two percentage rates apply to young and student workers. Minors aged 14 and 15 working 24 hours a week or less may be paid 75% of the minimum, but every hour in a week over 24 is owed at the full rate.2 Full-time students under 19 working for nonprofit religious, educational, library or community-service organizations may be paid 90%.3 Several jobs are outside the law's definition of employee altogether, including golf caddies, theater ushers, newspaper home-delivery carriers and staff of seasonal resorts open no more than six months.4 Since 2014, R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-25 has barred any city or town from setting a minimum wage of its own.5
All 2026 rates
Most workers get the standard rate. Minors aged 14 and 15 working no more than 24 hours a week, and full-time students under 19 at certain nonprofits, may be paid a percentage of it, as described below.
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| State minimum wage | Most employers in Rhode Island$17.00 from January 1, 20271 | $16.0016 |
| Minors aged 14 and 15 (24 hours a week or less) | At least 75% of the state minimum wage; all hours in a week over 24 must be paid at the full rate. | $12.00210 |
| Full-time students under 19 at certain nonprofits | At least 90% of the state minimum wage when working for nonprofit religious, educational, library or community-service organizations. | $14.40310 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $3.89 an hour37 |
| Maximum tip credit | $12.11 an hour |
Employers in tipped industries, other than taxicabs and similar vehicles, may pay a cash wage of at least $3.89 an hour in 2026 and count tips toward the rest of the minimum, if they have substantial evidence that tips make up the difference.
Overtime and salaried staff
| Weekly overtime | After 40 hours in a workweek, at 1.5 times the regular rate6 |
|---|---|
| Daily overtime | None in state law |
| Exempt salary | The federal level, $684 a week ($35,568 a year) |
Time and a half after 40 hours a week under the Rhode Island Minimum Wage Act. Separate laws require time and a half for Sunday and holiday work in retail and certain other businesses.
Overtime at the minimum wage of $16.00 is $24.00 an hour. Salaried managers, administrators and professionals are exempt from overtime only if they meet the duties tests and are paid at least the exempt salary. See overtime rules in every state or calculate pay with overtime.
How the rate changes
Each increase is written into R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-3 by the General Assembly, and none is set after January 1, 2027.
Indexed to inflation: no. Not indexed; increases are set by the General Assembly.6
Rate history
Who is covered
Most employers must pay the state minimum. The law's definition of employee leaves out, among others, federal employees, nonprofit volunteers, newspaper home-delivery carriers, golf caddies, bowling pin setters, theater ushers, outside salespeople, family members employed by a parent, child or spouse, and staff of seasonal resorts (open no more than six months, May 1 to October 1) and seasonal camps.
- Retail and certain other businesses must pay time and a half for Sunday and holiday work under separate Rhode Island laws.
Cities and counties
R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-25, enacted in 2014, provides that no municipality may establish or require a minimum wage other than the state or federal minimum.
Neighboring states
If you live near a state line, the rate that applies is the one where you do the work, not where you live or where the employer is based.
| State | Per hour now |
|---|---|
| Connecticut | $16.94 |
| Massachusetts | $15.00 |
Compare every state on the ranked list and map.
Get help or file a claim
If you are paid less than the minimum wage that applies to your job, you can file a wage claim with the agency below. Federal law prohibits firing or otherwise retaliating against a worker for complaining about federal minimum wage rights.
| Agency | Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Labor Standards |
|---|---|
| The law | R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-3 (Minimum wages); R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-3.1 (Wages for minors); R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-5 (Employees receiving gratuities); R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-25 (Uniformity) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
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- 10 Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Minimum wage Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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