Rhode Island Paystub Generator

Reading a Rhode Island pay stub, line by line

A Rhode Island pay stub is short: one state income tax line and one state insurance line, on top of the federal lines. Here is what each one means in 2026:

RI State Income Tax ("RI SIT", "RI W/H"). Rhode Island has three brackets — 3.75%, 4.75% and 5.99% — and uses one schedule for every filing status. In 2026, 3.75% covers the first $82,050 of taxable income, 4.75% runs to $186,450, and 5.99% applies above that. The brackets are indexed to inflation every year. On your return you get an $11,200 standard deduction (single) and a $5,250 personal exemption, both phasing out between $261,000 and $290,800 of income.

How your employer withholds it. Payroll uses Form RI W-4 (the federal W-4 does not count for Rhode Island) and subtracts only $1,000 per exemption before applying the rate table — the standard deduction is not built into withholding. That is why most single employees get a Rhode Island refund: at $60,000 with one exemption, about $2,213 is withheld against a real tax of about $1,633.

RI TDI (Temporary Disability Insurance). 1.1% of your first $100,000 of wages in 2026 — a maximum of $1,100 for the year — paid entirely by you. The same deduction funds Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI), which pays up to 8 weeks of caregiver benefits, so there is no separate family-leave line. Some stubs label it "RI SDI".

What you will NOT see: a city or town income tax (Rhode Island has none), an unemployment deduction (employer-paid, along with the 0.21% Job Development Fund), or a separate paid-family-leave line.

Plus the federal lines on every US stub: federal income tax, Social Security (6.2% up to $184,500 in 2026), and Medicare (1.45%, plus 0.9% on wages over $200,000). From January 1, 2027: Social Security 6.2% up to $192,300.

Rhode Island paycheck facts — 2026

What you actually take home in Rhode Island (2026 estimates)

Estimated for a single filer, including federal income tax (after the $16,100 standard deduction), Social Security, Medicare, Rhode Island income tax (statutory 2026 brackets after the $11,200 standard deduction and $5,250 exemption), and RI TDI at 1.1% of wages up to $100,000. No local tax applies anywhere in the state:

Where the money goes at $60,000: Rhode Island income tax about $1,633 plus TDI $660 — about $2,293, or 3.8% of gross. Your stub will likely withhold about $2,213 in state tax (one exemption), so roughly $580 comes back when you file.

TDI is capped: once you pass $100,000 of wages in the year, the 1.1% line stops — the most anyone pays in 2026 is $1,100.

Methodology: 2026 federal brackets and $16,100 standard deduction (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32), FICA per SSA, Rhode Island 2026 rate schedule, standard deduction and exemption (Division of Taxation Advisory 2025-22), TDI 1.1% to $100,000 (Department of Labor and Training Form TX-17, 2026). Calculated from the 2026 tables — estimates only; your withholding depends on your RI W-4, credits, and pre-tax benefits.

What Rhode Island jobs pay (BLS, May 2025)

Rhode Island's median hourly wage across all occupations is $27.30 — about 11% above the national median of $24.51. Elementary teachers stand out at a $90,930 median salary, and a construction laborer's $27.52 median sits right at the state's all-jobs midpoint.

Rhode Island's workforce in numbers

• 1.11 million residents, civilian labor force of 577,490, unemployment 3.9% (Census 2025 estimate; BLS, July 2026)
• 95,241 self-employed (nonemployer) businesses (Census, 2023) — about one for every 12 residents, and 3.2 times the number of businesses with employees
• 444,256 people on employer payrolls at 29,510 establishments, earning $27.5 billion a year (Census County Business Patterns, 2023)
• Mean annual wage: $71,900 across 501,340 jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2025)

Rhode Island pay rules — the answers people actually need

Final paycheck: next regular payday, whether you quit, were fired, or were laid off. RIGL § 28-14-4(a) makes all unpaid wages due on the next regular payday. If you have worked there at least one year, accrued vacation pay is added to that final check. If the employer is liquidating, merging, selling, or moving the business out of state, everything is due within 24 hours.

Payday timing: your employer must set a regular payday that falls within 9 days of the end of the pay period, and must give notice at least three paydays before changing the schedule (RIGL § 28-14-2).

Is a pay stub required? Yes. On every regular payday, RIGL § 28-14-2.1 requires a statement of the hours you worked (exempt salaried staff excepted) and a record of every deduction with the reason for it; commercial construction employers must also show your hourly rate. The statement can be electronic, but you can ask in writing for a paper copy at no cost.

Minimum wage: $16.00 an hour in 2026, rising to $17.00 on January 1, 2027 — both steps are already written into RIGL § 28-12-3. Tipped workers can be paid a $3.89 cash wage, unchanged since 2017, but tips must bring the total to the full minimum or the employer pays the difference (§ 28-12-5).

One exemption form, two taxes: fill in both the federal W-4 and the RI W-4. Without an RI W-4, your employer cannot use your federal form to figure Rhode Island withholding.

No local income tax and no local minimum wage in Rhode Island

No Rhode Island city or town levies an income tax — so a Rhode Island stub never carries a city or county tax line, and your take-home is the same wherever you live in the state.

The minimum wage is one statewide rate for every employer size: $16.00 in 2026 and $17.00 from January 1, 2027. A full-time job at $16.00 grosses $33,280 a year; at $17.00, $35,360.

Rhode Island vs. its neighbors (Massachusetts and Connecticut by land, New York across Block Island Sound, plus New Hampshire for New England comparison)

Rhode Island's 3.75% starting rate and $11,200 standard deduction keep the income-tax bite light for middle earners; the 1.1% TDI line is what makes a Rhode Island stub look heavier than it is.

FAQ