Pay stub requirements in Rhode Island

01 — The law

What Rhode Island law requires

1. 01

   Hours, deductions, and the reason for each one

   On every regular payday every employer shall furnish the employee a statement of the hours worked during the applicable pay period and a record of all deductions made from gross earnings, together with an explanation of the basis or reason for the deductions. Employers engaged only in the commercial construction industry must also record the regular hourly rate of pay.

   R.I. Gen. Laws 28-14-2.1 - Statement of earnings →
2. 02

   Electronic by default, paper on written request

   All statements and records the section requires may be furnished as an electronic record. Where the employee provides a written authorization to the employer, the employer must furnish a printed or handwritten record in lieu of the electronic one at no cost to the employee, so paper is available on request rather than as the starting point.

   R.I. Gen. Laws 28-14-2.1 - Statement of earnings →
3. 03

   Weekly pay, with a bonded exception

   Every employee other than state and municipal staff and those of religious, literary or charitable corporations must be paid weekly, except employees whose compensation is fixed at a biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly or yearly rate. The director may allow less frequent payment where average payroll exceeds 200 percent of the state minimum wage, wages land at least twice a month, and the employer posts a surety bond covering the highest biweekly payroll exposure of the preceding year.

   R.I. Gen. Laws 28-14-2.2 - Frequency of payment →
4. 04

   Nine days from the end of the period to the payday

   Every employer shall establish a regular payday on which wages are paid in full, and each scheduled payday must fall within nine days of the end of the payroll period for which the wages are computed, unless prevented by inevitable casualty. A change to the scheduled payday requires written or posted notice at least three paydays in advance.

   R.I. Gen. Laws 28-14-2 - Payment of wages, regular paydays →
5. 05

   Sixteen dollars in 2026 and seventeen in 2027

   Section 28-12-3 was amended in June 2025 to extend its schedule: the minimum wage is sixteen dollars per hour commencing 1 January 2026 and seventeen dollars commencing 1 January 2027. Employees in occupations where gratuities customarily form part of the pay keep a separate floor, which the section holds at no less than $2.23 per hour before tips.

   R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-3 - Minimum wages →
6. 06

   Moving the business out of state accelerates the last cheque

   On an ordinary separation unpaid wages become due on the next regular payday at the usual place of payment, and an employee with at least a year of service also gets accrued vacation pay as wages then. If the employer liquidates, merges, disposes of or moves the business out of state, all wages become due within twenty-four hours, along with holiday pay, vacation pay and insurance benefits for anyone with a year of service.

   R.I. Gen. Laws 28-14-4 - Payment on separation by employer →

02 — Local rates

Local rates above the Rhode Island minimum

03 — What we calculate

What this generator calculates for Rhode Island

State withholding for Rhode Island is calculated from the 2026 figures the state publishes, and our test suite holds those figures against the state's own published calculation rather than against arithmetic of ours.

04 — Questions

Frequently asked questions

Does Rhode Island require a pay stub?

Yes, and it asks for something most states do not: the reason for each deduction. Every regular payday you are owed a statement of the hours you worked in the pay period and a record of all deductions from your gross earnings with an explanation of the basis or reason for them. In commercial construction the regular hourly rate goes on the record too.

Can my Rhode Island employer give me an electronic pay stub?

Yes. The statements and records the law requires may be furnished as an electronic record by default. If you give your employer a written authorization asking for it, the employer must furnish a printed or handwritten record instead, and it has to be at no cost to you.

What is the Rhode Island minimum wage in 2026?

Sixteen dollars an hour, up from fifteen in 2025. A June 2025 amendment carried the schedule forward, so seventeen dollars is already written into the statute for 1 January 2027. Employees in tipped occupations have a separate cash floor of $2.23 an hour, with tips expected to bring the total to at least the full minimum.

How often must Rhode Island wages be paid?

Weekly, unless your compensation is fixed at a biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly or yearly rate, and public sector and charitable employers sit outside the rule. A larger employer can petition the director to pay less often, but only against a surety bond and never less than twice a month. Whatever the schedule, payday falls within nine days of the end of the payroll period.

When is my last Rhode Island paycheck due?

On the next regular payday at the usual place of payment, plus accrued vacation pay if you have completed at least a year of service. The exception is a business winding down: if your employer liquidates, merges, sells or moves the business out of state, everything becomes payable within twenty-four hours of the separation.