If an employee with at least one year of service is separated from employment, any accrued vacation pay, as specified by a collective bargaining agreement, company policy, or other agreement, becomes wages. This vacation pay must be paid in full or on a prorated basis with all other wages on the next regular payday.
Rhode Island Labor Laws
Rhode Island Minimum Wage
The minimum wage in Rhode Island was raised to $11.50 per hour on October 1, 2020.
Rhode Island Labor Law Posters
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History of Rhode Island Labor Laws
Before increasing to $11.50 per hour, the minimum wage in Rhode Island was set at $10.50 per hour.
Municipality Minimum Wage Laws
Since 2014, cities and other localities in Rhode Island have been prohibited from setting their own minimum wage rates, ensuring a uniform minimum wage across the state.
Rhode Island Minimum Wage Exemptions
Minors aged 14 or 15 who work 24 hours or less per week can be paid 75% of the minimum wage. However, if they work more than 24 hours in a week, they must be paid the full minimum wage for all hours worked.
Minimum Wage Exemptions:
- Individuals working in or around a private home
- Traveling salespersons or outside salespersons
- Individuals employed by their son, daughter, or spouse, and services performed by a child under 21 employed by their parent
- People employed between May 1 and October 1 in a resort establishment that regularly serves meals to the public and operates for no more than six months a year
- People employed by an organized camp that operates for no more than seven months in any calendar year
Rhode Island Posting Requirements
Required posters:
- Minimum Wage
- Fair Employment
- Family Leave
- Pregnancy Discrimination
- Right to Know
- Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act
- Sexual Harassment
- Unemployment Insurance
- Workers' Compensation
- No Smoking Sign
Tipped Wage in Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, the tipped wage rate is $3.89 per hour. If an employee’s tips combined with the tipped wage do not meet the minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference to ensure the employee earns at least the minimum wage.
Overtime Wage in Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, any hours worked over 40 in a workweek must be paid at a rate of time-and-a-half the employee’s regular rate of pay.
Exceptions to the Overtime Requirement:
- Employees of a summer camp open no more than six months a year
- Police officers, firefighters, and rescue service personnel employed by cities and towns
- Employees of the state or political subdivisions who elect through collective bargaining or other agreements to receive compensatory time off equal to one and one-half times the hours worked over 40
- Executive, administrative, or professional employees receiving a salary of at least $200 per week
- Salaried employees of a nonprofit national voluntary health agency who may elect compensatory time off for hours worked over 40
- Certain employees, including drivers, driver’s helpers, mechanics, and loaders of any motor carrier, including private carriers
- Salespersons, parts persons, or mechanics primarily engaged in the sale and/or servicing of automobiles, trucks, or farm implements, employed by a non-manufacturing employer primarily engaged in selling these vehicles or implements, if certain conditions are met
Additionally, in Rhode Island, employees must be paid time-and-a-half their regular rate of pay for working on Sundays or holidays (the state recognizes nine holidays). There are many exceptions to this overtime requirement based on occupation and industry.
Child Labor Laws in Rhode Island
Work Restrictions for Minors in Rhode Island:
Minors Aged 14 or 15:
- Cannot work during school hours
- Cannot work before 6 a.m. or after 7 p.m., except during school vacations when the limit is 9 p.m. (For businesses covered by federal law, they cannot work before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m. from June 1 until Labor Day)
- Cannot work more than 8 hours per day (For businesses covered by federal law, they cannot work more than 3 hours per day on school days)
- Cannot work more than 40 hours per week (For businesses covered by federal law, they cannot work more than 18 hours per week during school weeks)
Minors Aged 16 or 17:
- Cannot work more than 48 hours per week
- Cannot work more than 9 hours per day (or 9.6 hours per day for a five-day workweek)
- Cannot work before 6 a.m. or after 11:30 p.m. (1:30 a.m. if there is no school the next day)
- Must have an 8-hour break between the end of one shift and the start of the next
Note: During school vacations, there are no hour limitations for 16- and 17-year-old employees.
Employer Recordkeeping Requirements in Rhode Island
Employers must retain payroll records for three years. These records should include:
- Names, addresses, and ages of all workers
- Occupations
- Wage rates
- Hours worked each day and each week
- Wages paid each pay period
Rhode Island Labor Law Questions & Answers
Yes, small businesses in Rhode Island are required to pay the minimum wage.
- Minors aged 14 or 15: Under Rhode Island law, they can work up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. Federal law restricts them to 3 hours per day on school days and 18 hours during school weeks.
- Minors aged 16 or 17: They can work up to 9 hours per day (or up to 9.6 hours per day for a five-day workweek) and up to 48 hours per week.
Yes, employers in Rhode Island must pay time-and-a-half the regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, as well as for hours worked on Sundays and holidays.
Yes, during a six-hour shift, a 20-minute meal period must be provided. During an eight-hour shift, the meal period must last 30 minutes. This requirement does not apply to healthcare facilities or companies with fewer than three employees at one site during a shift.
Rhode Island Labor Law Posters
Simplify labor law compliance and make workplace policies visible with J. J. Keller state and federal labor law posters.