Tipped Minimum Wage in Rhode Island

How the Tip Credit Works

Under federal law, employers can pay tipped employees a cash wage as low as $2.13 per hour and claim a 'tip credit' for the difference — but only if tips bring the worker up to at least the full minimum wage. If tips fall short, the employer must make up the gap.

Tipped Wages in Rhode Island

Rhode Island allows a tip credit, but the required tipped cash wage and the exact rules vary and change. Confirm the current tipped minimum with the state before you run payroll.

Staying Compliant

Track tipped hours and tips so you can show that cash wages plus tips met the full minimum for every shift — the most common tipped-wage claim is exactly that they didn't.

Rhode Island Labor-Law Snapshot

Rhode Island permits a tip credit toward the minimum wage for tipped employees. The Rhode Island minimum wage is $16.00/hour (about $8.75 above the federal $7.25), so a tipped worker's effective floor tracks that figure once tips top up the cash wage.

For Rhode Island employers these rules interact with timekeeping: accurate, audit-logged hours drive overtime, sick-leave accrual, final pay, and break records. Rhode Island requires meal breaks on longer shifts and does not mandate paid rest breaks; a final paycheck is due by the next regular payday when an employee resigns. Confirm current Rhode Island figures with the state labor office before relying on any single number.

Official Sources

• U.S. DOL — Minimum wage by state
• U.S. DOL — State overtime
• U.S. DOL — State labor offices

More Rhode Island Guides

Tipped Minimum Wage in Other States

Rhode Island Tipped Minimum Wage: Frequently Asked Questions