Rhode Island's income tax tops out at 5.99%, but its lowest bracket, 3.75%, is unusually wide: it runs all the way to about $79,900, so most full-time workers pay just 3.75% on the bulk of their income.
That wide bottom bracket, plus a solid standard deduction and exemption, makes Rhode Island's effective rate low for typical earners. Here is how it works on your paycheck. See your exact take-home with the free Rhode Island paycheck calculator.
How Rhode Island's income tax works
Rhode Island uses three brackets: 3.75% up to $79,900, 4.75% to $181,650, and 5.99% above that. Because the 3.75% band is so wide, nearly every full-time worker is taxed entirely at 3.75%. It applies after a standard deduction ($10,900 single / $21,800 married) and a personal exemption ($4,950 single). There is no local income tax.
Both the standard deduction and the personal exemption phase out at high incomes, but for ordinary earners they meaningfully lower the bill.
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $79,900 | 3.75% |
| $79,900 – $181,650 | 4.75% |
| Over $181,650 | 5.99% |
Your take-home on a $65,000 salary in Rhode Island
Here is how a $65,000 salary breaks down for a single filer, using 2025 federal and FICA figures alongside Rhode Island's three brackets from 3.75% to 5.99%.
| Item | Annual |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $5,246 |
| FICA (Social Security + Medicare) | $4,973 |
| Rhode Island income tax | $1,843 |
| Take-home pay | $52,939 |
| Percent of gross kept | 81.4% |
On a $65,000 salary a single filer owes only about $1,843 in Rhode Island income tax, an effective rate near 2.8%, and keeps roughly $52,939, or 81.4% of gross, lower than in neighboring Massachusetts, thanks to that wide 3.75% bracket. The Providence metro's cost of living is the bigger factor in how far the take-home goes. Compare with Massachusetts.
A very wide 3.75% bottom bracket
Rhode Island's standout feature is how far its lowest 3.75% rate extends, almost $80,000 of taxable income, so unlike many states whose top rate hits early, a Rhode Islander earning a typical salary never leaves the bottom bracket. That keeps the effective rate among the lower in the Northeast.
Rhode Island exempts Social Security for lower- and middle-income retirees and offers a break on other retirement income, so retirees often pay less than the wage rates suggest.
How to keep more of your Rhode Island paycheck
Because Rhode Island starts from a federal-style base, a traditional 401(k) and HSA lower your Rhode Island and federal taxable income together (and the HSA also avoids FICA), a simple way to push your take-home higher.