Rhode Island was ahead of the curve in 2013 when it passed a state-mandated paid family leave law. The program is still in effect today, but it’s not as comprehensive as states with newer paid leave infrastructure.
Keep reading to find out exactly what Rhode Island paid leave covers, how businesses stay compliant, and options for supporting your employees.
How does paid leave in Rhode Island work?
Rhode Island provides all eligible private and public sector workers with three types of paid leave:
Parental leave to bond with a child (applies to newborn, adopted, and fostered children)
Family leave to care for seriously ill loved ones (applies to spouses, domestic partners, children, siblings, parents, parents-in-law, and grandparents)
Medical leave when you have an injury or illness that prevents you from working
The leaves are categorized under two different types of insurance: Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) for parental and family leave, and Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) for personal medical leave. Both are administered by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.
Here’s what the benefits look like:
Leave amount | Eligibility | Employee rights | Documents required | |
TCI (parental and family leave) | Up to 8 weeks | Meet earnings threshold | Job protection and continued health insurance during leave | Parental leave: proof of parent/child relationship Family leave: medical documentation for the person receiving care |
TDI (medical leave) | Up to 30 weeks | Meet earnings threshold | None | Medical certification form |
Employees can claim up to 30 total weeks of benefits in a single year.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify for paid leave, employees in Rhode Island must have earned wages in the state and paid into the TCI and TDI funds. Employees need to earn at least $19,200 during their base period, which is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before a claim begins.
If they haven’t earned $19,200, they need to meet all three criteria below to qualify for leave benefits:
Earned at least $3,200 in one of the base period quarters
Total base period wages of at least 1.5 times the highest quarter earnings
Base period taxable wages equal to at least $6,400
If employees still don’t meet these requirements but need to take disability or medical leave, they can take unpaid leave, as long as they get medical certification and work for an employer with at least 50 employees (more on that later).
Benefit payments
Rhode Islanders receiving leave benefits get partial wage replacement, around 60% of their usual wages while on leave. In 2026, the maximum weekly benefit is $1,150, and the minimum is $148.
On top of weekly benefits, some employees can qualify for a dependency allowance if they have children under 18 (or adult children with certain work limitations). The dependency allowance is $20 per dependent (up to five dependents) or 7% of your benefit rate, whichever amount is greater.
Program funding
TCI and TDI are 100% funded by employee payroll deductions. Employers in Rhode Island don’t pay into the program at all—they just withhold a portion of their employees’ wages and send them to the state on a quarterly basis.
In 2026, the contribution rate is 1.1% of employee wages up to the taxable wage base of $100,000.
Can self-employed people participate?
Rhode Island’s paid leave program is only available to W-2 workers. Self-employed people like contractors and gig workers don’t have an option to opt in.
What is Rhode Island’s sick leave policy?
Under the Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act, Rhode Island employers with 18 or more workers are required to give them 40 hours of paid sick time and safe leave. If you have fewer than 18 employees, you still have to provide at least 40 hours of sick time and safe leave, but it can be unpaid.
Make sure you give your employees notice of sick time and safe leave, and include your policies in your employee handbook.
How does Rhode Island Paid Leave intersect with federal leave?
If you have at least 50 employees working within 75 miles, you’re considered a covered employer under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). FMLA is a federal law that requires covered employers to give their workers unpaid, job-protected leave for bonding, caregiving, medical reasons, and military exigency.
Just to make things a little more interesting, Rhode Island also has its own state law called the Rhode Island Parental & Family Medical Leave Act (RIPFMLA). Under the law, employers with 50 or more employees in Rhode Island are required to give them up to 13 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for bonding, caregiving, and personal medical leave.
Some Rhode Island workers will qualify for TCI/TDI, RIPFMLA, and regular FMLA leave. But that doesn’t mean they’ll get two or three times the amount of leave; the leaves run at the same time, and employees are entitled to protections from all of them.
Let’s say, for example, that one of your employees qualifies for medical leave with TDI, RIPFMLA, and FMLA. They’ll receive:
Weekly benefit payments for up to 30 weeks, courtesy of TDI
Up to 13 weeks of job protection and continued health insurance, courtesy of RIPFMLA
The differences between RI TCI/TDI, FMLA leave, and RIPFMLA leave
RI TCI/TDI | FMLA | RIPFMLA | |
Covered employers | All employers | 50 or more employees within 75 miles | 50 or more employees |
Qualifying reasons | Bonding with a new child; managing a serious personal medical condition; caring for a family member with a serious health condition | Bonding with a new child; personal health conditions; caring for a family member who has a serious health condition; military exigency leave | Bonding with a new child; managing a serious personal medical condition; caring for a family member who has a serious health condition |
Eligibility requirements | Meet one qualifying reason; meet the annual earnings threshold from work in Rhode Island | Meet one qualifying reason; have worked for the employer for at least one year; have over 1,250 hours of service in the past year; the employer has at least 50 employees who work within a 75-mile radius | Meet one qualifying reason; work an average of 30 hours a week; have worked continuously for at least 12 months; work for an employer with 50 or more employees |
Job protection | Only for bonding and caregiving leave | Yes | Yes |
Length of leave | Up to 8 weeks for bonding and caregiving leaves; up to 30 weeks for medical leave | Up to 12 weeks within a year | Up to 13 weeks within two years |
Payment | Weekly benefit payments dependent on wages | Unpaid | Unpaid |
Continued health insurance during leave | Only for bonding and caregiving leave | Yes | Yes |
What do employers need to do to comply with paid leave in Rhode Island?
If you have employees who live and work in Rhode Island, you have to comply with the state’s TCI/TDI program. If the Department of Labor and Training finds out you’re in violation of the laws, intentionally or unintentionally, you might have to pay fines, civil penalties, or back wages.
You’re responsible for:
1. Displaying a leave notice
Hang Rhode Island’s “Notice to All Employees” in your workplace and send it to your remote workers. The notice explains who’s eligible for TCI and TDI benefits, and how and when to complete a claim application.
2. Sending payroll contributions
You don’t pay TCI/TDI contributions yourself, but you have to deduct contributions from your employees’ wages and send them to the Employer Tax Unit once a quarter. The contribution rate in 2026 is 1.1%.
3. Responding to the state about employee claims
If your employees apply for TCI/TDI benefits, the Department of Labor and Training might reach out to you to confirm their employment history and wages. Make sure you provide the reports they need.
4. Continuing health insurance and protecting employees’ jobs
Employees using TCI (for caregiving or parental leave) are guaranteed continued health insurance and job protection, which means you need to maintain insurance premiums on their behalf and reinstate them to their jobs after leave.
If your employees use TDI, you don’t have to protect their jobs or continue paying for health insurance unless they also qualify for unpaid, job-protected leave under RIPFMLA or regular FMLA.
What will Rhode Island Paid Leave cost my business?
As an employer, you don’t pay for Rhode Island’s leave insurance. Employees cover 100% of the cost with regular payroll contributions.
Where paid leave in Rhode Island falls short and how you can support workers
Rhode Island’s paid leave offerings don’t stack up to the states with more recent paid family and medical leave (PFML) programs. Rhode Island’s 60% wage replacement and eight weeks off for parental and caregiving leaves is less generous than what is offered by some other states.
Especially compared to nearby states like Massachusetts and Connecticut that offer 12 weeks of leave and weekly benefits equal to 80-95% of employees’ pay. Until Rhode Island passes legislation that expands the current leave program, employers can help fill in the gaps for employees. Here are a handful of options:
Top up your employees’ payments, so they receive 100% of their usual wages while on leave.
Give employees additional sick time and vacation time, which they can use while on leave.
Match TCI/TDI’s 60% wage replacement for an extra four weeks, giving people on family leave 12 paid weeks of leave instead of eight.
Let employees take unpaid leave beyond RIPFMLA’s 13 weeks.
Implement a flexible return-to-work plan, so employees can work part-time, do 30 hours instead of 40, or adopt a hybrid work schedule for a few months to ease the transition.
Running a business in Rhode Island
For state-specific employer advice, check out these articles:
