Rhode Island wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

How to file a wage claim in Rhode Island

1. Gather your records

   Dates and hours worked, your pay rate, pay stubs or bank deposits, texts or schedules, and the employer's name and address.

2. Ask in writing first (optional)

   A demand letter gives your employer a deadline to pay and shows you tried. Use the free letter on this page.

3. File with Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training

   File a Non-Payment of Wages Complaint with DLT's Labor Standards Unit. Fill out both sides, sign it, attach copies of your records, and mail or bring it to 1511 Pontiac Avenue, Building 70, Cranston, RI 02920 (the form says not to fax or email). DLT investigates; if the claim looks valid, a hearing is scheduled within 30 days of the formal complaint being served, and the hearing officer can order the employer to pay wages, interest, and penalties. Filing is free. You can sue in court instead, but only if you file before DLT schedules an administrative hearing.

4. Watch the deadline

   3 years from when you did the work to file a wage claim with DLT (R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-20(a)); 3 years to file a lawsuit (§§ 28-14-19.2(g), 28-14-20(b)). Retaliation lawsuits: 1 year (§ 28-14-19.3).

Minimum wage and overtime in Rhode Island

Rhode Island's minimum wage is $16.00 an hour since January 1, 2026, and rises to $17.00 on January 1, 2027. Minors aged 14-15 can be paid 75% of the minimum wage if they work 24 hours a week or less.

Minimum wage (2026)

$16.00

Tipped cash wage

$3.89

Next change

$17.00 on January 1, 2027

Overtime

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek (R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-12-4.1). There is no daily overtime. Retail workers who are paid time-and-a-half for working Sundays or holidays: those hours do not also count toward weekly overtime. Exempt employees include executive, administrative, and professional employees as defined under federal law (§ 28-12-4.3).

Paydays: Weekly for most private-sector workers, unless DLT approves a less frequent schedule (at least twice a month) or you are paid a fixed biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly or yearly salary (R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-2.2). Payday must fall within 9 days after the pay period ends (§ 28-14-2).

Your final paycheck in Rhode Island

If you are fired or laid off

By the next regular payday. If you worked at least 1 year, earned vacation pay must also be paid then. If the employer is closing, merging, selling, or moving the business out of state, all wages are due within 24 hours (plus vacation, holiday pay and certain benefits if you worked at least 1 year).

If you quit

By the next regular payday. If you worked at least 1 year, earned vacation pay must also be paid then.

Law

R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-4

When was your final paycheck due in Rhode Island?

Enter how your job ended and your last day of work. We show your state’s rule and, when the rule is a simple number of days or your next payday, the date.

Penalties your employer may owe

In a DLT case, the order includes 12% yearly interest and a civil penalty of up to 2 times the wages due, split between you and the state, and may include attorney fees (R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-19). In court you can recover unpaid wages, liquidated damages of up to 2 times the unpaid wages, and attorney fees and costs (§ 28-14-19.2; § 28-14-20(d)-(e)). Illegal deductions bring triple damages (§ 28-14-3.2(b)).

Retaliation and immigration status

Your employer may not fire, threaten, or punish you for making a wage claim, reporting a violation, or taking part in an investigation. You can get relief under the Rhode Island Whistleblowers' Protection Act, but you must sue within 1 year (R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-19.3).

Federal law also makes it illegal to fire or punish you for filing a wage complaint or cooperating in an investigation (US DOL Fact Sheet #77A).

The US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces federal wage law without regard to immigration status, and its services are free and confidential whether you are documented or not (US DOL).

Deductions and tips

Deductions not required by law or court order need your written or electronic approval, and an employer can never deduct for breakage, spoilage, shortages, losses, or fines for lateness, misconduct, or quitting without notice; illegal deductions bring triple damages (R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-3.2). Tipped workers must get at least $3.89 an hour in cash wages, and tips plus wages must reach the full minimum wage; the employer must prove it (§ 28-12-5).

Good to know in Rhode Island

• Most Rhode Island workers must be paid every week.
• Employers can never take money from your pay for breakage, cash shortages, or lateness fines, even if you agree.
• If you worked at least a year, earned vacation pay is due with your final paycheck.

Forms

• Non-Payment of Wages Complaint Form (Labor Standards Unit)
• Formulario de queja por incumplimiento de pago salarial (Spanish complaint form)

Wage-theft calculator for Rhode Island

Work out what you should have been paid: at least the minimum wage for every hour, plus overtime. Then compare it with what you got.

Free demand letter for unpaid wages

A short, firm letter asking your employer to pay what it owes by a deadline. Many workers get paid at this step, and in some states a written demand starts penalties or makes the employer pay your attorney fees later. Fill this in, then download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it), sign it, keep a copy and send it in a way you can prove, such as certified mail or an email you keep.

Questions about wage claims in Rhode Island

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