Who is exempt
Exempt groups include bona fide executive, administrative and professional staff, summer camp workers, police officers, agricultural workers, certain motor carrier workers, and certain auto and farm equipment dealer sales and service staff. These exemptions do not remove any federal overtime right. Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov↗ (opens in a new tab)
Comp time instead of overtime
Only state and city or town employees, and salaried staff of nonprofit national voluntary health agencies, may take comp time at 1.5 hours per overtime hour. Private employers must pay cash. Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov↗ (opens in a new tab)
Industry-specific rules
Retail Sunday and holiday hours paid at time and a half are left out of the weekly overtime count. City and town firefighters get overtime after an average 42-hour week. Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov↗ (opens in a new tab)
Penalties
Employees can sue for unpaid wages plus up to twice that amount as liquidated damages, plus attorney fees, within 3 years. Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov↗ (opens in a new tab)
The law and where to check
The law: R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-12-4.1 (opens in a new tab)
The agency: Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Labor Standards Unit (opens in a new tab)
What federal law says
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek for non-exempt employees. Federal law has no daily overtime. The federal salary level for most exempt staff is $684 a week. Where state and federal rules differ, follow the rule that gives the employee more. Source: U.S. Department of Labor↗ (opens in a new tab) Source: U.S. DOL — salary levels↗ (opens in a new tab)
Free tool: work out overtime pay with our State Overtime Calculator.
Overtime checklist for Rhode Island employers
A simple order of work, based on the rules above. It is not a legal checklist.
- Decide which employees are non-exempt, and check exempt staff meet the salary and duties tests.
- Set your workweek (a fixed, repeating 7-day period).
- Track all hours worked, including daily hours if your state has daily overtime.
- Pay overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate, including bonuses where required.
- Use our free State Overtime Calculator to check the numbers.
- Keep time and pay records.
More Rhode Island employment law guides
- All Rhode Island employment laws
- Rhode Island final paycheck law
- Rhode Island paid sick leave law
- Rhode Island meal and rest break laws
- Rhode Island pay frequency law
- Rhode Island vacation and PTO payout law
- Rhode Island new hire reporting
- Rhode Island at-will exceptions
Overtime laws in other states
See every state on one page, or pick a state:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Sources
All official government sources, last checked October 19, 2026.
- https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE28/28-12/28-12-4.1.htm
- https://dlt.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur571/files/2024-12/LS%20Wage%20and%20Workplace%20Laws%20Guide_Rev_Dec2024.pdf
- https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE28/28-12/28-12-4.3.htm
- https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE28/28-14/28-14-19.2.htm
- https://dlt.ri.gov/regulation-and-safety/labor-standards/labor-standards-faq
- https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime
- https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime/whdfs17u
Disclaimer: This guide provides general information based on publicly available official sources and is for information only. It is not legal, tax, payroll or employment-law advice and does not guarantee compliance with federal, state or local requirements. Rules can depend on your location, industry, contracts and other circumstances, and laws change. Always check the official source, the relevant government agency or a qualified professional before making a decision. MadyHR.ai accepts no responsibility for any action taken based on this page.
Last checked: . Every rule and source link on this page was checked against the official government source on this date. Laws change, so always open the source link before you act.