Rhode Island sales tax
Rhode Island charges a state sales tax of 7%. There are no local add-ons, so 7% is the rate everywhere in Rhode Island. That combined rate is the 24th highest of the 51 US states and DC.
What is the Rhode Island sales tax rate in 2026?
| Component | Rate | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| State rate | 7% | Charged everywhere in Rhode Island. |
| Typical combined rate | 7% | With no local add-ons, this is the rate statewide. |
To put the numbers in a sentence: the Rhode Island state rate is 7%, and with no local add-ons the combined rate is 7% statewide.
What is the sales tax rate in my county in Rhode Island?
Every one of Rhode Island's counties has its own page with the rate, its components, and what the rate does not cover: Rhode Island sales tax by county. The rate does not vary in Rhode Island, but the county pages carry the exemptions and the caps, which is where it gets complicated.
What is unusual about sales tax in Rhode Island?
No local sales taxes anywhere in the state; groceries are exempt, and clothing/footwear under $250 per item is exempt.
How do I calculate sales tax on a purchase in Rhode Island?
Multiply the taxable price by the combined rate. On a $100 purchase at the typical Rhode Island combined rate of 7%, the tax is $7.00, for a total of $107.00. On a $1,000 purchase the tax is $70.00.
Two things change that arithmetic. Not everything is taxable: most states exempt some combination of groceries, prescription drugs and certain services. Use the sales tax calculator to run a different amount or a different state.
When does a business have to collect Rhode Island sales tax?
A business with a physical presence in Rhode Island has always had to register and collect. Since the Supreme Court's 2018 Wayfair decision, a remote seller with no physical presence also has to collect once it crosses the state's economic nexus threshold.
In Rhode Island that threshold is $100,000 in sales or 200 separate transactions, measured over the immediately preceding calendar year. Note that exempt sales count toward the threshold in Rhode Island, so you can cross it on revenue you never charged tax on.
Effective July 1, 2019. Rhode Island still applies both the $100,000 and 200-transaction prongs; the threshold counts exempt and wholesale sales, not just taxable ones.
You can check your own numbers against every state with the economic nexus checker.
How do I find the exact sales tax rate for an address in Rhode Island?
Use the state's own lookup rather than an average. Rhode Island publishes an official rate finder at https://tax.ri.gov/, which returns the combined rate for a specific address. That is the figure that governs what you charge or what you should have been charged.
The flat truth on Rhode Island sales tax
The number worth remembering is 7%, the typical combined rate, and because Rhode Island has no local add-ons it is the actual rate everywhere in the state.
See also: Rhode Island property tax by county and state income tax rates.
Sources
- Rhode Island Division of Taxation / Tax Foundation, State and Local Sales Tax Rates (Jan. 2026)
- Rhode Island official rate lookup
- Rhode Island economic nexus guidance (Rhode Island Division of Taxation, Remote Sellers page)
- Rates reviewed August 30, 2026. State base rates verified against each state's Department of Revenue; average local rates from the Tax Foundation and are statewide averages, not the rate at any single address. Use officialLookupUrl for an exact combined rate.