Rhode Island's top rate of 5.99% does not arrive until $186,450 of taxable income — a higher threshold than most of New England — and its deductions stay intact well past the point where neighbouring states claw theirs back.
| Gross pay | — |
| Federal income tax | — |
| Social Security6.2% up to $184,500 | — |
| Medicare1.45%, no cap | — |
| State income tax | — |
| 401(k) contribution | — |
| Health and HSA | — |
Useful if you are comparing a job that pays monthly against one that pays every two weeks, or working out what a raise is worth per paycheck.
| Pay schedule | Gross | Take-home |
|---|
Rhode Island taxes 3.75% up to $82,050, 4.75% to $186,450, and 5.99% above. Those thresholds are the same for single and joint filers, which is unusual — most states widen the bands for couples — and it creates a marriage penalty for two earners with similar incomes.
For a single filer the structure is genuinely favourable by New England standards. Massachusetts taxes a flat 5% from the first dollar; Connecticut's exemptions vanish by $45,000; Maine opens at 5.8%. A Rhode Islander earning $70,000 pays 3.75% on all of it, which is the lightest treatment in the region at that income.
The standard deduction is $11,200 for a single filer and $22,400 for a couple, with a personal exemption of $5,250 per person including dependents. Both hold at full value until modified federal AGI reaches $261,000, then phase out completely by $290,800.
That is a far higher phase-out threshold than Maine's or Connecticut's, so for the overwhelming majority of taxpayers the allowances apply in full. This calculator does not model the phase-out, which means the Rhode Island figure reads low only above $261,000 — a narrower caveat than applies to several neighbouring states.
A family of four claims $22,400 plus $21,000 in exemptions, removing $43,400 before any rate applies.
No Rhode Island municipality levies an income tax. Property tax is set town by town, and in a state this small the variation between adjacent communities is striking — effective rates can differ by a factor of two or more across a ten-minute drive.
Because Rhode Island is compact enough that most of the state is commutable to Providence, town choice becomes a genuine tax decision in a way it is not in larger states. Comparing an income tax figure without the property tax attached will not tell you much about the real cost of living somewhere specific.
Social Security is exempt below income thresholds, and a portion of other retirement income is exempt from full retirement age for taxpayers under those same limits.
At $186,450 of taxable income — a higher threshold than most New England states use.
No. The thresholds are identical for single and joint filers, which creates a marriage penalty for two earners with similar incomes.
Only above $261,000 of modified federal AGI, disappearing entirely by $290,800. Below that they apply in full.
No. Property tax is set by town and varies widely, which matters more here than in most states given how compact and commutable Rhode Island is.