The Rhode Island sales tax rate is 7% statewide. There are no city taxes or county surcharges. This uniformity makes Rhode Island one of the more straightforward sales tax states in the country, but product exemptions, economic nexus rules, and filing requirements still apply.

Below, we’ll explain how Rhode Island’s sales tax works in 2026, what’s taxable and what isn’t, and the rates by city and county.

Highlights

• Rhode Island has a flat 7% sales tax rate, with no local or county taxes.

• Certain product categories, including groceries and some clothing, are exempt from sales tax.

• Businesses that sell into Rhode Island must register to collect sales tax once they exceed the economic nexus threshold in the state.

What is the Rhode Island sales tax rate?

Rhode Island’s statewide sales tax rate is 7%. This rate is applied uniformly across the state, with no local taxes. Tax is collected at the point of sale and remitted to the Rhode Island Division of Taxation. In 2025, Rhode Island collected over $2.8 billion in sales tax and gross receipts tax.

What local sales taxes apply in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island doesn’t authorize cities, towns, or counties to levy their own sales taxes, so the state sales tax is the only one.

Rhode Island’s sales tax range in 2026

What are Rhode Island’s sales tax rates by city?

Because Rhode Island has no local sales taxes, every city has the same combined rate of 7%. The table below covers the state’s more populous municipalities, but the rate is identical for all of them.

What are Rhode Island’s sales tax rates by county?

Rhode Island has five counties, none of which levy their own sales taxes. The combined sales tax rate is 7% for all of them.

How does Rhode Island’s sales tax work?

Rhode Island’s 7% sales tax rate is straightforward. Before they collect tax, businesses should determine whether they have sales tax nexus in the state and whether their products are considered taxable. After registering, a business should track its filing schedule as assigned by the state.

Nexus

There are two types of nexus: physical and economic. Physical nexus is defined as physical presence in the state, such as an office, a warehouse, or hired employees. Economic nexus is defined as $100,000 in sales or 200 separate transactions into the state within the current or prior calendar year. If a business has either type of nexus, it must collect and remit Rhode Island sales tax.

Taxability

Sales tax applies only to taxable transactions. Rhode Island taxes most retail sales of tangible personal property but has exemptions for unprepared groceries, prescription drugs, and medical devices. Clothing and footwear are typically exempt up to $250 per item, with tax applying only to the sale amount over $250. For a $300 coat, for example, only the $50 above the threshold is subject to the 7% tax. Few services are taxable in Rhode Island, but there are some exceptions, such as telecommunications, hotel accommodations, and certain amusement services.

Filing and compliance

Rhode Island assigns each business a filing frequency based on its expected tax liability. Returns and payments go to the Division of Taxation. Late filings carry penalties and interest.

You can use Stripe’s sales tax calculator to find any Rhode Island address’s precise tax rate: Stripe Tax applies the correct rate to taxable transactions in Rhode Island, handles product-level taxability rules, and tracks sales against the economic nexus threshold. When you’re registered and collecting, it generates filing-ready reports.

How Stripe Tax can help

Stripe Tax reduces the complexity of tax compliance so you can focus on growing your business. Stripe Tax helps you monitor your obligations and alerts you when you exceed a sales tax registration threshold based on your Stripe transactions. In addition, it automatically calculates and collects sales tax, value-added tax (VAT), and goods and services tax (GST) on both physical and digital goods and services—in all US states and in more than 100 countries.

Start collecting taxes globally by adding a single line of code to your existing integration, clicking a button in the Dashboard, or using our powerful application programming interface (API).

Stripe Tax can help you:

• Understand where to register and collect taxes: See where you need to collect taxes based on your Stripe transactions. After you register, switch on tax collection in a new state or country in seconds. You can start collecting taxes by adding one line of code to your existing Stripe integration or add tax collection with the click of a button in the Stripe Dashboard.

• Register to pay tax: Let Stripe manage your global tax registrations and benefit from a simplified process that prefills application details—saving you time and simplifying compliance with local regulations.

• Automatically collect tax: Stripe Tax calculates and collects the right amount of tax owed, no matter what or where you sell. It supports hundreds of products and services and is up-to-date on tax rules and rate changes.

• Simplify filing: Stripe Tax seamlessly integrates with filing partners, so your global filings are accurate and timely. Let our partners manage your filings so you can focus on growing your business.

Learn more about Stripe Tax, or get started today.