How Rhode Island TDI & TCI works out your benefit
Rhode Island skips the weekly average altogether. It takes the highest-paid quarter in your base period — the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters, or the last four if you do not qualify otherwise — and multiplies it by 4.62%, rounding up to the dollar. Since a quarter has 13 weeks, that is about 60% of your weekly pay.
The rate rises by law for benefit years starting January 1, 2027 to 5.38% (about 70% of weekly pay), and to 5.77% from 2028. The maximum is reset each July 1 at 85% of the state average weekly wage: $1,103 for benefit years from July 2025, $1,150 from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
Each dependent child adds the greater of $20 or 7% of your rate, for up to five, with a separate maximum of $1,552.
Rhode Island figures by date
| Window | Weekly maximum | Other figures | Your contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026 | $1,103 | Share of highest quarter paid: 4.62% Maximum with 5 dependents: $1,489 Minimum wage used: $16.00 | TDI/TCI: 1.1% up to $100,000 |
| Jul 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026 | $1,150 | Share of highest quarter paid: 4.62% Maximum with 5 dependents: $1,552 Minimum wage used: $16.00 | TDI/TCI: 1.1% up to $100,000 |
| Jan 1, 2027 – Jun 30, 2027 | $1,150 | Share of highest quarter paid: 5.38% Maximum with 5 dependents: $1,552 Minimum wage used: $17.00 | Not yet published |
After the last window, the calculator switches to an explicit “enter the official figure” mode rather than reusing an old maximum.
Worked example
Take a worker paid $60,000 a year with steady pay, taking 8 weeks off (bonding with a new child) from Oct 5, 2026, when the figures for Jul 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026 apply. Rhode Island TDI & TCI uses the highest base-period quarter ÷ 13: $1,153.85 (highest quarter $15,000).
The formula gives 4.62% × $15,000 = $693: a weekly benefit of $693, or 60% of their usual weekly pay. 8 paid weeks come to $5,544.
Over a year, their own payroll contribution is $660 — about $12.69 a week.
At $200,000 a year, the same leave pays $1,150 a week — the maximum, 30% of that worker’s weekly pay, for a yearly contribution of $1,100.
What catches people out in Rhode Island
- No waiting week since 2012 — but for disability you must be out of work at least 7 consecutive days.
- Caregiver leave grew to 8 weeks on January 1, 2026 (7 in 2025). Disability and caregiver benefits together cannot exceed 30 times your weekly rate in a benefit year.
- Disability totals have a second cap: no more than 36% of your base-period wages.
- To qualify in 2026 you need $19,200 in the base period, or $3,200 in one quarter with total wages of at least 1.5 times that quarter and $6,400. The thresholds are multiples of the minimum wage, which becomes $17 in 2027.
- Workers fund it: 1.1% of wages up to $100,000 in 2026, at most $1,100. The 2027 rate is due by November 15.
Official Rhode Island resources
Related programs
Neighboring programs.
Sources for this page
- Rhode Island General Assembly: R.I. Gen. Laws §28-41-5 (benefit rate). Supplies: 4.62% of highest-quarter wages (5.38% for benefit years from Jan. 1, 2027); round up; dependency allowance greater of $20 or 7%, up to 5. Checked .
- RI Department of Labor and Training: Press release, June 22, 2026: maximum weekly benefit amounts. Supplies: TDI maximum $1,150 ($1,552 with dependents) for benefit years from July 1, 2026; previous $1,103 / $1,489. Checked . DLT blocks automated requests; read via the Internet Archive copy of this page.
- RI Department of Labor and Training: Press release, Dec. 18, 2025: 2026 tax rates. Supplies: 2026 TDI contribution 1.1% on a $100,000 wage base (maximum $1,100). Checked . Read via the Internet Archive copy of this page.
- RI Department of Labor and Training: UI & TDI quick reference, effective July 1, 2026. Supplies: No waiting week (7 days out of work required); dependency allowance; earnings thresholds at $16 minimum wage. Checked .
- RI Department of Labor and Training: TDI/TCI frequently asked questions. Supplies: Base-period earnings requirements ($19,200, or $3,200 quarter + 1.5× + $6,400); TCI reasons. Checked . Read via the Internet Archive copy of this page.
- Rhode Island General Assembly: R.I. Gen. Laws §28-41-35 (Temporary Caregiver Insurance). Supplies: TCI: 8 weeks from Jan. 1, 2026; combined TDI+TCI capped at 30 × weekly rate. Checked .
- Rhode Island General Assembly: R.I. Gen. Laws §28-41-7 (total benefits). Supplies: TDI total: 30 × weekly rate and no more than 36% of base-period wages. Checked .
- Rhode Island General Assembly: R.I. Gen. Laws §28-12-3 (minimum wage). Supplies: $17.00 minimum wage from Jan. 1, 2027 (sets 2027 earnings thresholds). Checked .
Figures on this page verified . Spotted a difference from your agency’s notice? Report a correction.