Yes. Rhode Island pays time and a half on Sundays. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 25-3-3, most employers must pay at least 1.5 times an employee’s normal hourly rate for any work performed on a Sunday or a recognized legal holiday, no matter how many hours the employee worked earlier in the week.1Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 25-3-3 – Work on Sundays or Holidays
How the Sunday Rate Actually Works
The premium is triggered by the day, not by the weekly hour total. A worker who puts in three hours on a Sunday earns time and a half for those three hours even if it is the only shift she works that week. At Rhode Island’s 2026 minimum wage of $16.00 per hour, a Sunday shift pays at least $24.00 per hour.2RI Department of Labor and Training. Minimum Wage
This is separate from federal overtime. The FLSA only requires time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek and treats Sunday hours no differently than any other day.3U.S. Department of Labor. Overtime Pay Rhode Island’s rule sits on top of that federal floor. You do not need to hit 40 hours to earn the Sunday rate.
The state does not stack the two, though. When a retail employer pays the Sunday or holiday premium, those hours are excluded from the overtime calculation for the same workweek.4RI Department of Labor and Training. Labor Standards FAQ
You Can Refuse a Sunday Shift
Sunday and holiday work in Rhode Island must be voluntary. An employer cannot fire, discipline, or otherwise penalize an employee for declining a Sunday or holiday shift.1Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 25-3-3 – Work on Sundays or Holidays
One category is exempt from the voluntary rule: manufacturers that run seven continuous days a week can require employees to work Sundays. Even at those facilities, though, the time-and-a-half rate still applies.1Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 25-3-3 – Work on Sundays or Holidays
Holidays Get the Same Treatment
The 1.5 multiplier and the right to refuse also cover Rhode Island’s ten recognized legal holidays:5RI Department of Labor and Training. Legal Holidays
- New Year’s Day (January 1)
- Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
- Juneteenth (June 19)
- Independence Day (July 4)
- Victory Day (second Monday in August)
- Labor Day (first Monday in September)
- Columbus Day (second Monday in October)
- Veterans Day (November 11)
- Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November)
- Christmas Day (December 25)
Victory Day is unique to Rhode Island and often catches employers off guard.
Retail Workers Get More
Retail employees are covered by a separate statute, R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-23-2. They receive the same time-and-a-half rate, and they are also guaranteed a minimum of four hours of work for any Sunday or holiday shift. Retail Sunday work must be strictly voluntary, and refusing cannot be grounds for any adverse action.6Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 5-23-2 – Licenses for Sunday and Holiday Work
The Department of Labor and Training treats a business as retail if it primarily sells goods or services directly to the public in small quantities. Restaurants preparing food for immediate consumption and wholesale operations are not retail.4RI Department of Labor and Training. Labor Standards FAQ
Who Is Exempt
A limited set of employer categories does not owe the premium. Rhode Island regulations list exempt classes based on the nature or size of the operation, including certain airport-related employers, continuous-operation manufacturers, private security firms, nonprofit higher education institutions, houses of worship for work related to services, and telephonic call centers.7Legal Information Institute. Rhode Island Code 260-RICR-30-05-2.6 – Premium Pay Exemptions for Work on Holidays and Sundays These exemptions were all approved before 2021, when the legislature removed the Department of Labor and Training’s authority to grant new ones.
The statute itself also carves out specific exemptions. Limousine and taxi companies that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week are fully exempt. Car rental companies operating at T.F. Green International Airport under a lease that requires Sunday or holiday operations are exempt for work at that location. Manufacturers running three shifts or starting their workweek on Sunday can begin a shift at 11:00 PM Sunday without paying the premium for the hour between 11:00 PM and midnight.1Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 25-3-3 – Work on Sundays or Holidays
What You Can Recover If You Weren’t Paid
Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-14-19.2, an employee can sue to recover unpaid Sunday or holiday premium wages along with liquidated damages of up to two times the amount owed, plus compensatory damages, attorney’s fees and costs, and equitable relief such as reinstatement.8Rhode Island General Assembly. Rhode Island Code 28-14-19.2 – Private Right of Action A court sets the penalty based on the employer’s size, whether the violation was a good-faith mistake or willful, the seriousness of the violation, and any prior history.
The math can be steep. An employer that shorts a worker $1,000 in Sunday premium pay could owe up to $3,000 in total before attorney’s fees.
Filing a Wage Claim
If you weren’t paid the required rate, you can file a complaint with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training’s Labor Standards Unit, which investigates premium pay along with minimum wage and overtime violations.9RI Department of Labor and Training. Wage Complaints
Download the Non-Payment of Wages Complaint Form from the DLT website. There is no online submission option. Print, sign, and mail the form to the Labor Standards Unit at 1511 Pontiac Avenue in Cranston. Do not fax or email it.10RI Department of Labor and Training. Non-Payment of Wages Complaint Form Certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof of the filing date.
What to Have Ready
Pull your pay stubs showing the Sunday or holiday hours and the rate you were actually paid. Have your employer’s full legal name, your correct hourly rate, and the rate you should have received. Calculate the total unpaid amount. If a union contract or employment agreement gives you a higher rate than the statute requires, include that document.
Deadlines
A claim filed with the Department of Labor and Training must be submitted within three years of the underpayment. A lawsuit filed in court has a shorter one-year deadline. Once the department receives your claim, it notifies the employer and reviews the payroll records as a neutral investigator. Initial response times usually run several weeks.