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Rhode Island maternity leave and paid family leave

How paid leave works in Rhode Island when you have a baby: weeks for pregnancy and bonding, how much it pays in 2026, whether your job is protected, and how to apply.

Checked October 2026 · 18 sources

Short answer

Rhode Island pays about 60% of wages, up to $1,150 a week for claims from July 1, 2026: disability insurance for pregnancy and recovery, then up to 8 weeks of caregiver insurance to bond, within a 30-week yearly cap.

8 wk

of paid leave to bond with your baby

State of Rhode Island General Assembly

$1,150

the most it pays per week in 2026, a ceiling, not a typical benefit

State of Rhode Island General Assembly

Apply for paid leave

Claims go to State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Tell your employer early.

Program website

The rules in Rhode Island

Yes

Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) and Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI)

The rules
Legal maximum, your own health30 weeks
Bonding with your babyUp to 8 weeks
Medical and family leave combinedUp to 30 weeks a year
Pay4.62% of your wages in the highest-paid quarter of your base period (about 60% of weekly pay), up to $1,150/week for claims from July 1, 2026 ($1,103 for January to June 2026). Dependents' allowances are added on top: the greater of $20 or 7% of your rate per dependent child, up to 5, for a max of $1,552/week. The rate rises to 5.38% of high-quarter wages for benefit years starting in 2027 and 5.77% from 2028.
2026 weekly maximum$1,150 (a ceiling, not a typical benefit)
Waiting periodNo unpaid waiting week; the waiting-period statute (§ 28-41-12) was repealed. You must be out of work for at least 7 consecutive days to qualify for TDI (§ 28-41-11(c)).
Job protectionTCI (bonding) leave is job-protected by the TCI law itself (§ 28-41-35(f)): you return to your same or an equivalent position, and your employer must keep your health benefits during the leave. The TCI law sets no employer-size or tenure test. TDI (your own pregnancy or childbirth disability) has no job protection under the TDI law. For that time, look to the RI Parental and Family Medical Leave Act (employers with 50+ employees; full-time employees averaging 30+ hours/week with 12 consecutive months; 13 weeks in 2 calendar years) or federal FMLA.
Who qualifiesYou must have paid into TDI through RI covered employment and met a base-period earnings test tied to the RI minimum wage ($16.00/hour in 2026). That means either $19,200 in base-period wages, or $3,200 in one quarter plus total base-period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter and at least $6,400. TCI bonding is for a newborn, adopted or foster child, and you must give your employer 30 days' written notice when possible. Private plans are not allowed in RI.
Paying sinceJanuary 1, 2014

Checked October 2026. Benefit amounts usually change January 1 and July 1, so confirm with State of Rhode Island General Assembly before you plan. Job protection often comes from a different law than the pay; the job protection row says which.

Apply by phone at (401) 462-8420. For claims from July 1, 2026 the maximum is $1,150 a week ($1,552 with 5 dependents); it was $1,103 for claims from January to June 2026. TDI lasts up to 30 weeks and TCI up to 8. Confirmed from statute: TCI bonding rose from 7 to 8 weeks on January 1, 2026 (§ 28-41-35(d)(5)); TDI and TCI together are capped at 30 times your weekly rate per benefit year; pregnancy and childbirth are covered like any other TDI sickness (§ 28-41-8). Laws effective January 1, 2026 also added siblings and organ/bone-marrow donation to TCI and raised the dependents' allowance minimum to $20. Upcoming: the benefit rate rises to 5.38% (about 70% of pay) in 2027 and 5.77% (about 75%) in 2028. A birthing mom typically claims TDI for pregnancy and recovery, then TCI for bonding. TCI and TDI can't be paid at the same time for the same purpose, and TCI counts toward the 30-week combined cap. The statute sets no TDI duration in weeks; 30 weeks is the 30-times-rate cap, also limited to 36% of base-period wages.

Program website Every benefit in Rhode Island

Sources: State of Rhode Island General Assembly; Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT); National Partnership for Women & Families; Mercer Law & Policy Group. Data as of October 2026.

Questions about maternity leave in Rhode Island

How long is maternity leave in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) and Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) pays up to 8 weeks to bond with your baby. The legal maximum for your own health condition is 30 weeks, and medical and family leave together are capped at 30 weeks a year.

How much does Rhode Island paid family leave pay?

4.62% of your wages in the highest-paid quarter of your base period (about 60% of weekly pay), up to $1,150/week for claims from July 1, 2026 ($1,103 for January to June 2026). Dependents' allowances are added on top: the greater of $20 or 7% of your rate per dependent child, up to 5, for a max of $1,552/week. The rate rises to 5.38% of high-quarter wages for benefit years starting in 2027 and 5.77% from 2028. The weekly maximum in 2026 is $1,150, a ceiling rather than a typical benefit.

Is my job protected while I'm on leave in Rhode Island?

TCI (bonding) leave is job-protected by the TCI law itself (§ 28-41-35(f)): you return to your same or an equivalent position, and your employer must keep your health benefits during the leave. The TCI law sets no employer-size or tenure test. TDI (your own pregnancy or childbirth disability) has no job protection under the TDI law. For that time, look to the RI Parental and Family Medical Leave Act (employers with 50+ employees; full-time employees averaging 30+ hours/week with 12 consecutive months; 13 weeks in 2 calendar years) or federal FMLA.

Who qualifies in Rhode Island?

You must have paid into TDI through RI covered employment and met a base-period earnings test tied to the RI minimum wage ($16.00/hour in 2026). That means either $19,200 in base-period wages, or $3,200 in one quarter plus total base-period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter and at least $6,400. TCI bonding is for a newborn, adopted or foster child, and you must give your employer 30 days' written notice when possible. Private plans are not allowed in RI.

How does it work with FMLA?

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for a birth and to care for the newborn, or for their own serious health condition, including pregnancy complications and recovery from childbirth. Health coverage continues during leave, and you return to the same or an equivalent job.

Sources

  1. 1.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-41-35 (Temporary caregiver benefits; versions effective until and from January 1, 2026) State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  2. 2.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-41-7 (Total amount of benefits) State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  3. 3.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-41-5 (Weekly benefit rate; dependents’ allowances) State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  4. 4.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-41-8 (Pregnancy benefits) State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  5. 5.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-41-11 (Eligibility) State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Accessed October 9, 2026.
Show all 18 sources
  1. 6.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-12-3 (Minimum wages) State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  2. 7.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-48-1 (Parental and Family Medical Leave Act definitions) State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  3. 8.R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-48-2 (Parental leave and family leave requirement) State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  4. 9.Temporary Disability / Caregiver Insurance Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  5. 10.State Paid Family & Medical Leave Insurance Laws (chart, April 2026) National Partnership for Women & Families. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  6. 11.State paid family and medical leave contributions and benefits (Feb. 6, 2026) Mercer Law & Policy Group. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  7. 12.2026 UI and TDI Quick Reference (effective July 1, 2026) Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. Accessed October 9, 2026.
  8. 13.29 CFR 825.100 The Family and Medical Leave Act Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  9. 14.29 CFR 825.104 Covered employer Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  10. 15.29 CFR 825.110 Eligible employee Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  11. 16.29 CFR 825.200 Amount of leave Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  12. 17.29 CFR 825.214 Employee right to reinstatement Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives). Accessed October 9, 2026.
  13. 18.Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed October 9, 2026.

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