Compliance
Home Care Overtime Rules: What Agencies Owe Caregivers
Since 2015, home care agencies must pay caregivers overtime after 40 hours in a workweek. How the rule works, what counts as hours worked, and which states add daily overtime.
Rhode Island overtime rules for home care workers
Last verified October 28, 2026 · All Rhode Island resources
In Rhode Island, overtime is time-and-a-half after 40 hours in a workweek. The state minimum wage is $16.00 an hour, rising to $17.00 on January 1, 2027. The federal Home Care Rule bars agencies from the companionship and live-in exemptions, though the Department of Labor stopped enforcing it against agencies in July 2025 while it considers undoing it. Rhode Island's own law also requires overtime for agency caregivers, so they would still be owed it if the federal rule is undone.
What are Rhode Island's overtime and minimum wage rules?
| Minimum wage | $16.00 an hour, rising to $17.00 on January 1, 2027 |
|---|---|
| Weekly overtime | After 40 hours |
| Daily overtime | None |
Set by statute (R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-3): $16.00 from January 1, 2026 and $17.00 from January 1, 2027.
Does Rhode Island law require overtime for agency caregivers?
Yes. Rhode Island requires time-and-a-half after 40 hours (R.I. Gen. Laws 28-12-4.1), its exemption list has no domestic, companionship or home care exemption, and the old exclusion of domestic service in private homes was deleted in June 2024 (P.L. 2024, ch. 251 and 252).
Calculate a week of overtime in Rhode Island
Preset with Rhode Island's daily overtime rule. Enter each day's hours across all clients.
Checking the whole roster? Open Overtime watch for Rhode Island →
Sources
More for Rhode Island
Overtime rules by state: other states
Related guides
Compliance
Do Home Care Agencies Have to Pay Caregivers Overtime?
Yes. Since January 1, 2015, agencies cannot use the companionship or live-in exemptions, so every caregiver gets time-and-a-half after 40 hours. Who is covered, what counts, and the 2025 proposal to change it.
Compliance
Which States Require Daily Overtime for Caregivers?
California, Alaska, Nevada and Colorado require overtime after a set number of hours in a day. What each rule says, with sources, and what it does to 10-, 12- and 24-hour shifts.
Compliance
Overtime for Caregivers Who Work for Two Clients in One Week
Hours for every client you assign a caregiver add up in one workweek. Over 40 is overtime at a weighted-average rate. How to calculate it and when a private family's hours count.
Compliance
Live-In Caregiver Pay: Sleep Time, Meal Breaks and the 24-Hour Rule
When an agency can exclude sleep and meal time from a live-in or 24-hour shift, what the written agreement must say, and what happens when sleep is interrupted.
These free tools are made by the team behind Caregiver Scheduling, caregiver scheduling software for home care agencies.
Simple pricing
From $199 /month
Up to 10 caregivers on Starter, 50 on Growth.
More than 50 caregivers? We'll put together a custom Scale plan for your agency.