Rhode Island Capital Gains Tax: 2026 Rules and Calculator
Rhode Island taxes a large gain at 5.99%, the top of its three brackets. Here is what a Rhode Island seller pays in 2026, layer by layer, and a calculator for your own sale.
Short answer: Rhode Island taxes capital gains as ordinary income at 3.75%, 4.75% and 5.99%, with 5.99% on the top bracket. On top of that comes federal capital gains tax (0%, 15% or 20% for 2026 under IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, and up to 25% on building depreciation) and the 3.8% net investment income tax above $250,000 of income for married couples or $200,000 single (IRC 1411).
How Rhode Island taxes capital gains in 2026
Rhode Island taxes capital gains as ordinary income at 3.75%, 4.75% and 5.99%, with 5.99% on the top bracket.
Selling Rhode Island property while living elsewhere: Rhode Island taxes a nonresident on gain from real estate and other property located in Rhode Island, so selling Rhode Island property from another state still means a Rhode Island return.
Worked example (computed October 13, 2026)
A stock sale taxed in one year. A married couple filing jointly in Rhode Island sells publicly traded stock for $1,500,000 with $15,000 of selling costs. Basis is $500,000, and other income is $200,000.
- Taxable gain: $985,000.
- All in one year (2026): $187,963 federal income tax, $35,530 net investment income tax and $59,002 Rhode Island tax (6% of the gain): $282,494 in total, 28.7% of the gain.
- Traded stock cannot be sold on the installment method (IRC 453(k)(2)), so this sale is all in one year.
What the calculator simplifies
The calculator applies 5.99% to the gain. Its Rhode Island table also carries a surtax on income over $1,000,000 from 2027 that we could not confirm in Rhode Island law, so this page uses a sale taxed in 2026 only. It also leaves out local taxes unless named above, the alternative minimum tax effect of note interest, and equipment recapture on a business sale. Federal tables for later years carry the 2026 tables forward.
Spreading a Rhode Island sale over several years
On an installment sale the gain is reported as the buyer pays you (IRC 453), so each year's slice can stay in lower federal brackets and under the 3.8% threshold. Building depreciation is reported first (Treas. Reg. 1.453-12), equipment recapture is taxed in the year of sale (IRC 453(i)), and notes over $5,000,000 owe the Section 453A interest charge. More on how it works: what a structured installment sale is.
Sources
- Rhode Island General Laws 44-30-2.6; RI Division of Taxation, personal income tax
- IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32: 2026 federal brackets.
- IRC 1(h) and IRC 1411: capital gain rates and the 3.8% tax (as in force October 2026).
What is the tax bill on your Rhode Island sale going to be?
Send me the sale price and rough basis. Within one business day I'll email you the actual number and the Seller's Guide to §453. If it doesn't fit your deal, I'll tell you that plainly.
No retainer · no obligation. Hans Goldstein, a licensed insurance agent (CA Insurance License #4273294), will contact you and may discuss insurance products, including annuities.
Frequently asked
What is the capital gains tax rate in Rhode Island for 2026?
Rhode Island taxes capital gains as ordinary income at 3.75%, 4.75% and 5.99%, with 5.99% on the top bracket. Federal capital gains tax and the 3.8% net investment income tax come on top.
How much tax on a $1,500,000 sale in Rhode Island?
In the example on this page, a married couple filing jointly selling publicly traded stock for $1,500,000 with a $985,000 taxable gain owes $282,494 in 2026: $187,963 federal, $35,530 net investment income tax and $59,002 Rhode Island tax.
Do nonresidents pay Rhode Island tax when they sell property there?
Rhode Island taxes a nonresident on gain from real estate and other property located in Rhode Island, so selling Rhode Island property from another state still means a Rhode Island return.
