Rhode Island Real Estate Transfer Tax Calculator

Rhode Island's real estate conveyance tax under R.I.G.L. Section 44-25-1 is a two-tier bracket: 0.75% on the full consideration up to a CPI-adjusted threshold, set at $824,000 for 2026, and an additional 0.75% (1.5% combined) on the portion above that line. That structure means most Rhode Island home sales, priced well under the threshold, face a simple flat 0.75%, while only higher-value sales encounter the second tier at all.

The conveyance tax is customarily paid by the seller at closing, though the specific allocation between buyer and seller can be addressed in the purchase contract. Because the threshold adjusts annually for inflation rather than staying fixed like New York's $1 million mansion tax line, the exact dollar point where Rhode Island's second tier kicks in shifts slightly from year to year.

On the calculator's $380,000 baseline, the entire sale price falls under the $824,000 threshold, so the full amount is taxed at the single 0.75% first-tier rate with no portion reaching the second, higher tier at all.

Using the calculator's baseline $380,000 sale price, which falls entirely within the first tier:

• Sale Price: $380,000
• Rate applied (entire price is under the $824,000 threshold): 0.75%
• Transfer Tax Due: $380,000 × 0.0075 = $2,850.00
• Net Proceeds After Tax: $380,000 minus $2,850 = $377,150.00
• Effective Rate: 0.750%

At the higher-value scenario of $1,500,000, the sale crosses the $824,000 threshold: the first $824,000 is taxed at 0.75% ($6,180.00), and the remaining $676,000 is taxed at the combined 1.5% ($10,140.00). Combined transfer tax due: $6,180 + $10,140 = $16,320.00, an effective rate of roughly 1.09%, illustrating how the blended rate climbs toward, but never quite reaches, the 1.5% marginal ceiling as price increases.

• Future CPI adjustments to the $824,000 threshold. Rhode Island's second-tier threshold adjusts periodically for inflation under Notice 2025-05 and future Division of Taxation notices; this calculator uses the 2026 threshold and would need updating if the state issues a new figure in a later year.
• Exemptions for certain transfer types. Rhode Island exempts certain transfers, including those between spouses, into revocable trusts, and by operation of law, from the conveyance tax. This calculator assumes a standard taxable arm's-length sale.
• Municipal recording fees. Rhode Island city and town clerks charge separate flat recording fees per document, unrelated to the value-based conveyance tax calculated here.
• The additional documentary stamp requirement mechanics. Rhode Island's conveyance tax is collected through documentary stamps affixed to the deed rather than a separate cash payment in some administrative contexts; this calculator computes the tax amount itself, not the stamp-purchase logistics.

• Applying 1.5% to the entire sale price on a high-value transaction. Rhode Island's second tier is marginal, so only the portion above $824,000 is taxed at the combined 1.5% rate; applying that rate to the full price of a $1,200,000 sale instead of just the excess overstates the tax.
• Assuming the threshold is a fixed number that never changes. Because the second-tier threshold is CPI-adjusted periodically, using an outdated threshold from a prior year can produce a slightly wrong split between the two tiers on a sale near the boundary.
• Forgetting who customarily pays. Rhode Island's conveyance tax is customarily paid by the seller at closing, though this is ultimately addressed in the purchase contract and can be negotiated.
• Confusing the two-tier structure with a cliff-style mansion tax. Unlike a cliff structure where crossing a threshold applies a rate to the entire price, Rhode Island's second tier only taxes the amount above $824,000, so there is no sudden jump in liability at the threshold itself, just a change in the marginal rate going forward.

• Rhode Island Division of Taxation, Notice 2025-05; R.I.G.L. 44-25-1
• Engine table: engine/tables/2026/state-real-estate-transfer-tax.json, Rhode Island entry, verified 2026-08-21