Health coverage required January 1

All Rhode Islanders must have qualifying health coverage beginning January 1, 2020. Failure to have such coverage in 2020 may result in a Rhode Island personal income tax penalty in 2021. So now is the time to plan ahead. Rhode Island residents can enroll in new health insurance or renew their coverage for 2020 with Rhode Island's health insurance exchange -- HealthSource RI. 

For more information, including details about the current open enrollment period and about how eligible Rhode Islanders can receive financial assistance to lower the cost of health insurance, see https://healthsourceri.com/.

* Open enrollment began November 1 and ends December 31. But you must pick your plan and pay for it by December 23 in order to get coverage starting January 1, 2020.

Proposed regulation

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation proposes to amend one of its regulations and will hold a public hearing on the matter December 11.

The regulation involves the tax on hard-to-dispose material and the tax on beverage containers. Because the levies increased as of July 1, 2019, the Division plans to update the regulation accordingly.

The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. on December 11, 2019, at the Division of Taxation, One Capitol Hill, Providence, Rhode Island. The Division is located in the Department of Administration building, which is on Smith Street diagonally across from the State House. 

To view the proposed regulation, and for more details about the hearing, click here.

Maintenance window on Sunday

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation website and email system will be unavailable on Sunday, November 17, between 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, due to scheduled  maintenance. This should not impact Monday services. If you need assistance, please call (401) 574-8829.

Estate tax credit and threshold for 2020

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation today announced the Rhode Island estate tax credit amount and threshold for the estates of decedents dying on or after January 1, 2020. For details, click here.

Rhode Island's health coverage mandate

All Rhode Islanders must have qualifying health coverage beginning January 1, 2020. Failure to have such coverage in 2020 may result in a Rhode Island personal income tax penalty in 2021. So now's the time to plan ahead.

Rhode Island residents can enroll in new health insurance or renew their coverage for 2020 with Rhode Island's health insurance exchange -- HealthSource RI. For more information, including details about the current open enrollment period and about how eligible Rhode Islanders can receive financial assistance to lower the cost of health insurance, see https://healthsourceri.com/.

• Open enrollment began November 1 and ends December 31. But you must pick your plan and pay for it by December 23 in order to get coverage starting January 1, 2020.

Inflation adjustments

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation today posted the following:

• The inflation-adjusted standard deduction amounts, exemption amount, and uniform rate schedule for the personal income tax for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020.
• The inflation-adjusted income tax rate schedule for estates and trusts for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020.
• The inflation-adjusted numbers for certain personal income tax modifications for the 2019 tax year (one involving income from Social Security, the other involving income from 401(k) plans, pensions, annuities, and some other sources).
• The maximum credit allowed for the 2019 tax year under the statewide property-tax relief program (Form RI-1040H).

To view the latest Advisory (screenshot below), click here.

Annual e-file shutdown and switchover

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation’s annual electronic filing shutdown and switchover will occur on November 16, 2019.

Individuals and businesses seeking to e-file their Rhode Island returns for tax year 2018 must do
so on or before Saturday, November 16, 2019. After that date, returns for tax year 2018 must be
filed on paper.

• Each year, the Division temporarily closes its system to e-filing in order to prepare the system for the upcoming filing season. The Internal Revenue Service, and many other states, follow the same practice. This year, the Rhode Island modernized e-file (MeF) shutdown and cutover will occur on Saturday, November 16, 2019. All transmissions must be submitted before 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time on that date.