State of Rhode Island Sales and Use Tax Update

As we previously reported, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed a law in 2017 that included a provision in which sales and use tax exemptions for charitable, educational, and religious organizations would expire four years after the date of issuance. Under this law, all certificates of exemption issued before July 1, 2017 were set to expire on June 30, 2021. Previously, Rhode Island sales and use tax exemption certificates did not expire. As such, organizations with exemption certificates issued prior to July 1, 2017 must reapply for their certification.

In mid-June, organizations were notified by mail that their sales and use tax exemption would soon be expiring, however, an application for renewal had not yet been made available. Alternatively, organizations were provided with a link to a survey to indicate to the state how they wished to be notified when the application became available.

In late June, the state released the application for renewal and it can be accessed here: http://www.tax.ri.gov/exemptOrg/index.php. There is a $25 fee that must be mailed in along with the application. The state has also extended the deadline for renewal from June 30, 2021 to August 30, 2021. In order for organizations to maintain their sales and use tax exemption, the application and fee must be submitted by the August 30, 2021 deadline.

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