From Providence to Warwick, Cranston to Newport, Tides Bookkeeping provides remote bookkeeping, payroll support, and monthly financial reporting for small businesses across Rhode Island. Clean books. Real results. No commute required.
No setup fees · Cancel anytime · 100% Remote
Despite being the smallest state, Rhode Island has a diverse economy. Healthcare is the dominant employer, anchored by major hospital networks, and higher education is a close second with Brown University, the University of Rhode Island, RISD, and Providence College. Marine and defense activity centers on Naval Station Newport — home to the Naval War College — and General Dynamics Electric Boat, while tourism along the coast and Newport's mansions, plus legacy jewelry and textile manufacturing, round out the Ocean State.
Rhode Island keeps its sales tax refreshingly simple: a flat 7% statewide, one of the highest flat rates in the country, with no local city or county add-ons — what you see is what you collect (as of 2026 — confirm current rate). The personal income tax is graduated across three brackets, running from 3.75% up to a top rate of 5.99% (as of 2026 — confirm current rates). Businesses organized as corporations pay a flat 7% corporate income tax, subject to a $400 minimum tax even in an unprofitable year. Because there's no local sales tax layer to untangle, Rhode Island's rules are more straightforward than most — the main things to watch are the income tax brackets and that minimum corporate tax.
Seven core services designed for small businesses across every industry in Rhode Island — all delivered remotely, all handled by our team.
Your most important foundation. We categorize every transaction, reconcile your accounts, and deliver clean P&L and balance sheet reports every single month — so you always know exactly where your business stands.
Months or years behind? We clean it all up — systematically organizing your past transactions so you can get current and stay compliant.
Starting fresh or inheriting a mess? We connect all your accounts, configure your chart of accounts, and set everything up correctly from day one.
Every account, every month. We match your books to your bank statements and flag any discrepancies before they become problems.
P&L, balance sheets, and cash flow statements delivered monthly in a format you can actually read and act on.
We track what you owe and what's owed to you — keeping your cash flow picture clear and your vendor relationships clean.
We ensure your payroll expenses hit your books correctly every pay period — including local Rhode Island municipal withholding — working alongside your payroll processor to keep everything reconciled.
From Providence and the Blackstone Valley to Warwick, Newport, and the South County beaches — 100% remote, clean books every month. Rhode Island's graduated income tax to 5.99% and its flat 7% sales tax, we keep them clean. Explore by county:
From Providence's universities and healthcare to Newport's tourism economy to the Blackstone Valley's mills, we understand the financial rhythms of Rhode Island's most common industries.
Job costing, subcontractor payments, material expenses
COGS tracking, tip payroll, inventory & vendor management
Commission tracking, rental income, property expenses
Consultants, attorneys, agencies — clean P&L every month
Inventory, merchant fees, platform reconciliation
Insurance billing, payroll, HIPAA-aware practices
Fleet expenses, fuel costs, driver payroll
Job costing, inventory, and material sales/use tax
We're not a local firm that added remote services. We were built remote-first, which means our process, communication, and delivery are optimized for businesses that never need to meet in person.
Tides is based in Greenville, SC and serves clients across the country. We know Rhode Island's business climate cold — from a graduated income tax that tops out at 5.99% to the flat 7% state sales tax with no local add-on and the 1% meals-and-beverage tax.
No hourly billing surprises. You pay one flat rate each month based on your transaction volume — and you always know exactly what you're getting.
We don't just hand you a spreadsheet. We deliver clean, readable financial reports each month with plain-language summaries so you can make decisions — not just file paperwork.
Your CPA will thank you. Our books are consistently maintained at a level that makes tax season — federal, state, and local — faster, cheaper, and less stressful for everyone involved.
We earn your business every month. There are no lock-in agreements — just great service that makes you want to stay. Cancel anytime if it's not working.
"I run a small HVAC company out of Warwick and take jobs all over Rhode Island. Between sales tax on materials and payroll, my books were a mess. Tides got me completely caught up, sorted out my sales and use tax, and now I get a clean report every month without lifting a finger. I finally understand my numbers."
Book a free 15-minute call. We'll look at where your books stand and tell you exactly what they need — no pressure, no sales pitch.
Schedule a Free Call →Official government resources for registering, filing, and staying compliant in Rhode Island. Tides handles your books; these help with the rest.