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For work performed on or after January 1, 2026, Vermont’s minimum wage is $14.42 per hour; the basic tipped wage is $7.21 per hour. Tipped employees must still receive at least the full minimum wage when employer-paid wages and tips are combined. Covered employees generally earn overtime at one and one-half times their regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek, but exemptions and federal rules can affect who qualifies.
This guide focuses on the Vermont wage-and-hour rules covered here. Which rules apply depends on the work, the employee’s circumstances, and the period involved. For help with a particular question, contact the Vermont Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour program.
Vermont minimum wage in 2026
The Vermont Department of Labor announced the following rates in 2025 for work beginning January 1, 2026. Use the rate in effect during the period you are checking: Vermont adjusts its minimum wage annually under a statutory formula.
| Rate | Amount effective January 1, 2026 | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Standard minimum wage | $14.42 per hour | The standard Vermont minimum-wage rate. |
| Basic tipped wage | $7.21 per hour | A basic wage rate for covered service or tipped employees; tips and wages together must reach at least the standard minimum wage. |
If an employee’s wages plus tips do not reach the applicable minimum-wage floor, the employer must pay the difference. The tipped rate is not a guarantee that an employee’s total hourly compensation will be only $7.21. Federal law may set a higher applicable minimum rate; Vermont’s statute provides that the federal minimum controls if it exceeds the state rate.
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Sources: Vermont Department of Labor’s 2026 minimum-wage announcement and 21 V.S.A. § 384.
When Vermont overtime generally applies
Vermont’s general rule is time-and-a-half the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, subject to coverage and statutory exemptions. A job title alone does not establish that a worker is exempt. The duties, pay arrangement, applicable statutory provisions, and federal rules can all matter; state and federal requirements may both apply.
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To assess a possible overtime issue, identify the workweek used for the job and the hours actually worked in it, then check whether a state or federal exemption applies. Do not assume that every employee is covered identically or that a weekly pay period is necessarily the same as the workweek.
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Source: 21 V.S.A. § 384. The Vermont Department of Labor also publishes an older summary of wage and hour laws; the current statute is the source for the legal rule.
Earned sick time: accrual, uses and qualifications
Vermont’s earned-sick-time provisions provide for accrual of at least one hour for every 52 hours worked. The statute identifies qualifying reasons that include an employee’s illness or injury and health care, care for certain family members, certain needs related to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, and certain public-health or safety closures.
The law also addresses eligibility and exceptions, limits on accrual or use, carryover, employer notice, equivalent paid-time-off policies, and a potential waiting period for new hires. Those provisions affect how the entitlement works; the basic accrual rate alone does not establish what a particular worker may use at a particular time. Check the current statutory provisions and the facts of the employment arrangement before reaching a conclusion.
Source: Vermont Statutes, Title 21, Chapter 5.
Child labor rules depend on age and type of work
Vermont’s statutes define children as people under 18, but the cited work-hour limits apply specifically to children under 16. For that age group, the state generally limits work to eight hours per day and six days per week, bars work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. with a summer-evening exception, and sets additional school-day and school-week limits. The precise limits depend on the circumstances, so employers and families should consult the statutory text rather than infer a schedule from the general limits alone.
A separate law restricts hazardous work for children, subject to listed exceptions. That provision states limits of eight hours in a day and 40 hours in a week. These state rules do not replace applicable federal child-labor requirements. Vermont’s Department of Labor provides child-labor compliance information and related forms.
Sources: 21 V.S.A. § 434, 21 V.S.A. § 437, and the Department of Labor’s Child Labor Compliance page.
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Vermont law requires covered employers to keep accurate records of hours and wages. Workers can also keep their own schedules, pay statements, and relevant messages as a practical way to document what happened; that is a useful recordkeeping step, not a statement that the statute requires employees to maintain a particular personal checklist.
The wage-law chapter provides for civil and administrative consequences for violations and bars retaliation for wage-law complaints. If you are raising a concern, preserve relevant records and contact the state Wage and Hour program for guidance about the appropriate next step.
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Source: Vermont Statutes, Title 21, Chapter 5.
Where to get Vermont wage-and-hour help
The Vermont Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour program handles questions about minimum wage, overtime, child labor, and employer postings. The department lists 802-951-4083 and labor.wagehour@vermont.gov for Wage and Hour questions. Its FAQ says required workplace postings are free, and the department provides a 2026 minimum-wage poster.
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Source: Vermont Department of Labor FAQs.
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