January 1, 2021

Vermont minimum wage update

  • Effective January 1, 2021, the state minimum wage is $11.75 per hour. The basic tipped wage rate for service or tipped employees must equal fifty percent (50%) of the state minimum wage and will be $5.88 per hour effective January 1, 2021.
  • “Service or tipped employees” are those who work in the hotel, motel, tourist place, or restaurant industry who customarily and regularly receive more than $120.00 per month in tips for direct and personal customer service.
  • Employers subject to the state minimum wage laws are those with two (2) or more employees, unless they fall under a statutory exemption.
  • Employees exempt from the state minimum wage requirements include:Full-time high school students;Agricultural workers;Taxicab drivers;Outsides salespersons; andFederal employees, among others.
  • Full-time high school students;
  • Agricultural workers;
  • Taxicab drivers;
  • Outsides salespersons; and
  • Federal employees, among others.
  • For more information please visit the Vermont Department of Labor website.

By Megan Butz
General Counsel, HR Compliance, Checkwriters
Megan joined Checkwriters in 2020 and is responsible for reviewing, revising, and implementing internal policies of the company, advising on human resource, employment, and labor matters, and monitoring and publishing state and federal legal updates to the Checkwriters News and Compliance Center for distribution to thousands of clients around the country. Before joining Checkwriters, Megan served as a judicial law clerk for the justices of the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court performing legal research and writing, followed by private practice in Cape Cod.

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