The following changes to Vermont employment law take effect on July 1, 2025. Additional details about these laws are available in the law alerts on the platform and will be added to the laws pages no later than their effective dates.

PAY RANGES REQUIRED IN JOB POSTINGS
Employers with five or more employees (with at least one that works in Vermont) will be required to include the pay rate or range in any written posting for a job that will be physically performed in the state or for remote positions that mainly do work for a location in the state. This includes internal postings for transfers and promotions.

For commission-based positions, employers only need to state that the position is commission-based—they’re not required to list a pay rate or range. For tipped positions, employers must include the pre-tip compensation or range and note that the position is tipped.

Compensation ranges need to include a minimum and maximum and be provided in good faith, meaning they should be a reasonable estimation of what the position will actually pay when filled.

Action Item
Begin including the required compensation information in job postings on or before July 1, 2025.

FAMILY AND PARENTAL LEAVE EXPANDED
The parental and family leave law, which generally applies to employers with 10 or more employees, will be significantly expanded. Highlights of the changes are below.

New and Updated Leave Reasons
Employees will be able to use their 12 weeks of unpaid parental and family leave for the following new leave reasons:

Safe leave: Leave for an employee when they or their family member is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking—including for medical care, counseling, relocation, safety planning, or working with law enforcement and other related social or legal services.
Qualifying exigency leave: Leave for a qualifying exigency related to a family member’s active duty service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Bereavement leave: Leave due to the death of a family member, including to manage their estate. Bereavement leave must be taken within one year of the death of a family member and is limited to a duration of two weeks, with no more than five workdays to be taken consecutively.
Additionally, parental leave will be expanded to include recovery from a miscarriage and:

Leave for the initial placement of a child 18 years or younger with the employee for adoption—previously the age limit was 16.
Leave for the initial placement of a child 18 years or younger with the employee for foster care—previously only adoption was covered.
Leave to bond with the employee’s foster child within one year of the placement—previously only bonding with an adopted child within a year of placement was covered.
Updated Definition of Family Member
Family member will be expanded to include several additional types of relationships. It will include (but not be limited to) domestic and civil union partners and grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings of the employee or the employee’s spouse or domestic or civil union partner.

Documentation
If the leave is for a family member, the employer can request documentation identifying the qualifying family relationship. Employers can also ask employees to provide documentation of the need for bereavement leave, safe leave, or leave for a qualifying exigency.

Substitution of Paid Leave
Employees can use short-term disability insurance to replace unpaid time off under the law, and there’s no longer a six-week cap on substituting any accrued paid leave.

Action Item
Update your handbook to reflect these changes or, if you use our Smart Employee Handbook, accept the new policy when you receive the notification.

SHORT TERM FAMILY LEAVE EXPANDED
This expanded definition of family member described above will also apply to Vermont’s related Short-Term Family Leave law, which applies to employers with 10 or more employees. The law provides employees with up to 24 hours of unpaid leave in a 12-month period to attend school activities, medical appointments, and other professional service appointments.

Action Item
Update your Short-Term Family Leave policy to reflect these changes or, if you use our Smart Employee Handbook, accept the updated policy when you receive the notification.