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Bookkeeping and payroll in Vermont

Bookkeeping and payroll for Vermont businesses.

Visory provides bookkeeping and payroll services for growing Vermont businesses, from professional firms and consultancies to nonprofits. A dedicated team you know by name works remotely inside your own QuickBooks or Xero file, with Delphi AI taking the repetitive parts under that team’s oversight, and keeps your books and pay runs to Vermont’s withholding, child care contribution, unemployment insurance, and sales tax rules. One flat monthly fee covers the agreed scope.

  • A dedicated team you know by name
  • Vermont rules in every pay run and close
  • One flat monthly fee for the agreed scope
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Downtown Montpelier’s church steeples and brick blocks in early autumn color, with wooded hills behind, in late-afternoon light.
Photo: John Holm, Unsplash License

Who we work with in Vermont

Growing businesses across Vermont.

Health care and social assistance employs about 52,000 people in Vermont, 1.15 times its share of jobs nationally, and private educational services about 10,900, 1.69 times (BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages). Professional, scientific, and technical services employ about 16,800 people, and private employers across the state averaged about 255,000 jobs in 2025.

  • Services businesses with revenue of roughly $750k to $20m, led by a CEO, president, or founder.
  • Nonprofits with grants, programs, and a board to report to.
  • Franchise networks and payroll-heavy operations, with many sites and many pay runs.

All the industries we work with

Vermont rules

The Vermont rules your finance function runs on.

Eight rules set by Vermont, each with the law that sets it and what it does to your month. Your team works to them every pay run and every close.

The state schedule follows the federal one.

A business that deposits federal tax semiweekly generally pays Vermont on the same rhythm, so the cash leaves within days of each payday, and the quarterly return has to agree with every payment made.

Set by Vermont income tax withholding; GB-1210-2026, Income Tax Withholding Instructions, Tables, and Charts

Employers withhold Vermont income tax using the 2026 percentage method tables, at rates of 3.35%, 6.60%, 7.60%, and 8.75%, and register for a withholding account with the Department of Taxes. Payment frequency generally mirrors the federal schedule: semiweekly, monthly by the 25th of the next month, or quarterly. Every employer files Form WHT-436 at the close of each quarter and Form WHT-434, the annual reconciliation, by January 31.

Vermont income tax withholding; GB-1210-2026, Income Tax Withholding Instructions, Tables, and Charts; 2026 withholding tables, effective January 1, 2026.

Sources Vermont Department of Taxes: GB-1210-2026, 2026 Income Tax Withholding Instructions, Tables, and Charts Vermont Department of Taxes: Withholding for employers

The cost lands early in the year.

Tax stops once an employee’s wages pass $15,400, so the first quarter carries most of the year’s cost, and the rate can change in July, halfway through the calendar year the wage base follows.

Set by Vermont Unemployment Compensation Law, 21 V.S.A. chapter 17

Employers pay unemployment tax on the first $15,400 of each employee’s wages in 2026, up from $14,800 in 2025. From July 1, 2026, most new employers pay 1%, and out-of-state construction corporations pay their industry average, from 1.9% to 4.0%. Experience rates for the rate year from July 2026 run from 0.4% to 5.4%. Quarterly wage and contribution reports are filed online by April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31.

Vermont Unemployment Compensation Law, 21 V.S.A. chapter 17; 2026 wage base for the calendar year; new-employer rate from July 1, 2026.

Sources Vermont Department of Labor: Quarterly reporting and taxable wage information Vermont Department of Labor: Unemployment tax rates US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration: Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective July 2026

The floor rises every January.

The formula lifts the rate each year, so every hourly rate near the minimum is checked against the new figure before the first January pay run, and pay bands set just above it move with it.

Set by 21 V.S.A. § 384

Vermont’s minimum wage is $14.42 an hour from January 1, 2026, up from $14.01, and $7.21 for tipped employees. It applies to employers of two or more employees and rises each January 1 by the smaller of 5% or the CPI increase, and it is never decreased. The tipped rate, half the minimum wage, applies to service employees of hotels, motels, tourist places, and restaurants who receive more than $120 a month in tips.

21 V.S.A. § 384; rates effective January 1, 2026.

Sources Vermont Department of Labor: Worker rights and protections, Vermont minimum wage information US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: State minimum wage laws Vermont General Assembly: 21 V.S.A. § 384, employment; wages

Tax follows goods and named charges.

Advice and other services the law does not list carry no sales tax, so a firm that also sells products or digital downloads collects it on those lines only, and holds it until the return is due.

Set by 32 V.S.A. § 9771 (Sales and Use Tax)

Vermont’s 6% sales tax applies to retail sales of tangible personal property unless exempted, and to the charges the law lists, including public utility services, admissions to places of entertainment, telecommunications service, and specified digital products transferred electronically. A municipality may vote a 1% local option sales tax, for 7% in total. Businesses with more than $500 of sales and use tax in the previous year file monthly, by the 25th of the next month; others file quarterly.

32 V.S.A. § 9771 (Sales and Use Tax).

Sources Vermont General Assembly: 32 V.S.A. § 9771, imposition of sales tax Vermont Department of Taxes: Sales and use tax Vermont Department of Taxes: Local option tax Vermont Department of Taxes: Sales and use tax frequently asked questions

Balances build with hours worked.

Accrual is calculated each pay period or each quarter, so the payroll file tracks a balance for every eligible employee, and carried-over hours stay on the books as a liability from one year to the next.

Set by Vermont earned sick time law, 21 V.S.A. §§ 481 to 487

Employees who work an average of at least 18 hours a week accrue at least one hour of earned sick time for every 52 hours worked. An employer may cap accrual and use at 40 hours in a 12-month period and may set a waiting period of up to one year for new hires, who accrue but cannot use the time until it ends. Sick time is paid at the greater of the normal hourly rate or the minimum wage, and unused time carries over.

Vermont earned sick time law, 21 V.S.A. §§ 481 to 487; earned sick time from January 1, 2017, as amended effective May 13, 2025.

Sources Vermont General Assembly: 21 V.S.A. § 481, earned sick time definitions Vermont General Assembly: 21 V.S.A. § 482, earned sick time Vermont General Assembly: 21 V.S.A. § 483, use of earned sick time

Notice comes before a longer cycle.

Moving from weekly to biweekly pay needs notice to every employee first, and a dismissal starts a 72-hour clock that can fall before the next scheduled run.

Set by 21 V.S.A. § 342

Employers pay wages each week, earned to a day no more than six days before payday, or, after giving notice to each employee, biweekly or semimonthly on the same six-day limit. An employee who is discharged is paid within 72 hours. One who leaves voluntarily is paid on the last regular payday, or on the following Friday if there is no regular payday.

21 V.S.A. § 342; as amended effective July 1, 2024.

Source Vermont General Assembly: 21 V.S.A. § 342, weekly payment of wages

Ten days leaves little room to batch.

The report is due 10 calendar days after the start date, so it is prepared the day someone is added to the payroll file, and a returning seasonal employee is reported again.

Set by 33 V.S.A. § 4110

Every Vermont employer reports each new hire to the Department of Labor within 10 calendar days of the first date of employment, with the employee’s name, address, first date of employment, and Social Security number, and the employer’s name, address, and federal identification number. Someone returning after at least 60 consecutive days away counts as a new hire. The information is shared with the Office of Child Support.

33 V.S.A. § 4110; as amended effective September 1, 2025.

Source Vermont General Assembly: 33 V.S.A. § 4110, employer obligations and new hire reporting

A payroll cost with an optional deduction.

The business decides whether to recover part of the contribution from staff, so the payroll file sets the deduction once and the books show the employer share as a cost of employment every pay run.

Set by Act 76 of 2023, the Vermont Child Care Contribution

Employers pay a 0.44% payroll tax on all employee wages earned in Vermont and may deduct up to a quarter of it, 0.11% of wages, from employees’ pay. It is remitted with Vermont income tax withholding, on the same schedule, and reported quarterly on Form WHT-436. Wages not subject to Vermont withholding, such as pay for work physically performed outside Vermont by an out-of-state employer, are not subject to it.

Act 76 of 2023, the Vermont Child Care Contribution; collection from July 1, 2024.

Sources Vermont Department of Taxes: GB-1210-2026, 2026 Income Tax Withholding Instructions, Tables, and Charts Vermont Department of Taxes: Child Care Contribution

Rules last checked October 9, 2026 against the sources at the foot of this page. General information only. It does not take your circumstances into account.

Local rules

Where the rules change across Vermont.

Your team applies the local rules as well as the Vermont ones. These are the places where a local tax, a wage rate, or a leave law differs from the rest of the state.

The Burlington Community Boathouse on Lake Champlain on a summer day, with a classic wooden motor yacht passing.
Photo: Stephen Mease, Unsplash License

Burlington and the local option towns

Towns that vote for it add a 1% local option tax to sales, meals, and rooms, and two cities run local taxes of their own.

  • A municipality may levy a 1% local option sales tax, for 7% in total. Towns with it include Burlington (from July 2006), South Burlington, Williston, Winooski, and Montpelier (from July 2025).
  • Local option meals and rooms taxes add 1% to the 9% state taxes, for 10% in total, and the cities of Burlington and Rutland administer and collect their own local meals, entertainment, lodging, or alcoholic beverage taxes.
  • Eight more towns, including Bristol, Morristown, Swanton, Vergennes, and Waitsfield, began the 1% sales tax on July 1, 2026, and Peru followed on October 1, 2026. Sellers with sales subject to local option tax file electronically.

How it works from anywhere

Can a team outside Vermont run a Vermont business?

Yes. Visory’s US leadership team is in New York, and its teams work with businesses across the United States remotely, inside your own accounting file, so nothing about the work depends on where your office is.

Your own file

Your books stay in your own QuickBooks or Xero file. Your team works inside it, so you see the same numbers they do, whenever you look.

A team you know by name

A dedicated team runs the work, led by a Business Performance Partner. You meet them by video call, and you always know who to ask.

Vermont rules, built in

Visory runs the finance function for growing businesses across the United States, with its US leadership team in New York. Your books stay in your own QuickBooks or Xero file, and your team works inside it with you. Every pay run and every close is checked against the rules on this page.

Business hours, and the platform after them

Your team works 9am to 5pm Eastern Time on business days, all year round, and the Visory platform is open to you around the clock for documents, approvals, and your numbers.

What we run for Vermont businesses

The whole finance function, actually handled.

Bookkeeping, payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable, run end to end by a dedicated team with Delphi AI working under their oversight. Flat monthly fee. No hourly billing.

Bookkeeping

Every transaction coded and reconciled, month-end closed on schedule.

Explore bookkeeping

Payroll

Pay runs prepared, checked, and paid on time, every cycle.

See how payroll runs

Accounts payable

Bills captured, checked against what's already paid, and paid when you say so.

See accounts payable

Accounts receivable

Invoices out on schedule, overdue accounts followed up in your name.

See accounts receivable

Visory Insights

Once a month: what changed, what it means, and what to do next.

See how Insights works

Business Performance Partner

A named partner who walks you through the numbers and the next move.

How your partner works

Visory Insights

What your numbers should show in Vermont.

Clean books are the start. Every month, Insights turns them into a plain-English report, and a named Business Performance Partner walks your leadership team through what they mean for the year ahead.

The child care contribution, on your payroll

At 0.44%, $1 million of Vermont wages carries $4,400 a year in child care contribution, of which up to $1,100 may come from staff if you choose to withhold the 0.11%. Insights shows the employer share in the cost of each hire, not as a surprise in the quarterly return.

Unemployment tax is a first-quarter cost

At the 1% new-employer rate on the first $15,400 of wages, each employee costs up to $154 a year, and anyone paid more than $61,600 a year reaches the cap within the first quarter. Insights accrues that cost on January to March wages and plans the payment with the first-quarter contribution report, due April 30.

Monthly sales tax starts early

Monthly filing applies once a year’s sales and use tax passes $500, which at the 6% rate is only about $8,333 of taxable sales. After that, tax collected is held for the state until the 25th of the next month. Insights keeps it apart from operating cash.

Looking for a fractional CFO in Vermont? Visory has no standalone CFO offer. That work sits inside Visory Insights and your sessions with a Business Performance Partner. See Visory Insights

What customers say

In a customer’s words.

“Visory understands my business deeply and it's evident with the thoughtful questions they ask and changes they propose.”

Rachelle Harper Co-founder and COO, BrandBossHQ

Common questions

Questions Vermont businesses ask.

Straight answers about bookkeeping and payroll for a Vermont business, from a team that works remotely.

Does Visory have an office in Vermont?

Visory’s US leadership team is in New York, and its teams work with growing businesses across the United States remotely, so we support businesses in Vermont as we do everywhere else. A Vermont business gets a dedicated team you know by name, who keep the books and run payroll inside your own QuickBooks or Xero file and meet you by video call. Your records stay in your file, which you can open at any time.

What hours does my Visory team work?

Your team works 9am to 5pm Eastern Time on business days, all year round. Outside those hours, the Visory platform is your 24/7 access point, so your financial information is there whenever you need it.

Can a bookkeeper outside my office look after a Vermont business?

Yes. What matters is that the team knows Vermont’s rules and works inside your own accounting file. Visory connects to your bank feeds and software, codes and reconciles transactions through the month with Delphi AI working under an expert team, and meets you by video call. Nothing about the work depends on where your office is.

How much does a bookkeeper cost in Vermont?

Visory charges one flat monthly fee for the scope we agree, with no hourly billing and no timesheets. The fee reflects the services you take, from bookkeeping and payroll to accounts payable, accounts receivable, and Insights, and the volume of work in your business. After a discovery call, you get a clear proposal, so you know the monthly cost before you start.

See how pricing works

Do you work in QuickBooks and Xero?

Yes. Visory works inside the systems you already use: QuickBooks and Xero for the ledger, Gusto and Rippling for pay runs, and Bill, Ramp, and Stripe for payments, along with your bank feeds. Your books stay in your own accounting file, which you own and can open at any time. Any change to your setup is agreed with you first.

Do Vermont businesses charge sales tax on services?

Only on the charges Vermont’s sales tax law lists, such as public utility services, admissions to places of entertainment, telecommunications, and specified digital products, as well as on sales of tangible personal property. The rate is 6%, or 7% in towns with a local option sales tax. This is general information; the Vermont Department of Taxes sets the rules for your business.

What is the Vermont child care contribution?

A payroll tax of 0.44% on all employee wages earned in Vermont, collected since July 1, 2024. Employers may deduct up to 0.11% of wages, a quarter of the contribution, from employees’ pay, and remit it with Vermont income tax withholding on the same schedule. Your Payroll Specialist sets the deduction you choose. This is general information; the Vermont Department of Taxes sets the rules.

How much earned sick time do Vermont employees get?

Employees who average at least 18 hours a week earn at least one hour for every 52 hours worked, and an employer may cap accrual and use at 40 hours in a 12-month period. New hires may have to wait up to a year before using it. Your Payroll Specialist tracks each balance every pay run. This is general information; the Vermont Department of Labor sets the rules.

Can you look after staff in more than one state?

Yes. Each state sets its own income tax withholding, unemployment insurance, minimum wage, and leave rules, and Vermont withholds from a nonresident in proportion to the hours worked in the state during the pay period. Visory keeps one set of books and runs payroll with each state’s rules applied to the staff who work there, so every state’s cost shows in one monthly report.

Do you offer a fractional CFO in Vermont?

A fractional CFO advises on numbers someone else produces. Visory runs the books, payroll, and payments, then delivers the insight from the same team: Visory Insights is a plain-English monthly report and a session with a named Business Performance Partner. There is no handover between the doing and the advising, and it comes on one flat monthly fee.

See how Visory Insights works
More questions, longer answers. Every question has its own link. See all common questions

Getting started

Start with clarity, not a contract.

Three steps, in whatever rhythm suits you. Each one is useful on its own.

  1. Two people shake hands across a desk beside a laptop

    Book a discovery call

    An obligation-free conversation about your goals and what you want the numbers to tell you.

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  2. A woman takes notes beside a laptop showing a financial report

    Get your free financial health check

    A senior member of the Visory team analyzes your financials and shows you where your finance function can improve. It is free, and it is your own numbers.

    Free · your own numbers
  3. Top-down view of hands on a laptop showing the Visory accounts receivable workflow

    Receive a clear proposal

    A clear commercial proposal for the scope we agree, on one flat monthly fee. No hourly billing. You decide whether to go ahead.

    Flat monthly fee

Get started

The best is ahead for your business.

Start with a discovery call. We will listen first, then show you what your own numbers have been trying to tell you.

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Sources (20) · rules last checked October 9, 2026

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