Tipping in Vermont

Last reviewed October 2026

Vermont Tipping Laws in 2026: Quick Facts

Rates in effect since January 1, 2026

Vermont Minimum Wage

$14.42 per hour¹

Vermont Tipped Minimum Wage

$7.21 per hour (half of the full minimum wage)¹²

Maximum Tip Credit

$7.21 per hour²⁴

Who Qualifies as a Tipped Employee?

A hotel, motel, tourist place, or restaurant employee who customarily and regularly receives more than $120 per month in tips²³

Are Tip Pools Allowed?

Yes, under federal rules⁵

Are Mandatory Service Charges Tips?

No⁵

Can Employers Keep Employee Tips?

No. Tips belong to employees, apart from lawful tip pools.⁵

Can Credit Card Fees Be Taken From Tips?

Yes, with limits. Employers can deduct only the actual card-processing percentage.⁵

Vermont has its own rules for wages and tips, and its ski resorts, fall foliage tours, and farm-to-table inns create tipping situations many visitors may not be familiar with.

Work in Vermont? Learn about Vermont's tipping laws, minimum wage, tip pools, and your rights when it comes to tips.

Visiting Vermont? Explore popular Vermont experiences where tipping is common and see what customers and workers report about tipping.

What Is Vermont's Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees?

A tip credit lets an employer count part of an employee's tips toward the minimum wage, so it can pay a lower hourly wage as long as tips make up the difference.

Vermont's minimum wage is $14.42 per hour in 2026.¹ Tipped employees can be paid a direct wage of $7.21 per hour, which is half of the full minimum wage, with the employer taking a tip credit of up to $7.21 per hour.¹²

Vermont's tipped wage is narrower than in most states. It applies only to employees of hotels, motels, tourist places, and restaurants who customarily and regularly receive more than $120 per month in tips for direct and personal customer service.³ Tipped workers in other industries must be paid the full minimum wage.

If an employee doesn't receive enough tips in the workweek to reach the full minimum wage for all hours worked, the employer must make up the difference.²

Vermont adjusts its minimum wage every January 1 based on inflation, with each increase capped at 5%.³ The tipped wage stays at half of the new rate.

Who Owns Tips in Vermont?

Vermont has no specific rule on tip ownership. Under federal law, tips belong to the employee. Employers, managers, and supervisors cannot keep any part of employees' tips, whether or not the employer takes a tip credit.⁵ Managers can keep only tips they receive directly for service they personally provide.

Are Tip Pools Allowed in Vermont?

A tip pool is an arrangement where employees' tips are combined and shared among a group, such as servers, bussers, and bartenders.

Yes. Vermont has no specific tip pool law, so the federal rules apply:⁵

With a tip credit: When an employer pays the $7.21 tipped wage, the pool can include only employees who customarily and regularly receive tips, such as servers, bartenders, and bussers.
Without a tip credit: When every employee is paid the full minimum wage in direct wages, the pool can also include back-of-house staff, such as cooks and dishwashers.
Managers and owners are out. Managers, supervisors, and owners cannot take tips from the pool.

Are Service Charges Considered Tips in Vermont?

No. Vermont has no specific rule on service charges. Under federal law, a mandatory service charge, such as an automatic 18% added to a large party's bill, is not a tip.⁵

The difference comes down to customer choice. A tip is voluntary, and the customer decides how much to leave. A mandatory service charge is part of the required price, and the business decides how to distribute it.

Can Employers Take Credit Card Fees Out of Tips?

Vermont has no specific rule on credit card fees. Under federal law, an employer can deduct only the actual fee. If a card company charges the employer a percentage on each sale, the employer can reduce a card tip by that same percentage.⁵ It cannot deduct more than the transaction fee.

Tipping While Visiting Vermont

Vermont's mountains, small towns, and farm country create tipping situations many visitors haven't run into before. Ski season, fall foliage, and summer lake trips draw visitors to the Green Mountain State throughout the year.

Whether you're skiing in Stowe or touring maple sugarhouses and covered bridges, here are popular experiences where travelers often have questions about tipping.

Winter Sports

Ski Resorts

Vermont is home to some of the largest ski resorts in the East. Visitors often have questions about tipping ski instructors, rental shop techs, and lodge staff.

How Much Do You Tip a Ski Instructor?
Do You Tip a Ski Tech?
Do You Tip a Ski Valet?

Snowmobile and Sleigh Rides

Guided snowmobile tours and horse-drawn sleigh rides are popular winter activities around the state.

Do You Tip a Snowmobile Guide?
Do You Tip on a Sleigh Ride?

Tours and Outdoor Adventures

Fall Foliage and Scenic Tours

Fall foliage season brings bus tours, guided drives, and scenic train rides through the Green Mountains.

Do You Tip a Tour Guide?
Do You Tip a Bus Tour Driver?

Brewery, Cider, and Farm Tours

Vermont is known for its craft breweries, cideries, maple sugarhouses, and cheese makers. Visitors often wonder whether to tip on a tasting or a guided farm tour.

Do You Tip on a Brewery Tour?
Do You Tip at a Beer Tasting?
Do You Tip on a Farm Tour?

Lake and River Trips

Guided fly-fishing trips, paddling tours, and Lake Champlain boat cruises are popular in summer.

Do You Tip a Fishing Guide?
Do You Tip a Kayak Guide?
Do You Tip on a Boat Tour?

Lodging and Wellness

Inns, Resorts, and Spas

Country inns, bed-and-breakfasts, and mountain resorts are popular places to stay in Vermont. Guests often aren't sure whether to tip innkeepers or B&B staff.

Do You Tip at a Bed and Breakfast?
Hotel Housekeeping
Bellhops
Do You Tip at a Spa?

Food and Drink

Restaurants and Bars

Restaurants and bars are the most familiar places to tip. Vermont's farm-to-table restaurants and ski-town pubs follow the same tipping customs as most of the country.

Restaurant Tipping
Bartender Tipping

What Customers and Workers Report

Tipping customs and expectations don't always match people's real-life behavior.

TippingGuide.com collects feedback from both customers and workers to show the two sides of tipping.

Our Customer and Worker Averages compare what customers report tipping for average service with what workers report expecting to receive.

Explore the categories above to see what customers and workers report for different services and tipping situations.

Information about Vermont wage and tipping laws is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Laws, regulations, and minimum wages can change. This information was last reviewed in October 2026.

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