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Reference · State of Vermont

Vermont trade labor costs

What a plumbing, HVAC or electrical tech earns in Vermont, what the state adds to payroll, whether labor is taxed, what a license costs, how lien rights work and when the heating and cooling seasons peak — each figure from the agency that sets it, with the date we read it.

  • Wages BLS OEWS May 2025
  • Payroll and licenses state agencies
  • Checked and
Plumbing median
$29.89/h−2.5% vs the U.S.32nd of 51
HVAC median
$29.88/h+1.9% vs the U.S.22nd of 51
Electrical median
$30.49/h+0.4% vs the U.S.29th of 51
New-employer SUTA
1.00%on the first $15,400
Payroll programs
None requireda voluntary plan is offered
Sales tax on labor
Not taxedrepair and installation on buildings

Pay in Vermont

Hourly pay across all industries, May 2025. Half of the workers in each trade earn less than the median and half earn more; one in ten earns less than the 10th percentile. Union and non-union, no self-employed.

Hourly pay, 10th to 90th percentileDrawn to scale: one dollar axis for all three trades

  • PlumbingU.S. median $30.67

    plumbers: 10th percentile $23.46, 25th $26.99, median $29.89, 75th $39.54, 90th $44.20 an hour; U.S. median $30.67.

  • HVACU.S. median $29.33

    HVAC techs: 10th percentile $24.17, 25th $28.27, median $29.88, 75th $36.13, 90th $44.77 an hour; U.S. median $29.33.

  • ElectricalU.S. median $30.38

    electricians: 10th percentile $22.82, 25th $27.54, median $30.49, 75th $38.65, 90th $63.50 an hour; U.S. median $30.38.

  • 25th–75th percentile
  • State median
  • U.S. median
Hourly pay by percentile for plumbers, HVAC techs and electricians in Vermont, BLS OEWS May 2025
PercentilePlumbingHVACElectrical
10th$23.46$24.17$22.82
25th$26.99$28.27$27.54
Median$29.89$29.88$30.49
75th$39.54$36.13$38.65
90th$44.20$44.77$63.50
Mean$33.16$32.24$35.27
U.S. median$30.67$29.33$30.38
vs U.S.−2.5%+1.9%+0.4%
Rank32nd22nd29th
Jobs9809701,270

Dollars an hour. BLS occupations: Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (SOC 47-2152); Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021); Electricians (SOC 47-2111). “vs U.S.” compares the medians; rank 1 is the highest median of the 50 states and DC. Released May 15, 2026; the next survey is due each spring.

Payroll costs the state adds

What Vermont charges an employer on top of wages: unemployment tax, and any paid-leave or disability program funded through payroll, and who must carry workers’ comp. Federal Social Security, Medicare and unemployment tax apply in every state and are already in the calculator. Workers’ comp premiums depend on the class code and the insurer, so the card gives the rules, not a rate.

State unemployment tax (SUTA)

Vermont Department of Labor, Unemployment Insurance (Employer Services)

Wage base
$15,400 per employee a year
New-employer rate
1.00%
Construction
Same as other new employers

Rate year runs July 1 to June 30; 1% from July 1, 2026. Out-of-state (foreign) construction corporations pay their industry’s average: NAICS 236 1.9%, 237 4.0%, 238 (specialty trades) 2.7% (Vermont Department of Labor; table not dated).

Per tech, a year 1.00% × $15,400 = $154At the new-employer rate, for a plumber paid the state median ($29.89 × 2,080 h = $62,171). The calculator uses the rate alone.

State pages read

Workers’ compensation

Vermont Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation Division

Who must carry it
Any employeeWorkers’ compensation insurance is mandatory for all Vermont employers with any employee (21 V.S.A. 687). Excluded are casual workers not in the employer’s trade, family members living in the employer’s house (unless their pay is in the insured payroll) and farm workers of employers with less than $10,000 annual payroll (21 V.S.A. 601(14)). labor.vermont.gov · legislature.vermont.gov
Where to buy it
Private insurersCoverage is bought from an insurer or reciprocal exchange authorized to write workers’ compensation in Vermont, or the employer may self-insure under 21 V.S.A. 687; there is no state fund. legislature.vermont.gov
Owners
A sole proprietor or partner of an unincorporated business is outside the act only if all six tests in 21 V.S.A. 601(14)(F) are met, including a written contract stating that he or she has no employees and has chosen not to buy coverage. With the Commissioner’s approval, a corporation or LLC may exclude up to four executive officers, managers or members; if all of them are excluded and there are no employees, it need not buy coverage (601(14)(H)). legislature.vermont.gov
Construction
The owner or operator of a business is treated as the employer of workers there even when an independent contractor is their direct employer (21 V.S.A. 601(3)); if a sole proprietor working under a 601(14)(F) contract turns out to have employees, they can claim against either party to the contract. legislature.vermont.gov

Statute and agency pages read

New-employer rates usually last one to three years — longer in some states (four years in Indiana, four to five in D.C.); then the state assigns your own rate, and your rate notice wins over any figure here. The calculator below uses the new-employer rate where one is clear. Where a state’s own pages could not be read, the card says so and gives the U.S. Labor Department’s figure.

What a shop in Vermont needs to charge

The calculator’s example shop — three techs, $120,000 of overhead, a truck each, 10% net profit — with Vermont’s median wage for each trade and its unemployment tax filled in. Your own numbers will differ; change them in the calculator below.

Example shopBreak-evenRate, 10% profit
Plumbingwage $29.89$110.93$123.26→ $125
HVACwage $29.88$110.91$123.24→ $125
Electricalwage $30.49$112.22$124.69→ $125

Per billable hour; → is the rate rounded up, as the calculator rounds it. Everything except the wage and the unemployment tax is the national example (BLS, IRS and DOL figures listed on the labor rate calculator).

Change the numbers for your shop

The labor rate calculator, opened on Vermont: pick your trade, put in your own crew, pay and overhead, and the rate and break-even redraw as you type.

Your labor rate

Who does the billable work?

Example shop in Vermont: 3 techs at the state’s median plumber wage, $120,000 overhead. Change any number or pick another state.

Charge at least Example shop · Vermont

Charge at least $123.26 per billable hour; break-even $110.93.

Round up to $125 (+$1.74)

See it drawn to scale
Rate build-upDrawn to scale: every dollar the same height
Rate build-up for the example, drawn to scaleColumn from $0 to $123.26 per billable hour, drawn to scale: wage $51.09, taxes & benefits $13.23, overhead $32.87, truck $13.74, profit 10% $12.33. Break-even line at $110.93. Rounded up to $125.12345$0Labor$64.32Break-even$110.93Your rate$123.26Round up to$125
  1. Wage$62,171.20 ÷ 1,216.8 h$51.09
  2. Taxes & benefits25.89% of pay$13.23
  3. Overhead$120,000 ÷ 3,650.4 h$32.87
  4. Truck$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h$13.74
  5. Profit 10%of the price$12.33
Break-even
$110.93
Profit per hour
$12.33
Revenue a year
$449,945

$110.93 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $123.26rounded up to $125

Already showing the example.

Price your tasks at $125 an hourOpens the price book builder with this rate.

Billable hours
1,216.8per tech a year
Loaded wage
$37.63per paid hour
Labor
$64.32per billable hour
Overhead
$32.87per billable hour
Truck
$13.74per billable hour
Labor burden
25.89%over gross pay

What moves your rate

  • Every billable hour sold under $110.93 loses money.
  • At 70% billable instead of 65%, break-even drops to $103.01, $7.92 an hour less.
  • Cut $10,000 of overhead a year and break-even drops $2.74 an hour, to $108.19.
Show the math
  1. Worked hours2,080 h − 26 days × 8 h = 1,872 h
  2. Billable hours per tech1,872 h × 65% = 1,216.8 h
  3. Gross pay per tech$29.89 × 2,080 h = $62,171.20
  4. Employer taxes and comp$3,854.61 SS + $901.48 Medicare + $42.00 FUTA + $154.00 SUTA + $1,659.97 comp = $6,612.07
  5. Benefits$62,171.20 × 15.25% = $9,481.11
  6. Labor per billable hour$78,264.38 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $64.32
  7. Overhead per billable hour$120,000 ÷ (3 × 1,216.8 h) = $32.87
  8. Truck per billable hour$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $13.74
  9. Break-even$64.32 + $32.87 + $13.74 = $110.93
  10. Rate at 10% profit$110.93 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $123.26

Change the numbers

State and trade
Trade

Fills the wage and state unemployment tax (SUTA). Workers’ comp and everything else stay as they are.

Filled for Vermont3 figures
Wage Plumbing
$29.89/hr
Vermont median for plumbers · BLS OEWS May 2025
SUTA rate New employer
1.00%
New-employer rate, construction included (Vermont Department of Labor, from July 1, 2026) · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026
SUTA wage base Per tech
$15,400
Vermont · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026

Your own rate notice wins. These are new-employer rates: after one to three years the state sets your own, and construction employers often pay a different rate.

Vermont: pay, payroll taxes and licensesSee all 50 states and DC
Vermont: the fine print

Rate year runs July 1 to June 30; 1% from July 1, 2026. Out-of-state (foreign) construction corporations pay their industry’s average: NAICS 236 1.9%, 237 4.0%, 238 (specialty trades) 2.7% (Vermont Department of Labor; table not dated).

NAICS is the federal industry code; plumbing, HVAC and electrical contractors are 2382, construction as a whole is 23.

Crew and pay

People who bill hours. Office staff go in overhead.

Average base pay. Filled: Vermont median for plumbers, BLS OEWS May 2025.

Hours and time off2,080 h · 26 days off

40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080.

Holidays, vacation and sick days, 8 h each. Example: 8 + 11 + 7 (BLS).

Optional. Paid at 1.5 × the wage. Leave 0 if none.

Billable time

Share of worked hours that ends up on invoices. Published figures run from 30% to 65%.

Billable hours1,216.8 hper tech · 3,650.4 h for the shop
Payroll taxes and benefits+25.89% of pay

Filled: Vermont new-employer rate, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026. Your notice wins.

Pay per tech the rate applies to. Filled: Vermont, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026.

Use the rate on your policy. Example: BLS construction average.

Health, retirement and other benefits. Example: BLS construction average.

Loaded wage$37.63per paid hour · burden 25.89%

Included automatically (IRS, tax year 2026): Social Security 6.2% of pay up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%, federal unemployment (FUTA) 0.6% of the first $7,000.

Shop costs

An example figure. Everything except field pay and trucks — split it in the worksheet below.

Payments, fuel, insurance and upkeep. Enter 0 if trucks are already in overhead.

Profit

Profit as a share of the price, not a markup on cost.

Your rate: $123.26 per billable hour · break-even $110.93. Back to the result

Sales tax on your work

What Vermont’s tax agency says about repair and installation labor on buildings and the parts and fixtures that go into them. This is what the agency’s pages say, not tax advice.

Labor
Not taxedWhen contractors build materials into buildings, the service isn’t subject to sales tax; electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation and cooling systems are real property improvements.Items built in (furnaces, built-in appliances, wiring, plumbing) are taxed to the contractor when bought; items sold without installation can be bought tax-free and taxed to the customer.
Materials
Contractor, when buyingThe contractor pays the 6% sales tax on materials when buying them, or use tax if none was charged, and doesn’t charge the customer sales tax.
Also
A business that is mainly a retailer or manufacturer may elect to be treated as a retailer.

Read October 24, 2026 on the agency pages listed under Sources. All 50 states and DC side by side.

Licenses and state fees

The license a shop needs from the state to contract for each trade, the board that issues it and the fees on its own schedule. Cities and counties can add their own licenses, registrations and permit fees; exam vendors and fingerprinting may charge more.

Plumbing

State license

Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (Plumber's Examining Board)

Master Plumber license

Anyone who installs plumbing or advertises as such without an appropriate license, or employs a person to do plumbing work for which that employee is not licensed, may be fined up to $1,000 per offense (26 V.S.A. § 2197).

FeeAmount
Master plumber application/license fee2 years$120
Licensing exam (Prov)per exam$80
Master plumber renewal fee2 years$120

The DFS application instructions list 'Master – Application Fee – $120.00'. Licenses are valid for two years; late reinstatement within 90 days costs $15 extra (26 V.S.A. § 2195). Exam fee may be paid directly to the outside testing service (Prov).

Keeping the license

Renewal
Vermont plumber licenses are valid for two years and expire on the last day of a month the Plumber’s Examining Board designates (26 V.S.A. § 2195); a lapsed license can be reinstated within 90 days with a $15 fee. legislature.vermont.gov
Continuing ed.
To renew, a plumber must show 8 hours of Board-approved training within the previous 24 months (26 V.S.A. § 2195(d)); the Division of Fire Safety also requires the Vermont Energy Goals education module with each renewal. legislature.vermont.gov
Reciprocity
The Plumber’s Examining Board may license without exam a master, journeyman or specialty plumber from a state or municipality with equivalent standards that grants Vermont licensees the same privilege, and must license by endorsement anyone licensed in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years (26 V.S.A. § 2194). No list of agreement states is published. legislature.vermont.gov

Sources read

HVAC

State license

Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety

Certificate of Fitness for oil-burning or natural/propane gas heating work (DFS); electrical side needs a Type-S license (A1 Automatic Gas/Oil Heating or C3 Refrigeration and Air Conditioning)

All individuals installing, inspecting or servicing propane or natural gas systems must be DFS-certified, and a Certification of Fitness is required for oil burner installation work; residential contractors without a DFS license register with OPR for jobs of $10,000+.

FeeAmount
Certificate of Fitness - Oil Burning (Silver) initial3 years$60
Certificate of Fitness - Propane/Gas initial applicationone-time$60
OPR residential contractor registration - business organizationper registration$250
Certificate of Fitness - Oil Burning (Silver) renewal3 years$60
Type-S journeyman electrical license(per field, e.g. A1 or C3), initial and renewal3 years$115

Certificates of fitness (oil and gas) are valid for three years; continuing education must be completed within that 36-month period. Exams for Type-S fields are $80 each through Prov. OPR registration (individuals $75) applies only to residential contracts of $10,000+ and not to tradespeople working within a DFS license.

Keeping the license

Renewal
Vermont has no general HVAC license; gas appliance and oil burner technicians hold Division of Fire Safety certificates of fitness that run for three years and are then renewed (20 V.S.A. § 2731). legislature.vermont.gov
Continuing ed.
Natural gas and LP gas installers need 8 hours of related instruction in the previous 3 years, including at least 2 hours on preventing CO leakage and safety inspection of existing appliances (NFPA 54 annex H); oil burner installers need the same 8 hours or a current NORA silver or gold certificate. The Vermont Energy Goals module is also required at renewal. firesafety.vermont.gov
Reciprocity
The Division of Fire Safety lists no reciprocity agreements for gas or oil certifications; each certificate is based on a national credential (AGA course of study, NPGA CETP or NORA certificate) rather than another state’s license. firesafety.vermont.gov

Sources read

Electrical

State license

Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (Electricians' Licensing Board)

Master Electrician license

Anyone who installs, replaces or repairs an electrical installation without an appropriate license, or employs an improperly licensed person to do so, may be fined up to $500 per offense (26 V.S.A. § 911).

FeeAmount
Master electrician license (initial)3 years$150
Licensing exam (Prov)per exam$80
Master electrician license renewal3 years$150

Licenses are valid for three years (26 V.S.A. § 908); renewal within one year after lapse costs an extra $25. The examination fee may be paid directly to the testing service (Prov, $80 per exam).

Keeping the license

Renewal
Vermont electrician licenses are valid for three years and expire on the last day of a month the Electricians’ Licensing Board designates (26 V.S.A. § 908). legislature.vermont.gov
Continuing ed.
Master and journeyman electricians must complete 15 hours of Board-approved instruction on the National Electrical Code in the 36 months before renewal; type-S journeymen need 8 hours in their specialty (26 V.S.A. § 908(b)). The Vermont Energy Goals module is also required at renewal. legislature.vermont.gov
Reciprocity
Vermont issues master and journeyman electrician licenses without exam to holders from states with equivalent standards that grant Vermont electricians the same privilege, and by endorsement to anyone licensed in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years (26 V.S.A. § 906). No list of agreement states is published. legislature.vermont.gov

Sources read

Beyond the trade license

Contractor registration, bond and insurance the state asks of a trade shop

Registration
Vermont has no general contractor license, but residential contractors doing a job estimated at $10,000 or more (labor and materials) must register with the Office of Professional Regulation (26 V.S.A. § 5501). Tradespeople licensed, registered or certified by the Department of Public Safety (plumbers, electricians, gas and oil technicians) are exempt while working within that license, as is a business whose work is done mainly by or under such exempt employees. sos.vermont.gov
Bond
Vermont requires no surety bond for the residential contractor registration or for Division of Fire Safety plumber, electrician, gas or oil licenses and certifications. sos.vermont.gov · legislature.vermont.gov · firesafety.vermont.gov
Insurance
$1,000,000Registered residential contractors must carry liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate and upload the certificate with the initial and each biennial renewal application. DPS-licensed plumbers and electricians working within their license are exempt from the registration and so from this OPR requirement; the DFS trade licenses themselves carry no insurance requirement. sos.vermont.gov

Board and statute pages read

State or city license?

State license only Who licenses the trades in Vermont

Plumbers, electricians and gas and oil heating technicians are licensed or certified by the state (Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety boards); towns do not issue these licenses. A municipality may run its own plumbing inspections, with standards at least equal to the state’s, if the Commissioner assigns it that responsibility (26 V.S.A. § 2174). legislature.vermont.gov

State and city pages read

What Vermont law says about lien rights on private jobs — the notices, the deadline to file and the deadline to sue — and whether a statute sets payment deadlines or caps retainage. Read from the statute itself; it is not legal advice.

Mechanic’s lien

9 V.S.A. ch. 51, subch. 1 (§§ 1921–1929)Chapter 51: Mechanics’ Liens

You, hired by the owner
No notice to startA contractor who contracts directly with the owner has a lien without any notice before or during the job (9 V.S.A. § 1921(a)); it keeps the lien by filing within the deadline in § 1921(c). legislature.vermont.gov
Subs and suppliers
Notice requiredA sub or supplier hired by the owner’s contractor or subcontractor gets a lien by giving the owner (or the owner’s agent in charge) written notice that it will claim a lien, including the payment due date if known; the lien reaches only the contract price still unpaid when the owner receives the notice (9 V.S.A. § 1921(b)). legislature.vermont.gov
File the lien
180 daysThe lien ends 180 days after payment became due for the last labor or materials unless a signed notice (memorandum) of lien is filed with the clerk of the town where the property is (9 V.S.A. §§ 1921(c), 1923); subs have the same deadline. legislature.vermont.gov
Enforce it
180 daysStart the action and attach the property within 180 days after filing the lien memorandum, or, if payment was not yet due when you filed, within 180 days after it becomes due (9 V.S.A. § 1924); record the judgment in the town land records within 5 months to foreclose (§ 1925). legislature.vermont.gov

Statutes read

Payment deadlines and retainage

Private jobs (public contracts have their own rules)

Prompt payment
Statute sets deadlinesVermont’s Prompt Pay Act (9 V.S.A. ch. 102) covers private and public jobs: unless otherwise agreed, the owner pays interim and final invoices 20 days after the end of the billing period or delivery of the invoice, whichever is later (§ 4002), and a contractor must pay its subs 7 days after it is paid or receives the sub’s invoice, whichever is later, regardless of any contrary agreement (§ 4003). Late payments bear interest at the rate referenced in 12 V.S.A. § 2903(b); that section currently sets judgment-lien interest at 12% per year. legislature.vermont.gov
Retainage
Vermont sets no retainage cap, but retainage must be paid within 30 days after final acceptance of the work and passed down to subs within 7 days after receipt; retainage may not be held on delivered and accepted materials covered by a manufacturer’s warranty or graded to industry standards (9 V.S.A. § 4005). legislature.vermont.gov

Statutes read

Heating and cooling season in Vermont

Degree days, NOAA’s index of the energy it takes to heat or cool a building: each degree a day’s mean temperature falls below 65 °F is one heating degree day, each degree above is one cooling degree day. Thirty-year normals for Burlington airport, month by month.

Heating degree days
6,960
Cooling degree days
656
Nights ≤ 32 °F
145
Days ≥ 90 °F
8
Normal heating and cooling degree days (base 65 °F) and freezing nights by month at Burlington airport, NOAA 1991–2020 normals
MonthHeatingCoolingNights ≤ 32 °F
Jan1,367029
Feb1,179026
Mar1,016026
Apr586413
May236321
Jun50123–
Jul6235–
Aug15191–
Sep13466–
Oct45956
Nov773017
Dec1,142027

Heating carries the load at Burlington airport: 6,960 heating degree days a year against 656 cooling degree days, peaking in January (1,367).

The lightest months for heating and cooling together are June and September (172 and 199 degree days).

Nights at or below 32 °F: about 145 a year, ten or more a month in November through April; 16 at or below 0 °F. Days reaching 90 °F: about 8 a year, the most in July.

Weighted by where Vermont’s people live, NOAA’s statewide normals (1981–2010) are 7,660 heating and 348 cooling degree days — 6th for heating and 42nd for cooling among the 48 contiguous states (the contiguous U.S.: 4,332 and 1,272).

Station: Burlington airport (USW00014742), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — station file; statewide figures: NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Bars share one scale: the longest is 1,367 degree days. Read .

Sources

Each page opened on the date shown. License, registration, lien and workers’ comp sources are linked beside each fact above. Figures change: the agency’s own page wins over this one.

  1. May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (state file oesm25st)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  2. Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2025 (news release USDL-26-0725, May 15, 2026)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  3. Public Data API (national OEWS series for the three occupations)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  4. Unemployment insurance tax rates (labor.vermont.gov)Vermont Department of Labor, Unemployment Insurance (Employer Services) · read October 28, 2026
  5. Unemployment insurance tax rates (labor.vermont.gov)Vermont Department of Labor, Unemployment Insurance (Employer Services) · read October 28, 2026
  6. Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, Effective July 2026U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance · read October 28, 2026
  7. Vermont Family and Medical Leave Insurance (VT-FMLI) - voluntaryState of Vermont (Governor's office / Department of Human Resources); insured by The Hartford · read October 28, 2026
  8. ContractorsVermont Department of Taxes · no date shown · read October 24, 2026
  9. Sales Tax Reference for ContractorsVermont Department of Taxes · no date shown · read October 24, 2026
  10. 9 V.S.A. ch. 51, subch. 1 (§§ 1921–1929) — Chapter 51: Mechanics’ LiensOfficial state code · read November 4, 2026
  11. Workers’ compensation coverage requirementsVermont Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation Division · read November 4, 2026
  12. U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Burlington airport (USW00014742)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · read November 4, 2026
  13. Population-weighted daily heating and cooling degree day normals, 1981–2010 (states and CONUS)NOAA National Weather Service, Climate Prediction Center · read November 4, 2026