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What’s Vermont’s Parental Leave Law in 2025? (Paid and Unpaid)

PEO

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Author

Shannon Ongaro

Last Update

June 04, 2025

Table of Contents

What it covers

Eligibility and applicability

Job protection and benefits

How to apply

Vermont Parental and Family Leave and the FMLA

New Voluntary Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (VT-FMLI)

VPFLA program vs FMLI program

Keep compliant with Deel PEO

Vermont's Parental and Family Leave Law (VPFLA) provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for the birth or adoption of a child, or to care for a seriously ill family member. The law applies to employers with 10 or more employees and runs concurrently with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), offering protections and benefits that are most favorable to the employee.

Learn more: State-by-State Guide to Maternity Leave in the United States

What it covers

Parental and Family Leave is combined and not cumulative. Leave can be taken for any combination of covered reasons up to a maximum of 12 weeks within 12 months.

Leave Type Length of Leave
Parental Leave: For the birth of the employee's child, the initial placement of a child 16 years of age or younger with the employee for adoption, or for the initial placement of a child 16 years of age or younger with the employee for foster care. Employees are entitled to up to 12 weeks of leave for parental reasons. 12 weeks
Family Leave: For the serious illness of the employee's child, stepchild, foster child, ward who lives with the employee, parent, spouse, or parent-in-law. Employees are entitled to up to 12 weeks of leave for family care. 12 weeks

Eligibility and applicability

Employee eligibility

Employees are eligible for leave if they have worked for their employer for at least one year and for an average of at least 30 hours per week.

Employer applicability

Employer must have 10 or more employees.

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Job protection and benefits

Employees are entitled to return to their same or a similar position with equivalent pay, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment after their leave.

Employers must continue to provide group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave.

See also: Your Ultimate Guide to Vermont Payroll

How to apply

Employees should provide their employer with at least 30 days' notice before the leave is to begin if the need for leave is foreseeable. If the leave is not foreseeable, employees should provide notice as soon as practicable.

Employers may require certification from a healthcare provider to verify the need for leave due to a serious health condition.

Vermont Parental and Family Leave and the FMLA

Vermont's Parental and Family Leave Law runs concurrently with the FMLA for eligible employees. This means that leave taken under Vermont's law counts towards the 12 weeks of leave provided by the FMLA.

If an employee is eligible for both Vermont's law and the FMLA, the employee is entitled to the protections and benefits that are most favorable under each law.

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Starting July 1, 2025, the Vermont FMLI program becomes fully accessible to individuals, self-employed workers, and tiny businesses, completing the state’s three‑phase rollout and extending paid leave protections to every working Vermonter. This voluntary insurance program offers at least 6 weeks of paid leave at 60% wage replacement (up to a cap), available to:

  • State employees (since July 2023)
  • Private/non-state public employers (with 2+ employees, starting July 2024)
  • Individual employees and self-employed Vermonters (starting July 2025)
  • Covered events: Paid leave covers bonding with a new child, caring for a seriously ill family member, personal serious health conditions, military exigency, and more
  • Not mandatory for private employers: Participation is optional for private employers and individuals

VPFLA program vs FMLI program

Feature Unpaid Leave (VPFLA) Paid Leave (VT-FMLI, Voluntary)
Employer Size 10+ for parental, 15+ for family 2+ employees (optional), individuals/self-employed (2025)
Duration Up to 12 weeks At least 6 weeks
Wage Replacement None 60% (up to cap)
Job Protection Yes No statutory job protection, but may be included by employer policy
Covered Reasons Parental, family illness, expanded in 2025 Parental, family illness, personal illness, military, more
Effective Date Ongoing, expanded July 1, 2025 State employees (2023); others (2024/2025)

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About the author

Shannon Ongaro is a content marketing manager and trained journalist with over a decade of experience producing content that supports franchisees, small businesses, and global enterprises. Over the years, she’s covered topics such as payroll, HR tech, workplace culture, and more. At Deel, Shannon specializes in thought leadership and global payroll content.

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