Employment · Vermont

Can I sue for unpaid overtime in Vermont?

the short answer

Past 40 hours in a workweek you are owed one and a half times your regular rate. The federal rule counts by the week and not by the day, so an eleven-hour Monday is not overtime if the week stops at 40, and two weeks may not be averaged together. Nothing in it requires extra pay for nights, weekends or holidays.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

everywhere in the u.s.

governing statute29 U.S.C. § 207(a)(1)source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

penaltyThe unpaid overtime, and an additional equal amount again as liquidated damages. The court must also allow a reasonable attorney's fee and the costs of the action (29 U.S.C. § 216(b)).source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

limit2 yearssource ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

alsoTwo years to sue, or three if the violation was willful (29 U.S.C. § 255(a)). The clock runs paycheck by paycheck, so every week you wait drops a week off the back of the claim.source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

in this state

Where do you report unpaid overtime in Vermont?

free route

The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour programme takes an Online Wage Claim Form, and the department keeps a Wage and Hour contact line beside it for questions before you file.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

Which court hears a case like this in Vermont?

which court

Small claims court

source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-25

How much can you sue for in Vermont small claims court?

small claims limit

$10,000

source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-25

exceptions: $5,000 to collect a consumer credit debt or a medical debt, and above that the court cannot hear those at all. The court awards money and nothing else, and a claim worth more than $10,000 cannot be split in two to fit. Over $3,500 the person you sue may ask that a judge hear it.

source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-25

your situation

That is the rule. Whether it is your answer is a different question.

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