The calculator's branching logic was checked against the companion research and primary state sources. The tool models six mandatory-payout jurisdictions by name: California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Montana, and Maine for private employers with more than 10 Maine-located employees. Vermont is handled by the generic follows-policy option because current codified Vermont law sets final-pay timing and wage remedies, while payout of unused vacation remains policy/work-agreement dependent.
7 claims
California vacation payout is mandatory and use-it-or-lose-it forfeiture is banned
The tool correctly marks California as mandatory, flags use-it-or-lose-it risk, and cites Labor Code §227.3 plus final-pay timing and penalty sections.
Colorado vacation payout is mandatory under the Wage Claim Act and Nieto
The tool correctly marks Colorado as mandatory and cites Nieto v. Clark's Market.
Massachusetts vacation payout is mandatory when vacation is due under an agreement
The tool correctly marks Massachusetts as mandatory and surfaces treble-damages risk.
Nebraska vacation payout is mandatory and combined discretionary PTO is payable
The tool correctly sources the combined-PTO rule to Nebraska wage law and Fisher v. PayFlex, not to the paid-sick-time statute.
Montana vacation payout is mandatory at separation
The tool correctly marks Montana as mandatory and surfaces late-payment risk.
Maine vacation payout is mandatory for covered private employers with more than 10 Maine-located employees
The tool correctly names the 11+ Maine-employee threshold and public-employer/small-employer carveout.
Vermont should not be listed as a mandatory-payout jurisdiction
Current codified law gives final-pay timing and wage remedies. The express vacation-payout language appears in proposed H.295 and is not current codified law.
2 claims
The generic follows-policy bucket is an intentional simplification
For policy-dependent states, the calculator asks whether the policy promises payout. State-specific nuance lives in the companion article.
The generic no-statute bucket is an intentional simplification
No-statute states still require employers to honor their own policy, work agreement, CBA, or consistent practice.
1 claim
Base vacation payout equals unused vacation hours multiplied by final hourly rate
The calculator intentionally computes base payout only. Late-payment penalty math requires dates and legal determinations the tool does not collect.
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