Multi-state HR compliance, minus the law-firm invoice
An employee handbook that actually matches the states you hire in
Answer a 5-minute questionnaire. See exactly which policies your states require and which you're missing — free. Then generate a complete, state-aware handbook for $199/year, updates included.
Free to create and preview — no credit card until you download.
The template you downloaded isn't compliant
Generic handbook templates skip the policies states actually mandate — New York's harassment policy, California's five required leave policies, Illinois' any-reason paid leave. The gaps only surface in a dispute.
Remote hires changed your legal exposure
One hire in a new state can trigger a dozen new policy requirements. Most handbooks were written for the state HQ sits in — and never caught up.
The compliant tools cost $400–$1,500+ a year
Attorney-built platforms price for enterprise. Design tools have zero law inside. HandbookHQ is the compliance-aware option priced for companies with 5–150 people.
How it works
Free compliance check
Tell us your states, headcount, and which policies you have today. Get an itemized gap report with statute citations — free.
Generate your handbook
A guided interview builds a complete handbook: core policies plus a supplement for every state you operate in, each policy matched to that state's requirements.
Stay current
Your plan includes 2 handbook updates per year — change states, headcount, or policies and republish. Hosted online and exportable as a print-ready document.
Coverage: all 50 states and Washington, DC (51 jurisdictions) — state-specific policy supplements plus the full federal baseline, everywhere you hire.
Employee handbook questions, answered straight
Is an employee handbook required by law?
No federal law says “you must have a handbook.” But several states require specific written policies the moment you have employees there — New York requires a written sexual-harassment policy of every employer, California requires five-plus written policies at various headcounts, and Massachusetts requires annual distribution of your harassment policy. A handbook is how employers actually satisfy those requirements — and the signed acknowledgment is your first exhibit in any dispute.
How often should an employee handbook be updated?
Whenever the law changes — which is now constantly. Twenty-plus states passed new employment mandates in the last two years (paid-leave waves, pay transparency, workplace-violence plans). A handbook older than 12–18 months almost certainly has stale policies. HandbookHQ includes 2 handbook updates per year, which matches the real-world pace of change for most small companies.
Do small businesses need an employee handbook?
If you have even a handful of employees, yes — many state requirements start at 1–5 employees, not 50. And small companies are the least equipped to absorb a wage-and-hour claim or harassment suit that a clear written policy could have prevented or defended.
Is an employee handbook a contract?
It shouldn't be — and a properly drafted handbook says so explicitly. Ours includes the at-will and no-contract disclaimers (and the acknowledgment language) that keep your policies from being read as binding promises.
Do you really cover all 50 states?
Yes — every state plus Washington, DC. Each state's supplement is generated from a statute-cited requirements matrix: sick-leave accruals, final-pay deadlines, break rules, cannabis protections, monitoring notices, and the rest. Even Montana's unique non-at-will regime is handled — a generic handbook's at-will clause is legally wrong there, and ours says so.
One plan. Every state we cover.
HandbookHQ
$199/year
- ✓ Complete multi-state employee handbook
- ✓ State supplements for every covered state you operate in
- ✓ Hosted handbook link + print-ready export
- ✓ 2 handbook updates per year included
- ✓ Statute-cited compliance gap report
- ✓ Cancel anytime — keep your documents
Free to create and preview — pay only to download and share.
Compare: SHRM $420/yr per entity · attorney-built platforms $1,500+/yr · a law-firm handbook $5,000+