ME · state labor law, 2026
Maine labor laws: minimum wage, overtime, leave, final pay and breaks
Paid time off that you can spend on a beach day, a family leave program that only began paying in May 2026, and a wage that climbs with prices every January.
Maine and federal rules checked on official sources on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Minimum wage now
- $15.10/h
- statewide
- From January 1, 2027
- $15.70/h
- announced rate
- Tipped cash wage
- $7.55/h
- tips must make up the rest
- Overtime
- 40 h/week
- state law
- Paid sick leave
- 1 h per 40 h
- cap 40 h a year
- Paid family leave
- 12 weeks
- Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Maine's minimum wage is $15.10 an hour in 2026 and rises with the cost of living to $15.70 on January 1, 2027; Portland sets its own floor of $16.75. Tipped service employees may be paid a direct wage of $7.55 as long as tips make up the rest. Overtime is time and a half after 40 hours a week, and a salaried employee needs at least $845.21 a week, about $43,951 a year, to be exempt, a state level that ignores the lower federal one. Employers with more than 10 workers owe 1 hour of Earned Paid Leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year, and the time can be used for any reason. Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave started paying benefits on May 1, 2026, for up to 12 weeks a year. Unused vacation earned since 2023 is paid out at the end of the job.
Gross pay for this week in Maine
$604
Time and a half after 40 hours in a week
| Minimum wage in Maine now | $15.10 an hour |
| Your rate against it | At or above the minimum |
| Overtime: none this week | $0 |
| Paid sick leave earned in a year | 40 hours (cap reached) |
| Breaks owed in a 8-hour shift | 30 min meal |
| Final paycheck if fired | no later than the next established payday |
| Unused vacation at the end | Accrued vacation must be paid out |
| Paid family leave | Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), up to 12 weeks |
40 hours a week at $15.10. State rule applied. Minimum wage, overtime and leave rules have exceptions by employer size and industry. How this is calculated.
Earned Paid Leave: time off with no reason required
Most state sick leave laws list the reasons an employee may use the hours: an illness, a doctor visit, a sick child. Maine's version, called Earned Paid Leave, lists none. Once earned, the time can go to a flu, a school play or a long weekend at Acadia, and the employer may ask for up to four weeks of notice only when the absence is planned. The rate is slower than in many states, one hour for every 40 hours worked, and the law covers employers with more than 10 employees in Maine for more than 120 days of the calendar year. A full-time worker on 40 hours a week accrues 40 hours over a year, but the law only requires true of them, so the balance stops at 40 unless the employer's policy is more generous. Someone on 25 hours a week earns about 32 hours. Unused hours carry over to the next year.
Sick leave you earn in a year
Hours earned in a year
39
| Rate | 1 hour per 40 hours worked |
| Cap (typical employer) | 40 hours |
| Weeks to earn one 8-hour day | 10.7 |
A family and medical leave program in its first year
Premiums were collected first, at 0.5% of wages with up to half deducted from the paycheck, and benefits followed on May 1, 2026. The program covers your own serious health condition, bonding with a new child, care of a relative, a military family need and safe leave, up to 12 weeks combined in a benefit year. The weekly check is weighted toward lower earners: 90% of the part of your average weekly wage up to half the state average, then 66% of the part above, with a ceiling around $1,250 a week. A worker earning well below the state average therefore gets back most of a normal paycheck. Other state programs pay for longer or shorter periods.
Paid family leave in your state
Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Up to 12 weeks
| Weeks payable from your plan | 8 |
| Maximum weekly benefit 2026 | $1,250.00 |
| Most you could receive | $10,000 |
Your benefit is a share of your own wages, up to the maximum.
Indexed raises, Portland and the tipped direct wage
The state rate is recalculated every January 1 from the cost of living. The move from $15.10 to $15.70 adds $1,248 to a 40-hour year, and the direct wage for tipped service employees goes from $7.55 to $7.85 at the same time. Overtime for tipped staff is computed on the full minimum wage, not on the direct wage. Portland, which has its own ordinance, pays $16.75 in 2026, with a direct wage of at least $8.38 for service employees. The salary floor for exempt executive, administrative and professional staff moves too, to $905.79 a week in 2027, and Maine law does not recognize the federal exemption for highly compensated employees.
Leaving a Maine job
Final wages are due no later than the next established payday, whether you quit or were let go. Since January 1, 2023, paid vacation accrued under the employer's policy must be paid at separation by employers with 11 or more employees, unless a collective bargaining agreement provides otherwise. Adults are entitled to the opportunity for a 30-minute break after 6 consecutive hours; it may be unpaid when you are fully relieved of duty. The Bureau of Labor Standards takes wage complaints and decides them; an employment lawyer can review a particular dispute.
Maine employment rules at a glance, 2026
Minimum wage schedule
| From | Who it covers | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Statewide | $15.10 | Indexed each January 1 to the cost of living |
| January 1, 2027 | Statewide | $15.70 | Published by the Maine Department of Labor; service-employee direct wage $7.85 |
Workers covered by both laws get the higher rate. Read the Maine rule.
Cities and counties with their own minimum wage
| Place | Rate | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | $16.75 | January 1, 2026 | ordinance page |
Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours in a week. Salaried white-collar employees must earn at least $845.21 a week to be exempt under state law (Executive, administrative, professional exemption, 2026 ($43,951/year); $905.79/week ($47,101/year) from January 1, 2027. The federal salary level and highly-compensated exemption do not apply under Maine law.), above the federal $684. Time and a half after 40 hours a week; no daily overtime. source
Sick leave and family leave
Paid sick leave: 1 hour of Earned Paid Leave for every 40 hours worked (Up to 40 hours accrued per year (or the employer's higher policy limit); all unused leave carries over; usable for any reason.), employers with more than 10 employees in Maine for more than 120 days in a calendar year. Maine's Earned Paid Leave is general-purpose paid time off, not limited to sickness; up to 4 weeks' notice may be required for planned use. source
Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML): up to 12 weeks, benefits payable since May 1, 2026, 90% of the part of average weekly wage up to 50% of the state average weekly wage, plus 66% of the part above, up to the maximum (state average weekly wage), maximum $1,250.00 a week in 2026. Included: medical, parental, family care, military family and safe leave, up to 12 weeks combined per benefit year. source
Final paycheck and unused vacation
Fired or laid off: no later than the next established payday. Quitting: no later than the next established payday. Vacation: Unused paid vacation accrued on or after January 1, 2023 must be paid at separation (employers with 11+ employees; not public employers; a CBA may override).. source vacation rule
Meal and rest breaks
Meal: Opportunity for at least 30 consecutive minutes of rest after 6 consecutive hours (may be unpaid mealtime if fully relieved of duty). No paid rest break is required for adults. source
Unions and dismissal
Maine has no right-to-work law, so a union contract may require a fee from the workers it covers. Employment is at will: either side may end it at any time, except for an illegal reason such as discrimination or retaliation, or against a contract.
Also worth knowing in Maine
- Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave began paying benefits in May 2026: up to 12 weeks, financed by a 0.5% premium on wages (up to half may be deducted from the employee). source
- Earned Paid Leave can be used for any reason, including a planned vacation, not only illness. source
- Maine sets its own salary floor for overtime exemption, higher than the federal level ($845.21/week in 2026). source