Maine minimum wage in 2026 (and 2027)

How Maine sets and applies the rate

Maine's rate is adjusted every year under a set formula, and the law has a backstop: if the federal minimum wage ever rises above Maine's, the state rate rises to the same amount on the same date. Maine pays time and a half once a week passes 40 hours.

Tipped staff are a big part of the Maine picture because of tourism. Employers may take a tip credit of 50% of the minimum wage, so the cash wage is $7.55 an hour, but only for employees who receive more than $191 a month in tips (DOL tipped wage table, revised July 1, 2026). That threshold is far above the federal $30, so a host or busser with modest tips may not qualify, and you then owe the full $15.10. A seasonal restaurant should check each worker against the $191 test, not just the job title.

Hiring in Portland

We could not confirm whether Portland's 2026 rate differs from the state's: the city's site blocked automated reading and the Maine Department of Labor page could not be read either. Check with the City of Portland before setting pay there. Where a local rate is higher, you pay the higher rate for work done in that city.

$15.10 in weekly, monthly and annual terms

Maine's $15.10 floor is worth $604.00 in a 40-hour week. Stretch that across 2,080 hours and a full-time year grosses $31,408.00, roughly $2,617.33 a month. Time and a half lands at $22.65. A tipped employee on the $7.55 cash wage collects $15,704.00 a year from the employer, and tips must carry the rest.

Maine rises steadily: the recent record

Maine has climbed every single year on DOL's history tables: $12.00 (2020), $12.15 (2021), $12.75 (2022), $13.80 (2023) and $14.15 (2024). From there to $15.10 is another 95 cents. Because the adjustment is automatic, budget for another increase each January rather than treating $15.10 as fixed. Our minimum wage by state page will list the 2027 figure once Maine publishes it.

What a Maine employer pays beyond $15.10

Maine's 2.54% new-employer unemployment rate already includes the Competitive Skills Scholarship Fund (0.14%) and the administrative fund (0.17%). Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave adds a premium of 1% of wages at employers with 15 or more employees, and you may deduct up to half from the employee. Under 15 employees, the premium is 0.5% and you may deduct all of it. Benefits started May 1, 2026.

If you choose to pay the whole 1% premium, add another $157.04. More on registration and the leave program is on our Maine payroll tax page, and the employee cost calculator handles other wages.

Payroll that keeps up with Maine

Maine payroll has three moving parts: the January rate change, the $191 tip test and the leave premium split. Gusto's lowest plan, Simple, is listed at $49 per month and $6 for each person paid (October 16, 2026). Weigh it against rivals in our payroll software rankings. Next door, New Hampshire stays at $7.25, while Massachusetts pays $15.00 and Vermont pays $14.42.