The Employer’s Guide to Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave

Maine is one of the latest states to provide its workers with paid family and medical leave (PFML) to navigate major life events. As of 2026, there are 14 total states (plus the District of Columbia) with PFML laws enacted or in full effect.

If you employ Mainers, whether your business is based in the state or not, you’re subject to the state’s leave of absence legislation. Keep reading for details on how Maine’s PFML program works, what leave will cost you, and what happens if your employees qualify for both PFML and federal leave.

What is Maine’s PFML program?

Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), which officially began in May 2026, is a statewide program that gives Mainers the ability to temporarily step away from work for personal or family reasons—without losing a paycheck. All employers have to abide by the state’s laws.

Under the program, eligible workers can take up to 12 weeks of leave a year for one of five types of leave:

• Medical leave: To recover from or manage a serious personal health condition

• Parental leave: To bond and care for a newborn, adopted, or fostered child

• Family care leave: To care for a loved one with a serious health condition

• Military family leave: To prepare for a family member’s deployment

• Safe leave: To find safety and resources after experiencing violence or abuse

All eligible employees get partial wage replacement while on leave, and employees who’ve worked for their employer for at least 120 consecutive days before taking leave also get guaranteed job protection.

How is Maine PFML funded?

Maine PFML is funded by employer and employee contributions. As an employer, you have to withhold contributions from your employees’ pay to funnel into the Maine PFML fund. For calendar years 2025-2027, the joint contribution rate is set at 0.5% or 1% of wages, depending on the size of the employer.

• Employers with 15+ employees: 1% total contribution; may deduct up to 0.5% from employees’ wages

• Employers with 1-14 employees: 0.5% total contribution; can deduct the full amount from employees’ wages

How much wage replacement do employees receive?

Maine PFML is a partial wage replacement program, meaning employees don’t get 100% of their usual pay while on leave. The exact amount of benefits an employee receives depends on their income, but the maximum is based on the state’s average weekly wage, which is roughly $1,200 a week.

Employees can estimate their benefits using this calculator.

Who’s eligible for PFML in Maine?

All workers in Maine who meet the state’s earning requirements can apply for PFML. To qualify, employees need to earn six times the state average weekly wage (SAWW) during their “base period,” which is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before leave begins.

The SAWW changes every year. As of July 1, 2026, it’s $1,249.12. So, an employee would need to earn at least six times that amount—$7,393.72—over the last year-ish of work to qualify for PFML.

Can sole proprietors take Maine PFML?

Self-employed Mainers can opt into Maine’s PFML program, as long as they pay their own contributions. For calendar years 2025-2027, the premium rate is 0.5% of an individual’s self-employment income.

If you’re a self-employed business owner and want to opt in, you can elect coverage here.

How does Maine PFML work with other state and federal leave?

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that requires employers in the United States with at least 50 employees to offer them 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for bonding, caregiving, medical recovery, and military exigency. Maine employers with 50 or more employees working in a 75-mile radius are subject to FMLA requirements.

Employers of Mainers are also subject to the state’s Family and Medical Leave law, which is different from the PFML program. Maine Family Medical Leave, called Maine FMLA, gives eligible employees unpaid family and medical leave for up to 10 weeks in a two-year period.

Maine FMLA applies to:

• Any employer with 15 or more employees at one location

• Any state agency

• Any city, town, or municipal agency with 25 or more workers

To qualify for Maine FMLA, employees have to work for the same employer for 12 consecutive months before taking leave. They can take leave to:

• Manage a serious health condition

• Care for a family member with a serious health condition (applies to spouses, domestic partners, children, parents, or siblings)

• Bond with and care for a new child (applies to newborn and adopted children who are 16 or younger)

• Donate an organ

• Manage affairs or grieve if a family member is injured or dies in military service

In Maine, some of your employees might qualify for all three types of leave: PFML, FMLA leave, and Maine FMLA. The programs are designed to overlap and run concurrently. Any leave your employees take under federal or state FMLA counts against their available 12 weeks of state PFML.

Maine PFML vs FMLA vs Maine FMLA

Does Maine mandate any other types of leave?

Maine’s Earned Paid Leave law requires certain employers to give workers paid leave to use for emergencies, illnesses, sudden necessities, and planned vacations. The law applies to employers that have more than 10 employees who work more than 120 days in a calendar year.

Employees accrue one hour of sick leave (paid at their regular rate of pay) for every 40 hours they work, up to 40 hours of paid sick leave each year.

What should my business do to comply with Maine PFML?

If you employ at least one person in Maine, you’re required to participate in Maine’s PFML program. Here’s what you need to do to stay compliant:

1. Register with the state and send payroll contributions

If you haven’t yet, register your business with the Maine Paid Leave Portal. You’re responsible for withholding 0.5-1% of your employees’ wages (check the current year’s rate, since it changes) and sending them in on a quarterly basis.

The due dates are April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31. If you don’t send all your contributions, or if you send them late, you’ll be assessed a penalty of 1% of your total payroll for the quarter.

2. Notify employees about Maine PFML upon hire

You’re legally required to:

• Hang posters about PFML in your workplace in the primary languages your employees speak

• Give employees notice of their leave rights within 30 days of hiring them

In the notices, you need to list the following:

• Qualifying leave situations

• Length of leave available

• Wage replacement details

• Employee rights, like job protection and continued health insurance

• How to file a claim against an employer

3. Fill out the verification form from the state

When your employees apply for Maine PFML, the state will send your business a verification form to review and return within 10 business days. You can correct or clarify information on the form or provide new information about your employee.

4. Follow all other state and federal leave requirements

Whether your employees qualify for PFML, FMLA, or Maine FMLA, you’re required to:

• Continue paying your portion of health insurance premiums

• Reinstate them to their jobs when they return from leave

You also need to post a workplace notice for FMLA leave, and prepare to give employees a Rights and Responsibilities Notice and Designation Notice if they end up requesting FMLA leave.

5. Maintain your paperwork

Make sure you keep all your payroll and personnel records for at least three years. That includes employment contracts, payroll records, paystubs, official employee requests for leave, copies of leave verification forms, copies of official FMLA notices, and documentation of leave start and end dates.

Check out Maine’s employer resources for additional leave information and FAQs.

What will Maine PFML cost me?

How much PFML costs your business depends on the size of your workforce. If you have fewer than 15 employees, you don’t have to spend a dime, since you can deduct the full 0.5% contribution amount from your employees’ pay.

If you have 15 or more employees and require them to split the contribution cost with you, you’ll still only contribute 0.5% of your employees’ wages every quarter. That means you’d spend around $400 a year on leave contributions for an employee who earns $80,000 annually.

Related: See how much employee benefits cost employers.

Can I offer extra leave benefits?

Maine PFML is a minimum guideline; your employees are entitled to 12 weeks off with partial wage replacement. But if you have the motivation and financial wiggle room to offer additional leave benefits, you absolutely can!

A generous leave policy can help you stand out when hiring and encourage your employees to stick around long-term.

You have a few options:

• Offer additional paid weeks off, extending the length of leave

• Top up your employees’ weekly benefit payments to 100%, so they receive their full wages during leave

• Offer a flexible return-to-work plan for employees after leave

Do I need to change my company’s leave policy?

If you haven’t updated your leave policy yet to account for Maine PFML, it’s time to get on it. In clear language, you’ll need to explain:

• The qualifying leave situations for Maine PFML

• The earned income requirement to qualify

• How many weeks employees can take

• The partial wage replacement they can expect

• The job protection and continued health insurance they’re entitled to

• How PFML intersects with FMLA and Maine FMLA

• How and when to request a leave

• Whether or not certification is required for leave

More Maine business support

For more Maine-specific business resources, bookmark our guides to:

• Hiring in Maine

• Maine’s retirement program

• Starting a new business in Maine

• Business tax incentives in Maine

• Business grants and loans in Maine

• Employer taxes in Maine