2021 Maine Minimum Wage
The 2021 Maine Minimum Wage is $12.15.
Effective 2021-01-01Source: Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $12.15 Per Hour in 2021 (Maine Department of Labor)Verified 2026-08-31
Who it applies to
Employers and workers in Maine subject to the state minimum wage
What changed this year, and why
Maine's state minimum wage increased to $12.15 per hour, effective January 1, 2021. The increase is a cost-of-living adjustment required by Maine statute.
Common questions
- When did the $12.15 minimum wage take effect?
- January 1, 2021.
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
In Maine, whether a worker is entitled to overtime pay depends on several factors, including the worker's salary level and job duties. The minimum salary threshold for exempting a worker from overtime pay is tied to the state minimum wage. Starting January 1, 2021, the new minimum salary threshold is $700.97 per week, or $36,450 per year. However, meeting or exceeding this salary threshold is only one of the factors used in determining whether a worker is exempt from overtime pay under federal or state law. The duties of each worker must also be considered as part of this analysis. Workers in Maine who earn above this salary level may still be entitled to overtime pay if their job duties do not qualify for an exemption. The law governing overtime in Maine can be found in the state statutes, and additional information is available from the Maine Department of Labor.
Starting January 1, 2021, the new minimum salary threshold is $700.97 per week, or $36,450 per year. This is only one of the factors used in determining whether a worker is exempt from overtime pay under federal or state law.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $12.15 Per Hour in 2021 (Maine Department of Labor)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
Workers in Maine who have questions about the minimum wage or who believe their employer has paid less than $12.15 per hour should contact the Maine Department of Labor. The Department of Labor is the state agency that administers Maine's wage and hour laws and handles wage complaints. In addition to the Bureau of Labor Standards listed among the Department's agencies, the Department provides contact channels including an online inquiry option and a toll-free number for unemployment-related matters at 1-800-593-7660. For a minimum wage complaint specifically, workers should reach out to the Bureau of Labor Standards at the Maine Department of Labor, which enforces the state's wage laws and can investigate whether an employer has violated the $12.15 rate.
Contacts for Unemployment Benefits: Toll-Free: 1-800-593-7660 (Customer service available Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) TTY/Relay for Deaf and hard of hearing: Maine relay 711 Submit an Online Inquiry Department of Labor Freedom of Access Contact Information Find it by Agency Bureau of Employment Services Bureau of Labor Standards Bureau of Rehabilitation Services Bureau of Unemployment Compensation Center for Workforce Research and Information The Department of Labor is an equal opportunity provider. Auxiliary aids and services are available to individuals with disabilities upon request.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $12.15 Per Hour in 2021 (Maine Department of Labor)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
Some state laws provide greater employee protections than federal law, and Maine is one example. When both the federal minimum wage and the state minimum wage apply to a worker, the higher rate controls. In Maine, the state rate of $12.15 per hour in 2021 exceeds the federal floor, so most covered workers in Maine are entitled to be paid at least $12.15 per hour under state law. A worker cannot be paid the lower federal rate simply because it exists; the employer must follow whichever law gives the worker the greater benefit. Maine's wage statutes set the state rate and are enforced by the Maine Department of Labor alongside federal requirements.
This is only one of the factors used in determining whether a worker is exempt from overtime pay under federal or state law. The duties of each worker must be considered as part of this analysis.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $12.15 Per Hour in 2021 (Maine Department of Labor)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
In Maine, an employer must pay a service employee a direct cash wage of at least $6.08 per hour, but the employee's total compensation, counting tips plus that direct cash wage, must reach at least $12.15 per hour when measured at the end of each workweek. If the direct wage and the tips combined for the week fall short of $12.15 per hour for the hours worked that week, the employer is required to make up the difference. The tip credit arrangement therefore does not relieve the employer of the obligation to guarantee the full state minimum wage; it simply allows a lower direct cash wage when the employee receives enough tips to close the gap. Workers in Maine who are tipped employees should review their weekly pay stubs to confirm that the direct wage and tips together meet or exceed $12.15 per hour for every week.
This means that service employees must receive at least a direct cash wage of $6.08 per hour from the employer. The employer must be able to show that the employee receives at least the minimum wage of $12.15 per hour when the direct wage and tips are combined at the end of the week.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $12.15 Per Hour in 2021 (Maine Department of Labor)
How the rate is adjusted each year, and who announces it
Maine's minimum wage is set by state statute (26 MRS 664) and is adjusted every year based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, known as the CPI-W. The Maine Department of Labor uses data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate the new rate each year. For 2021, this annual cost-of-living adjustment raised the minimum wage to $12.15 per hour, effective January 1, 2021. The indexing requirement began that year after Maine voters previously approved a measure to raise the minimum wage incrementally and then index it annually going forward. The adjustment is intended to keep the state's wage floor aligned with inflation so that it does not lose purchasing power over time. Commissioner Laura Fortman described the increase for 2021 as modest but necessary to preserve the minimum wage for workers in Maine.
This increase is pursuant to Maine law (Maine statute 26 MRS 664), which requires annual adjustments to the minimum wage by the cost of living index (CPI-W) beginning in 2021.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $12.15 Per Hour in 2021 (Maine Department of Labor)
How each figure was verified
Each number below was read from a stored copy of the document named beside it, and checked to occur word for word in the quoted sentence. The digest is of that stored text.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $12.15 Per Hour in 2021 (Maine Department of Labor)
- Hourly
The employer must be able to show that the employee receives at least the minimum wage of $12.15 per hour when the direct wage and tips are combined at the end of the week.
Other years
Every Maine Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state