2021 Maine Tipped Minimum Wage
The 2021 Maine Tipped Minimum Wage is $6.08.
Effective 2021-01-01Source: Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $12.15 Per Hour in 2021 (Maine Department of Labor)Verified 2026-09-01
Who it applies to
Employers and tipped service employees in Maine
What changed this year, and why
Maine's tipped minimum wage (service employee minimum wage) for 2021
Common questions
- What is the minimum cash wage for tipped employees in Maine in 2021?
- Effective January 1, 2021, the minimum direct cash wage an employer must pay a tipped service employee in Maine is $6.08 per hour.
- Must a tipped employee in Maine earn at least the full minimum wage?
- Yes. The employer must be able to show that the employee receives at least the full state minimum wage when the direct cash wage and tips are combined at the end of the week.
What a tip credit is, and the cash wage underneath it
In Maine, employers of tipped workers may take a tip credit against the full state minimum wage. The minimum cash wage a Maine employer must pay directly to a service employee in 2021 is $6.08 per hour. The tip credit is the difference between this direct cash wage and the full state minimum wage of $12.15 per hour. An employer can only count tips toward the minimum wage obligation up to the amount needed to bridge that gap. At the end of each workweek, the employer must verify that the worker's direct wages plus tips received equal at least $12.15 per hour for every hour worked. If the combined total falls short, the employer pays the difference. The $6.08 cash wage therefore serves as the floor for direct pay to tipped workers in Maine, while the employer retains the obligation to ensure the full minimum wage is met once tips are factored in.
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)
When the tips do not get you to the minimum wage
In Maine, if a tipped worker's tips plus their direct cash wage do not add up to the full state minimum wage in a given workweek, the employer is required to cover the shortfall. For 2021, the service employee direct cash wage is $6.08 per hour and the full minimum wage is $12.15 per hour. The employer must be able to show, at the end of each workweek, that the employee's combined earnings from wages and tips reach at least $12.15 per hour for every hour worked. When tips in a slow week fall short of bridging the gap between $6.08 and $12.15, the employer must pay the difference out of pocket. This rule places the risk of low tip weeks on the employer, not the worker, so a Maine tipped employee always walks away with at least the standard state minimum wage for their hours worked.
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)
Which tip pools you can be made to join
Maine's service employee minimum wage of $6.08 per hour applies to workers whose earnings are calculated by combining a direct cash wage with tips received. When a tipped worker in Maine participates in a tip pool, only the tips actually retained by that worker after the pool is distributed count toward meeting the state's weekly minimum wage floor. The employer must still show at the end of each workweek that the worker's direct wage plus their share of pooled tips reach at least the full state minimum wage. The 2021 service employee minimum wage of $6.08 per hour remains the direct cash floor regardless of how tips are shared among staff. Workers in Maine who believe a tip pool arrangement is reducing their take-home pay below the required level should contact the Maine Department of Labor for guidance on whether the pool complies with state rules.
the Department has calculated the new tip wage, or service employee minimum wage, in 2021 to be $6.08 per hour.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $12.15 Per Hour in 2021 (Maine Department of Labor)
Doing two jobs for one employer
In Maine, the state's minimum wage for service employees who receive tips is set at $6.08 per hour in 2021. This means employers must pay tipped workers at least this cash wage directly. However, the total of this direct wage plus the tips received must equal at least the full state minimum wage of $12.15 per hour. If an employee's combined direct wage and tips fall short of $12.15 per hour in a given week, the employer must make up the difference. This system allows employers to pay a lower base wage to tipped workers while ensuring they still receive at least the full minimum wage when tips are included.
In addition to the minimum wage itself, the Department has calculated the new tip wage, or service employee minimum wage, in 2021 to be $6.08 per hour. 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 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)
- Minimum cash wage
In addition to the minimum wage itself, the Department has calculated the new tip wage, or service employee minimum wage, in 2021 to be $6.08 per hour.
Other years
Every Maine Tipped Minimum Wage year · Tipped Minimum Wage in every state