2025 Maine Tipped Minimum Wage
The 2025 Maine Tipped Minimum Wage is $7.33.
Effective 2025-01-01Source: Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $14.65 Per Hour in 2025 (Maine Department of Labor)Verified 2026-08-31
Compared with 2024
| Item | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $7.08 | $7.33 | +$0.25 (+3.5%) |
Who it applies to
Employers of tipped service employees in Maine and the employees themselves
What changed this year, and why
Maine's minimum cash wage for tipped (service) employees increased to $7.33 per hour, effective January 1, 2025, up from $7.08 per hour in 2024.
Common questions
- What is the tipped minimum wage in Maine for 2025?
- Effective January 1, 2025, the minimum direct cash wage an employer must pay a tipped service employee in Maine is $7.33 per hour. 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.
- How does the 2025 tipped minimum wage compare to 2024?
- The 2024 minimum direct cash wage for tipped employees was $7.08 per hour. The 2025 rate of $7.33 per hour represents an increase.
Every amount on this page is a published figure rather than yours. The Tips needed per hour takes the number you enter and works it out against them, showing which published figure it used.
What a tip credit is, and the cash wage underneath it
The tip credit is the difference between what the employer pays you directly and the full state minimum wage. In Maine for 2025, your employer must pay a direct cash wage of at least $7.33 per hour. The employer then counts your tips toward the remaining balance needed to reach $14.65 per hour. At the end of each week, the employer must be able to show that your direct wage plus your tips equals at least $14.65 for every hour you worked. If the employer cannot demonstrate that combination, it has not met its legal obligation, regardless of how many tips you actually received.
This means that service employees must receive at least a direct cash wage of $7.33 per hour from the employer. The employer must be able to show that the employee receives at least the minimum wage of $14.65 per hour when the direct wage and tips are combined at the end of the week.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $14.65 Per Hour in 2025 (Maine Department of Labor)
When the tips do not get you to the minimum wage
If your tips in a given week are not enough to bring your total earnings up to the state minimum wage, your employer must make up the difference. In Maine for 2025, that floor is $14.65 per hour. Even though your employer may pay you only $7.33 per hour in direct wages and count on tips to cover the rest, the legal responsibility does not shift to you. When the math at the end of the week shows that your cash wage plus tips falls short of $14.65 per hour, the employer owes you the balance. You cannot be forced to accept less than the full minimum wage for any hour you worked.
The employer must be able to show that the employee receives at least the minimum wage of $14.65 per hour when the direct wage and tips are combined at the end of the week.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $14.65 Per Hour in 2025 (Maine Department of Labor)
The notice an employer owes you before it takes the credit
Before your employer can take a tip credit and pay you the lower cash wage of $7.33 per hour, they must inform you about how the tip credit works. In Maine, this means your employer must explain that you will receive at least $7.33 per hour in direct wages, that they will count your tips toward reaching the full minimum wage, and that you must actually receive enough tips to reach that minimum. Without this advance notice, the employer cannot legally apply the tip credit. You have the right to know how your wages are being calculated before you start working under the tipped employee wage structure.
In addition to the minimum wage, the new "tip wage," or service employee minimum wage, in 2025 will be $7.33 per hour.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $14.65 Per Hour in 2025 (Maine Department of Labor)
When state law gives more than the federal rule
When both Maine state law and federal law apply to your wages, you are entitled to whichever rule gives you the greater protection. In Maine, the direct cash wage for tipped employees is $7.33 per hour. If the federal government sets a higher minimum wage or provides better protections than Maine law, your employer must follow the federal standard. If Maine law provides higher wages or stronger protections than federal law, your employer must follow the state standard. You always receive the benefit of the more generous rule in Maine.
The EAP exemption in Maine law states that Maine adopts the federal EAP salary threshold if it is higher than the Maine-based threshold.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $14.65 Per Hour in 2025 (Maine Department of Labor)
Your employer, your manager and your supervisor may not keep your tips
In Maine, your tips belong to you, not to your employer, managers, or supervisors. While the document does not explicitly state this rule, federal law prohibits employers from keeping any portion of employee tips. This means your employer cannot take a share of your tips for itself or allow managers and supervisors to participate in tip pools. All tips you receive are yours to keep, except when you voluntarily participate in a valid tip pooling arrangement with other non-supervisory employees who customarily receive tips. Your employer must ensure that the tip credit arrangement does not result in the employer or supervisors retaining any of your tips.
The employer must be able to show that the employee receives at least the minimum wage of $14.65 per hour when the direct wage and tips are combined at the end of the week.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $14.65 Per Hour in 2025 (Maine Department of Labor)
Doing two jobs for one employer
If you work in two different jobs for the same employer in Maine, you are considered a tipped employee only during the hours you spend in a job where you customarily receive tips. For hours spent in other duties that do not regularly produce tips, your employer must pay you the full state minimum wage. For example, if you work as a server and also do cleaning or preparation work, you receive the tipped wage of $7.33 per hour for your server hours but the full minimum wage for your non-tipped hours. Your employer cannot apply the tip credit to time spent on work that does not customarily generate tips.
The amount of tips necessary to qualify as a service employee will increase from $179 per month to $185 per month.
Maine's Minimum Wage to Increase to $14.65 Per Hour in 2025 (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 $14.65 Per Hour in 2025 (Maine Department of Labor)
- Minimum cash wage
In addition to the minimum wage, the new "tip wage," or service employee minimum wage, in 2025 will be $7.33 per hour.
Other years
Every Maine Tipped Minimum Wage year · Tipped Minimum Wage in every state