Maine · Unpaid wages · Updated Oct 2026

Maine wage claims: how to get your unpaid pay

Not paid for all your hours, no overtime, or no final paycheck? Here is Maine’s minimum wage, the final-paycheck rules, the deadlines and where to file, in plain English.

$15.10minimum wage in 2026
$7.55tipped cash wage
Nodaily overtime
Next paydayfinal pay if fired
See belowtime limit to file (see details)

Where to file in Maine

Wage claims in Maine go to this state office. Filing is usually free.

Office
Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards - Wage and Hour Division
Phone
207-623-7900
File onlineOfficial wage claim page

For federal minimum wage and overtime you can also contact the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: 1-866-487-9243. How federal claims work.

How to file a wage claim in Maine

  1. Gather your records

    Dates and hours worked, your pay rate, pay stubs or bank deposits, texts or schedules, and the employer's name and address.

  2. Ask in writing first (optional)

    A demand letter gives your employer a deadline to pay and shows you tried. Use the free letter on this page.

  3. File with Maine Department of Labor

    File a free complaint through the Maine Department of Labor's online Wage and Hour Complaint Portal. It covers unpaid final paychecks, minimum wage, tips, unpaid hours, overtime, bounced paychecks, illegal deductions, vacation pay and earned paid leave. The Wage and Hour Division reviews every complaint and investigates those that show a possible violation of Maine law; it can also sue the employer for you. If you have questions or need an inspector, call 207-623-7900.

  4. Watch the deadline

    No wage-specific deadline found in the wage statutes; Maine's general limit for civil lawsuits is 6 years (14 M.R.S. § 752). Federal FLSA claims: 2 years, or 3 if willful. File as soon as you can.

Minimum wage and overtime in Maine

Maine's minimum wage is $15.10 an hour in 2026. It covers almost all employers with one or more workers, and since 2025 it also covers farm workers. It rises to $15.70 on January 1, 2027. Portland and Bangor have their own local minimum wage ordinances; check with the city.

Minimum wage (2026)
$15.10
Tipped cash wage
$7.55
Next change
$15.70 on January 1, 2027 (tipped cash wage $7.85)

Overtime

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Maine has no daily overtime. Some jobs are exempt, such as car mechanics and car salespeople, mariners, and some food processing work. Private employers cannot give comp time instead of overtime pay.

Paydays: At least every 16 days, on a regular, announced day; each check must include all wages earned up to 8 days before payday. Salaried workers and family members are excluded. (26 M.R.S. § 621-A)

Your final paycheck in Maine

If you are fired or laid off
In full by your next regular payday.
If you quit
In full by your next regular payday. Unused paid vacation earned on or after January 1, 2023 must be paid out, unless the employer has 10 or fewer workers or is a public employer.
Law
26 M.R.S. § 626

When was your final paycheck due in Maine?

Enter how your job ended and your last day of work. We show your state’s rule and, when the rule is a simple number of days or your next payday, the date.

Enter your last day of workThe result appears when you pick a date.

Dates are approximate: we skip weekends for business and working days but not holidays. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Penalties your employer may owe

If you win, the employer owes the unpaid wages plus twice that amount as liquidated damages (so up to 3 times the wages), plus interest, court costs and a reasonable attorney fee (26 M.R.S. §§ 626, 626-A). These remedies start 8 days after the wages were due (or 8 days after your demand if there was a real dispute). For unpaid minimum wage, the employer owes the wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages and attorney fees (26 M.R.S. § 670). The state can also fine the employer $100 to $500 per violation (§ 626-A).

Retaliation and immigration status

Maine's Whistleblowers' Protection Act bars an employer from firing, threatening or punishing you for reporting in good faith what you believe is a violation of law, or for taking part in an investigation or court case (26 M.R.S. § 833).

Federal law also makes it illegal to fire or punish you for filing a wage complaint or cooperating in an investigation (US DOL Fact Sheet #77A).

The US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces federal wage law without regard to immigration status, and its services are free and confidential whether you are documented or not (US DOL).

Deductions and tips

Your employer cannot make you pay back part of your wages, and cash shortages, breakage, dishonored checks and uniforms with the company logo are not 'debts' it can take from your pay (26 M.R.S. § 629). Tips belong to you; credit card tips must be paid by the next payday with no card-fee deductions, and managers and the employer may not take from a tip pool (26 M.R.S. § 664).

Good to know in Maine

  • Maine's tip wage is $7.55 in 2026 for service workers who get more than $191 a month in tips, and the employer must make up any shortfall to $15.10 each week.
  • Unpaid wages can cost the employer triple: the wages plus twice that as liquidated damages (26 M.R.S. § 626-A).
  • An employer may not charge you a fee for direct deposit of your pay (26 M.R.S. § 621-A(7)).

Forms

Wage-theft calculator for Maine

Work out what you should have been paid: at least the minimum wage for every hour, plus overtime. Then compare it with what you got.

If a higher city or county minimum wage applies where you work, enter that rate if it is more than you were promised.

Before taxes, if you know it. Leave it empty to see only what you were owed.

Fill in your pay, hours and weeksThe result appears as you type.

Maine overtime rule: You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Maine has no daily overtime. Some jobs are exempt, such as car mechanics and car salespeople, mariners, and some food processing work. Private employers cannot give comp time instead of overtime pay.

Penalties your employer may also owe in Maine: If you win, the employer owes the unpaid wages plus twice that amount as liquidated damages (so up to 3 times the wages), plus interest, court costs and a reasonable attorney fee (26 M.R.S. §§ 626, 626-A). These remedies start 8 days after the wages were due (or 8 days after your demand if there was a real dispute). For unpaid minimum wage, the employer owes the wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages and attorney fees (26 M.R.S. § 670). The state can also fine the employer $100 to $500 per violation (§ 626-A).

Tipped workers: this calculator does not count tips. In many states your employer may pay a lower cash wage if your tips make up the difference to the minimum wage; see your state’s page.

An estimate from the numbers you enter and Maine’s rules, not legal advice. Nothing you type in this calculator is sent anywhere.

Free demand letter for unpaid wages

A short, firm letter asking your employer to pay what it owes by a deadline. Many workers get paid at this step, and in some states a written demand starts penalties or makes the employer pay your attorney fees later. Fill this in, then download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it), sign it, keep a copy and send it in a way you can prove, such as certified mail or an email you keep.

When you download or copy the letter, the details you typed are saved on our server. See our privacy policy.

The name on your pay stubs, checks or the business sign. If you only know the owner’s name, use that.

Use the calculator above if you are not sure.

We suggest 10 days.

What were you not paid? (required)

One or two sentences with dates, hours and amounts.

Questions about wage claims in Maine

Where do I file a wage claim in Maine?

With Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards - Wage and Hour Division. Phone: 207-623-7900. File a free complaint through the Maine Department of Labor's online Wage and Hour Complaint Portal. It covers unpaid final paychecks, minimum wage, tips, unpaid hours, overtime, bounced paychecks, illegal deductions, vacation pay and earned paid leave. The Wage and Hour Division reviews every complaint and investigates those that show a possible violation of Maine law; it can also sue the employer for you. If you have questions or need an inspector, call 207-623-7900.

What is the minimum wage in Maine in 2026?

Maine's minimum wage is $15.10 an hour in 2026. It covers almost all employers with one or more workers, and since 2025 it also covers farm workers. It rises to $15.70 on January 1, 2027. Portland and Bangor have their own local minimum wage ordinances; check with the city.

Does Maine have daily overtime?

You must get 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Maine has no daily overtime. Some jobs are exempt, such as car mechanics and car salespeople, mariners, and some food processing work. Private employers cannot give comp time instead of overtime pay.

When is my final paycheck due in Maine if I'm fired?

In full by your next regular payday.

When is my final paycheck due in Maine if I quit?

In full by your next regular payday. Unused paid vacation earned on or after January 1, 2023 must be paid out, unless the employer has 10 or fewer workers or is a public employer.

How long do I have to file a wage claim in Maine?

No wage-specific deadline found in the wage statutes; Maine's general limit for civil lawsuits is 6 years (14 M.R.S. § 752). Federal FLSA claims: 2 years, or 3 if willful. File as soon as you can.

What can my employer owe besides my wages in Maine?

If you win, the employer owes the unpaid wages plus twice that amount as liquidated damages (so up to 3 times the wages), plus interest, court costs and a reasonable attorney fee (26 M.R.S. §§ 626, 626-A). These remedies start 8 days after the wages were due (or 8 days after your demand if there was a real dispute). For unpaid minimum wage, the employer owes the wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages and attorney fees (26 M.R.S. § 670). The state can also fine the employer $100 to $500 per violation (§ 626-A).

Can my employer fire me for filing a wage claim in Maine?

Maine's Whistleblowers' Protection Act bars an employer from firing, threatening or punishing you for reporting in good faith what you believe is a violation of law, or for taking part in an investigation or court case (26 M.R.S. § 833).

Employer still won't pay? Small claims court is often the next step for amounts under the state limit.

Small claims in Maine
Sources

Last checked: Oct 2026.

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