Maine · ME PFML
Maine paid family leave
Maine began collecting contributions in 2025, with benefits becoming available in 2026 and a substantially equivalent private plan route available to employers.
At a glance
Maximum duration
12 weeks per benefit year
Benefit formula
90% of wages up to 50% of the state average weekly wage, then 66% of wages above that
Waiting period
None
Private plans
Program detail
How ME PFML works
ME PFML
- Program
- Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (ME PFML)
- Contributions effective
- January 1, 2025
- Benefits effective
- May 1, 2026
- Covered employers
- Employers with one or more Maine employees. Employers with fewer than 15 employees are not required to pay the employer share.
- Employee eligibility
- Earned at least six times the state average weekly wage during the base period
- Covered reasons
- Own serious health condition
- Bond with a new child
- Care for a family member with a serious health condition
- Qualifying military exigency
- Safe leave related to violence, assault, or stalking
- Maximum duration
- 12 weeks per benefit year
- Waiting period
- None
- Contribution rate
- 1% of wages
- Employee share
- Up to 50% of the premium; at employers with fewer than 15 employees the employee pays the full 0.5%
- Benefit formula
- 90% of wages up to 50% of the state average weekly wage, then 66% of wages above that
- Maximum weekly benefit
- Capped at the state average weekly wage
- Private plans allowed
- YesFully insuredSelf-funded
- Approval and election
- Substantially equivalent private plans may be submitted to the Maine Department of Labor for approval.
- State resource
- www.maine.gov/paidleave/
- Information as of
- January 1, 2026
What this means for you
Employer and employee view
If you are the employer
Maine permits a private plan, so you can meet the mandate with a Limemint plan instead of the state fund. It must be at least as generous as ME PFML, and employee contributions cannot exceed the state rate.
Maine is an upcoming state for us. We write private plans in New York today, with New Jersey and Massachusetts launching soon, and we can tell you where Maine sits on the roadmap.
Substantially equivalent private plans may be submitted to the Maine Department of Labor for approval.
Employer detailIf you are an employee
You qualify based on earned at least six times the state average weekly wage during the base period. Benefits run for 12 weeks per benefit year, and there is no waiting period before your first payable week.
How to file a claimEstimate
What ME PFML might pay
A rough figure based on the published formula and weekly maximum. Nothing is submitted.
Estimate your weekly benefit
Two inputs, a rough number. Nothing is submitted or saved.
Enter your average weekly pay to see an estimate for ME PFML.
This is an estimate only. Your actual weekly benefit depends on your base-period wages, the state formula in effect when your leave begins, and any other income you receive during leave. It is not a determination of eligibility or a promise of payment.
Other jurisdictions
Compare nearby programs
New York is available now. New Jersey and Massachusetts are launching soon. The rest are upcoming states.
Talk to a specialist
Discuss a Maine plan
Talk to a specialist
Tell us where your employees work and how you handle leave today. We will walk through the statutory programs that apply, your private plan options, and what implementation looks like.
Helpful to have ready
- Which states mandate paid family leave for your workforce
- Where a private plan is permitted and what the election process involves
- How the coverage and leave management platform work as one system
Best for
Employers, insurance brokers, and benefit administrators with multi-state obligations or an upcoming effective date.