The following changes to Maine employment law take effect on January 1, 2026, and apply to employers of all sizes unless otherwise noted.

AGRICULTURE GOES MAINSTREAM
Agricultural employees will now be entitled to the standard state minimum wage. Additionally, employers must provide agricultural employees with an itemized wage statement for each pay period and follow other recordkeeping requirements already in place for non-agricultural workers.

MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES
Statewide
The minimum wage in Maine will increase to $15.10 per hour. The minimum base wage for tipped employees will increase to $7.55 per hour. Additionally, the minimum amount a tipped employee needs to earn through tips alone in order for the employer to take a tip credit will increase to $191 per month.

The minimum salary for exempt executive, administrative, and professional employees will increase to $871.16 per week, or $45,300.32 per year.

Portland
The minimum wage in Portland will increase to $16.75 per hour. The minimum base wage for tipped employees will increase to $8.38 per hour.

Rockland
The minimum wage in Rockland for employers with 26 or more employees will increase to $16 per hour, and the minimum base wage for tipped employees will increase to $8 per hour. Smaller employers can pay the state minimum wage and tipped employee base wage.