Last updated: 2026-09-21.
Statewide MandateHow Maine's real statutory thresholds apply to specific employer profiles. Each section re-frames the state law above for one audience — the underlying figures never change, only the lens does.
For employers with fewer than 15 employees: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Size note: Your obligation turns on the threshold "11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr)". The Compliance Checker applies your headcount automatically. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For employers with 50 or more employees: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Size note: Your obligation turns on the threshold "11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr)". The Compliance Checker applies your headcount automatically. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For restaurant, café, and food-service operators: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including restaurants & food service, use the same statewide thresholds: 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr), accrual 1 hour per 40 hours worked, cap 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail stores, shops, and chains: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including retail employers, use the same statewide thresholds: 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr), accrual 1 hour per 40 hours worked, cap 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For clinics, hospitals, and healthcare staffing: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including healthcare employers, use the same statewide thresholds: 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr), accrual 1 hour per 40 hours worked, cap 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For hr teams onboarding new employees: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Size note: Your obligation turns on the threshold "11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr)". The Compliance Checker applies your headcount automatically. Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For restaurant and food-service operators with fewer than 15 employees: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including small restaurants (under 15 employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr), accrual 1 hour per 40 hours worked, cap 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For restaurant groups and chains with 50 or more employees: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including large restaurants & chains (50+ employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr), accrual 1 hour per 40 hours worked, cap 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail stores and shops with fewer than 15 employees: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including small retail (under 15 employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr), accrual 1 hour per 40 hours worked, cap 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For retail chains with 50 or more employees: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including large retail & chains (50+ employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr), accrual 1 hour per 40 hours worked, cap 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For clinics and healthcare practices with fewer than 15 employees: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including small healthcare (under 15 employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr), accrual 1 hour per 40 hours worked, cap 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
For hospitals and healthcare systems with 50 or more employees: Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). No local ordinances are tracked beyond the state law. Source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/; retrieved 2026-09-21.
Industry note: The law is industry-neutral — all covered employers, including large healthcare systems (50+ employees), use the same statewide thresholds: 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr), accrual 1 hour per 40 hours worked, cap 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover). Use the Compliance Checker to apply your headcount to the correct rule.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Statewide mandate | Yes |
| Employer threshold | 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr) |
| Accrual rate | 1 hour per 40 hours worked |
| Max accrual / year | 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover) |
| Paid or unpaid | paid |
| Carryover | Yes — up to 40 hrs carry over; may accrue another 40 (LD 55, eff Sep 24, 2025) |
| Qualified reasons | Any reason (no disclosure required) |
| Effective date | Jan 1, 2021 |
| Official source | https://www.maine.gov/labor/ ↗ |
Maine has no federal paid sick-leave mandate — the FFCRA expired and the Healthy Families Act has not passed. The federal FMLA is unpaid and limited to 50+ employee employers. Maine's Earned Paid Leave law (26 MRSA §637, effective Jan 1, 2021) is distinctive: it is not a sick-leave law at all but a true any-purpose paid leave mandate. Employers with more than 10 employees must let workers accrue 1 hr/40 hrs up to 40 hrs/yr, usable for any reason with no disclosure — far broader than the federal floor. (Maine also has a separate Paid Family and Medical Leave program beginning payroll deductions in 2025, with benefits from May 1, 2026.)
Among New England states, Maine is the only one with unrestricted any-purpose earned leave (Vermont's is sick-time-only at a slower 1:52 rate). Neighbors New Hampshire, Massachusetts (1 hr/30 hrs, size-split), Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island all mandate paid leave, mostly sick/safe and mostly at 1-in-30. Maine's 1-in-40 rate and 40-hour cap are more modest than Massachusetts's or Connecticut's, but its 'any reason, no questions asked' design is unique regionally. Maine also preempts local earned-paid-leave ordinances, so there is a single statewide standard (unlike states with layered city rules).
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| 2019 (eff. Jan 1, 2021) | Earned Paid Leave enacted (PL 2019, c. 156, 26 MRSA §637); employers with >10 employees must provide any-purpose paid leave, 1 hr/40 hrs, up to 40 hrs/yr. |
| 2025 (signed Jul 1, 2025; eff. Sep 24, 2025) | LD 55 amended §637 — employees may carry over up to 40 unused hours and still accrue another 40 in the new year (potential 80 hrs available); employer may cap annual use at 40. |
| 2025–2026 | Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave begins payroll deductions (2025) with benefits from May 1, 2026 — a separate program from EPL. |
Employers in Maine most often trip on the items below. Amounts are typical statutory ranges — confirm the current figure with the state labor department before acting.
| Violation | Typical penalty / fine | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Denying or interfering with earned paid leave | Enforced by the Maine BOLS (exclusive authority under §637(7)); penalties under 26 MRSA §53 — a civil fine up to $1,000 per violation, plus for withheld leave treated as unpaid wages, liquidated damages of 2× the unpaid amount plus interest; the employee may recover wages through BOLS or a private action. | Common with 'use-it-or-lose-it' policies or restricting the reason for use (EPL cannot be limited to sickness). |
| Retaliation | Prohibited; employees may recover reinstatement, back wages, and compensatory damages. | Disciplining within the 120-day waiting window draws scrutiny. |
| Miscounting the >10 threshold | The threshold counts all employees (including part-time/seasonal) over 120 days — under-counting to stay 'under 10' is non-compliant. | Common-ownership rules aggregate affiliated businesses. |
Use the button below to print or save a one-page compliance summary for Maine. It includes the state law table and any local ordinances above.
Yes. Maine requires paid sick leave for 11+ employees (more than 10 in usual course >120 days/yr). Accrual is 1 hour per 40 hours worked, capped at 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover), with carryover Yes — up to 40 hrs carry over; may accrue another 40 (LD 55, eff Sep 24, 2025).
Employees accrue 1 hour per 40 hours worked. The max accrual is 40 hours accrued/yr (up to 80 available with carryover).
No local ordinances are tracked for Maine beyond the state law.
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