Maine pays 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, with no daily overtime rule. The 2026 minimum wage is $15.10 an hour, indexed to inflation each January. Enter your rate and hours for a Maine paycheck estimate.
Rules verified November 2026 · Sources: U.S. Department of Labor and Maine Department of Labor
By Mudassir Khan
Maine weekly 40 hour test. Each workweek stands alone.
Maine wage complaints go to the Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Estimates only. Not tax, legal, or payroll advice. Confirm with your employer or a qualified professional.
Maine requires 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, with no daily overtime rule.
Maine adjusts its minimum wage with the consumer price index each January 1. The 2026 rate of $15.10 keeps Maine well above the federal floor.
Maine requires wages at regular intervals of no more than 16 days, so overtime from a long week cannot sit unpaid for a month.
Gross = (40 × rate) + (hours over 40 × rate × 1.5)
| Rule | Maine |
|---|---|
| Overtime rule | 1.5 times pay after 40 hours in a workweek (no daily overtime) |
| Minimum wage 2026 | $15.10 from Jan 1, 2026 (indexed to inflation each January) |
| State income tax | Graduated, up to 7.15% |
| Claim agency | Maine Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division |
| Claim deadline | 6 years under state law; 2 years under the FLSA (3 if willful) |
| Worker | Math | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| $15.10/hr, 48 hours | $604 + 8 × $22.65 | $785.20 |
| $18/hr, 50 hours | $720 + 10 × $27 | $990.00 |
| $22/hr, 44 hours | $880 + 4 × $33 | $1,012.00 |
| $15.10/hr, 40 hours in four 10 hour days | 40 × $15.10, no overtime | $604.00 |
Example 4 is the Maine trap: the same four 10 hour days would earn 8 overtime hours in California. In Maine they earn none, because only the weekly 40 hour line counts.
Treble damages after a written demand. If wages are clearly due, an employee who makes a written demand and still is not paid within 14 days can win three times the wages owed in court, plus attorney fees. Put the demand in writing and keep a copy.
Tourism and fishing seasons. Maine's summer tourism and lobster seasons produce brutal weeks followed by slow ones. Each workweek stands alone, so overtime from a 60 hour August week cannot be offset by a quiet September week.
The January inflation bump. The floor moves every January 1 with the CPI, so minimum wage overtime math changes yearly. Check the new rate each winter before budgeting the season.
Maine’s New England neighbors use the same weekly overtime test: our Vermont overtime calculator, New Hampshire overtime calculator, and Rhode Island overtime calculator show the math across the region. The federal baseline is explained in the FLSA overtime rules guide.
Maine follows the weekly overtime standard: 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, for nonexempt employees, with no daily overtime rule. The result matches the federal weekly test.
$15.10 an hour from January 1, 2026. Maine adjusts its minimum wage with the consumer price index each January 1.
With the Maine Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, through its online complaint portal, or with the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor, or in court.
No. Maine has no daily overtime rule. Only the weekly line matters: hours over 40 in a workweek earn 1.5 times the regular rate, no matter how long any single day was.
Yes. Maine has a graduated income tax up to 7.15%, so overtime pay is taxed by the state on top of federal income tax plus Social Security and Medicare taxes.
Yes, if nonexempt. A salary alone does not remove overtime rights in Maine. Only employees who pass the exempt duties and salary tests can be denied overtime pay.
Rates and rules checked against these sources in November 2026.
Want the same math without the Maine framing? Use the overtime pay calculator. Curious what the no tax on overtime deduction does to a Maine paycheck? Try the deduction calculator; it trims the federal bite on the overtime premium.