Maine
For Maine, program name is Paid Family and Medical Leave; benefits start date is May 1, 2026; total contribution rate is 1 percent; employer share is 100 percent of premium for employers with 15 or more workers; 50 percent for smaller employers; employee share is employers may seek 50 percent from employees, recorded from its source on 2026-08-15.
- State
- Maine verified
- Program name
- Paid Family and Medical Leave verified
- Benefits start date
- May 1, 2026
- Total contribution rate
- 1 percent verified
- Employer share
- 100 percent of premium for employers with 15 or more workers; 50 percent for smaller employers verified
- Employee share
- employers may seek 50 percent from employees
- Maximum weekly benefit
- $1,198.84
- Wage replacement formula
- 90 percent for workers with an individual average weekly wage that is 50 percent or less of SAWW plus 66 percent of wages that are above 50 percent of SAWW
- Family leave duration
- 12 weeks verified
- Medical leave duration
- 12 weeks verified
- Employer size threshold
- 1 employee
- Covered reasons
- bonding, own serious health condition, family caregiving, safe leave, military exigency our reading
- Program website
- https://www.maine.gov/paidleave/ verified
Values marked our reading are our classification of what the source says — the source does not print them in those words. The quote below is the evidence for each one; judge it yourself.
What the source says
Even within covered businesses, only workers who meet FMLA eligibility criteria are eligible for paid family and medical leave benefits. Delaware’s law includes military exigency leave. See <https://labor.delaware.gov/delaware-paid-leave-is-coming/> Delaware Department of Labor . In Minnesota, the 2026 contribution rate is .88 percent, divided between workers and employers. The statute also <https://info.paidleave.mn.gov/employers/equivalent/index.jsp> permits employers to purchase either type of leave separately, with the other type covered by the state program at a reduced cost. Employers can seek 50 percent of the premium cost from employees. Businesses with fewer than 30 employees may exclude a portion of payroll expenses ($12,500 for each employee, up to $120,000) for the first 20 employees and $12,000 for the 21st through 29th employee. Employees must still pay the employee portion of the premium and are not affected by this wage exclusion. See this <https://pl.mn.gov/toolkits/employer-resource-toolkit> Employer Resource Toolkit . Minnesota’s law <https://info.paidleave.mn.gov/> includes both military exigency leave and safe leave. In Maine, the statute sets a maximum initial contribution rate of 1 percent. Employers with 15 or more workers must pay 100 percent of premium costs and may seek 50 percent from their employees; in businesses with fewer than 15 workers, employers remit only 50 percent of the premium, which is deducted from employees’ pay. See <https://www.maine.gov/paidleave/> Maine Department of Labor . Maine’s law covers both “safe” leave and military exigency leave. In Virginia, initial contribution rates will be set by October 1, 2027. Employers with 11 or more workers must pay 100 percent of premium costs and may withhold up to 50 percent from their employees. Employers with 10 or fewer workers remit only 50 percent of the premium, which is deducted from employees’ pay. See <https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/60.2-806/> 2026 Virginia Session Law, § 60.2-806 . Virginia’s law covers military exigency leave for up to 12 weeks, and “safe leave” for up to four weeks.
— newamerica.org, retrieved 2026-08-15
Source
- newamerica.orghttps://www.newamerica.org/insights/explainer-paid-leave-benefits-and-funding-in-the-united-states/