# Maine — State paid family and medical leave program contribution rates, benefits, and eligibility

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: appears in the quote below)_
- **Program name:** Paid Family and Medical Leave _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Benefits start date:** May 1, 2026
- **Total contribution rate:** 1 percent _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Employer share:** 100 percent of premium for employers with 15 or more workers; 50 percent for smaller employers _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **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: appears in the quote below)_
- **Medical leave duration:** 12 weeks _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Employer size threshold:** 1 employee
- **Covered reasons:** bonding, own serious health condition, family caregiving, safe leave, military exigency _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Program website:** https://www.maine.gov/paidleave/ _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## 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.

## Source

- https://www.newamerica.org/insights/explainer-paid-leave-benefits-and-funding-in-the-united-states/

Last verified: 2026-08-15. Review by: 2026-12-13.
Part of [State paid family and medical leave program contribution rates, benefits, and eligibility](https://referencesource.org/state-paid-family-leave-programs/).