CashoutTipped minimum wage / Maine
Maine tipped minimum wage
What employers must pay
In Maine, the minimum wage is $15.10 an hour. An employer can pay a tipped employee as little as $7.55 an hour in cash, as long as tips bring the total to at least $15.10. The difference, $7.55, is the tip credit.
Portland has a higher city minimum wage ($16.75, tipped $8.38).
Who counts as a tipped employee: more than $191 a month in tips (2026).
If your cash wage plus tips comes up short of $15.10 an hour in a workweek, your employer has to make up the difference.
What changes next
On January 1, 2027, the minimum wage goes to $15.70 and the tipped cash wage to $7.85. This is Maine's yearly cost-of-living increase. The tipped threshold also rises to more than $199 a month.
Local and regional rates
Some places in Maine have their own minimum wage or a regional rate. If you work there, the rate listed here applies.
| Place | Minimum | Cash wage | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| PortlandRises to $17.75 on January 1, 2027 and $19.00 on January 1, 2028; tipped wage is half the city rate. | $16.75 | $8.38 | January 1, 2026 |
Tip pooling and service charges
Pools are allowed if they meet federal law. When a tip credit is used the pool may include only service employees; when everyone gets the full minimum wage the employer, supervisors and managers still may not take from the pool.
Employers may not deduct credit card processing fees from card tips, which must be paid by the next regular payday; banquet and private club service charges must be disclosed to customers as not a tip.
Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek, no daily overtime. For tipped workers overtime is 1.5 times the full $15.10 minus the $7.55 tip credit, so at least $15.10 an hour in cash.
Taxes on your tips
Maine taxes wage income, and tips are wages, so its income tax applies to your tips. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare still apply. The federal tip deduction can cut the income tax part: see how the No Tax on Tips deduction works.
Check a week's pay
Enter one workweek to see whether your cash wage plus tips reached the minimum wage where you work.
You reached the minimum this week.
You came up short. Your employer owes you at least
If you are underpaid
Start by comparing your pay stubs with your own record of hours and tips. If the numbers don't add up, you can file a complaint with the Maine Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards, Wage and Hour Division: how to file. You can also call the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, at 1-866-487-9243.
Sources
- U.S. DOL WHD: Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees (revised July 1, 2026)
- U.S. DOL WHD: State Minimum Wage Laws (updated July 1, 2026)
- Maine DOL: 2027 Minimum Wage poster ($15.10 now, $15.70 and $7.85 on Jan 1, 2027)
- 26 MRSA 664 (minimum wage, tip credit, tip pools, card fees)
- 26 MRSA 663 (service employee threshold, indexed)
- Verrill: correct minimum wage in 2026 (Portland $16.75, tipped $8.38)
