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Maine Paid Leave Contributions Portal – Releasing on January 6th!

Starting January 1st, 2025, any employer with at least one Maine-based employee must begin payroll withholdings for their employees.  Employers with 15 or more employees will contribute 1 percent of wages and may deduct up to half of the contribution from the employees’ wages. Employers with less than 15 employees will contribute 0.5 percent of wages and may deduct the entire amount from the employees’ wages.  Employers will begin their first quarterly wage reporting and premium payments starting April 1st and due by April 30th, 2025.

The online system for employers to register their business information, designate a payroll processor, file quarterly wage reports, and remit quarterly premium contributions will be releasing on January 6th.  All employers must register for an account to begin wage reporting in April.  The portal will also allow self-employed individuals and tribal governments to elect coverage.  Stay up to date by signing up for the PFML Get Notified List and learn more in our FAQ, employer resources, and find recorded demonstrations and step by step guides under the Maine Paid Leave Contributions Portal tab below. 



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In 2023, Governor Mills signed a historic budget that includes the creation of a paid family and medical leave program, making Maine the 13th state to establish one. Beginning in 2026, eligible workers in the private and public sector will have up to 12 weeks of paid time off available to take care for a family member with a serious health condition, to bond with a child after birth, fostering or adoption, to care for their own medical needs, to deal with the transition of a family member’s impending military deployment or to stay safe after abuse or violence.


The image shows a timeline for PFML implementation, starting with law enactment on October 25, 2023. The PFML Authority will be appointed by January 1, 2024. Rulemaking will begin during spring 2024. Payroll contributions begin January 2025. Benefits are scheduled to begin May 2026.

View a larger version of this graphic


PFML Informational Videos



Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program is established in Title 26 § 850-A through § 850-R. The law can be found here: https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/statutes/26/title26sec850-A.html

The finalized rules for the Paid Family and Medical Leave Program can be found here (Word).

The basis statement and response to comments from the first and second public comment period can be found here (Word).

A marked-up version of the final rules, which tracks the changes between the two public comment periods, can be found here (Word).  Please note that:

  • Original rule language that is unchanged is regular black font with a single underline.
  • Additions from the first proposed rules to the second proposed rules are italicized blue font with a single underline. Deletions between the first proposed rule and the second proposed rule are red font with a strike-through and single underline.
  • Additions from the second proposed rules to the final rules are italicized green font with a double underline.  Deletions between the second proposed rule and the final rule are orange font with a strike-through and a double underline.

Video

  • Video of the initial rulemaking hearing in June can be found here:
    June 10, 2024 (YouTube)
  • Video of the second public hearing on the proposed rule can be found here: September 17, 2024 (YouTube)

Listening Sessions

MDOL held informal listening sessions to provide an opportunity for interested parties to share invaluable feedback about components of the new Paid Family and Medical Leave legislation. Recordings of these sessions can be watched below:

  • January 25, 2024 from 5:30pm-7pm - Contributions (YouTube)
  • February 1, 2024 from 5:30pm-7pm - Eligibility (YouTube)
  • February 12, 2024 from 5:30pm-7pm - Private Plans (YouTube)
  • February 28, 2024 from 5:30pm-7pm - Any provisions related to the PFML law (YouTube)

These informal listening sessions do not replace and is in addition to the formal regulatory process governed by the Maine Administrative Procedures Act (MAPA).

Visit the The Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Authority web page

  • الأسئلة الشائعة: معلومات عامة (Word) (PDF) - Arabic
  • FAQ: General Information (Word) (PDF) - English
  • FAQ : Informations générales (Word) (PDF) - French
  • FAQ: Enfòmasyon jeneral (Word) (PDF) - Haitian/Creole
  • FAQ: Basango ya monene (Liloba) (PDF) - Lingala
  • Perguntas frequentes: informação geral (Word) (PDF) - Portuguese
  • FAQ: Macluumaadka Guud (Erayga) (PDF) - Somali
  • Preguntas frecuentes: Información general (Word) (PDF) - Spanish

Maine Paid Leave Third-Party Administrator Portal Webinar

  • Date & Time: Tuesday, December 10th, 2024 | 12pm-1pm
  • YouTube


Employer-Focused Webinars

Maine Paid Leave Employer Portal Webinar   

  • Date & Time: Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024 | 12pm-1pm
  • YouTube

Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave and National Federation of Independent Business in Maine (NFIB) Webinar

Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave and Maine State Chamber of Commerce Webinar


Worker-Focused Webinars

Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave and Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition Webinar

Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave and Maine Paid Leave Coalition Webinar


The Maine Paid Leave Contributions Portal will be launching in January 2025.  In the meantime, please review the educational materials below to prepare.


Have questions? Visit the Contact Us web page