Maine Overtime Pay Calculator

Maine follows the standard 40-hour workweek rule for overtime under 26 M.R.S. §664, requiring 1.5 times the regular rate for hours worked beyond 40. Maine doesn't add daily overtime, but it does set its own, more protective exempt salary threshold than the federal government. Under Maine law, to qualify for the executive, administrative, or professional exemption, a worker's annual salary must be at least 3,000 times the state minimum wage, divided by 52 for the weekly figure — a formula that automatically rises every time Maine's minimum wage increases.

With Maine's 2026 minimum wage at $14.65/hr, the state's exempt salary threshold works out to roughly $845/week (3,000 × $14.65 ÷ 52), well above the federal $684/week threshold. This means some workers who would be classified exempt under federal law alone are legally entitled to overtime under Maine's higher bar — a distinction many out-of-state or national employers miss when applying a single nationwide payroll policy.

Maine also restricts mandatory overtime for healthcare workers under a specific state law limiting forced overtime shifts in hospitals and nursing homes, reflecting the state's focus on healthcare staffing conditions. This is a rule with no federal counterpart, and it applies on top of, not instead of, the standard 40-hour overtime pay rule.

The Maine Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Standards investigates unpaid wage and overtime complaints. Workers can file a complaint directly with the bureau, and Maine law allows employees to also pursue a private civil action for unpaid wages, including overtime, with the possibility of recovering double damages plus attorney's fees under 26 M.R.S. §626 if the employer's nonpayment wasn't made in good faith.

Federal FLSA claims carry a two- or three-year statute of limitations, but Maine's own wage claim statute allows a longer look-back in some contract-based wage claims, so workers should discuss timing with the Bureau of Labor Standards or an employment attorney rather than assuming the shorter federal window is the only option available.

The most overlooked trap in Maine is the state's higher exempt salary threshold. A worker paid a $760/week salary and given a manager title might be treated as exempt under the federal $684/week test, but because Maine requires roughly $845/week for the same exemption, that same worker is actually non-exempt and owed overtime under state law. Employers using generic, nationwide compliance templates frequently miss this Maine-specific number.

Maine also has specific rules limiting mandatory overtime in healthcare settings, a protection most states don't offer, and it requires double damages for bad-faith wage violations, which raises the financial stakes for Maine employers who get overtime wrong. Tipped workers in Maine can be paid a reduced cash wage of half the state minimum wage as long as tips make up the rest, but overtime must always be calculated using the full $14.65 minimum wage, not the reduced tipped rate.