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Final Paycheck Laws in Maine

In Maine, an employee leaving employment must be paid in full by the next established payday, and employers with more than 10 employees must pay out unused vacation accrued on or after January 1, 2023.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Maine at a glance

Deadline if fired
Next regular payday
Deadline if employee quits
Next regular payday
Accrued vacation paid out
Yes, employers with 11 or more employees
Applies to vacation accrued on or after January 1, 2023. Employers with 10 or fewer employees and public employers are exempt; a union contract on the subject controls.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Maine

When is a final paycheck due in Maine if the employee is fired or laid off?

Deadline if fired in Maine: Next regular payday.

When is a final paycheck due in Maine if the employee quits?

Deadline if employee quits in Maine: Next regular payday.

Does Maine law require employers to pay out accrued vacation when a job ends?

Yes, employers with 11 or more employees. Accrued vacation paid out in Maine: yes, employers with 11 or more employees. Applies to vacation accrued on or after January 1, 2023. Employers with 10 or fewer employees and public employers are exempt; a union contract on the subject controls.

Where do the Maine final paycheck laws come from?

The rules above come from 26 M.R.S. 626. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The vacation payout requirement was added by PL 2021, c. 561 and applies to vacation accrued on or after January 1, 2023.

What this means in practice

Note the exact last day of work and how the job ended, since the deadline often runs from that date and may differ for a firing, a layoff or a resignation. Some statutes also change the deadline when an employee quits without giving notice.

Read the employer's written vacation or paid time off policy and any employment contract. Where state law leaves vacation payout to the employer, the policy terms usually decide whether unused time is paid out or forfeited.

If a final paycheck is late or short, the state labor department usually accepts wage claims, often without a lawyer. Some statutes add penalties for late payment, such as extra daily wages, so keep pay stubs, timesheets and any written communication about the final pay.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.