Maine officials outline rollout of Paid Family and Medical Leave; benefits to start in 2026

Reggie Parson, deputy director of Maine's Paid Family and Medical Leave program, told an outreach session that the law "will provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave" for family, medical, safe-leave and certain military deployment reasons and that benefits will begin in 2026.

Why it matters: Maine began collecting premiums to build a trust fund now so benefits can be paid when the program starts. The session covered who must pay, who can claim benefits, how weekly benefit amounts will be calculated, and what employers must do to comply.

Parson said premiums are capped at 1 percent of an individual's wages for the next three years. For many employers the cost is split: speakers used the example of employers with 15 or more employees where employers pay roughly 0.5 percentage points and employees pay about 0.5 percentage points of wages. Tribal governments and self-employed individuals may elect coverage and would pay 50 percent of the premium if they opt in.

On eligibility, presenters said an applicant must meet a monetary test: earn at least six times the state average weekly wage over the prior year to qualify for benefits. Using the figures cited in the presentation, that threshold equated to roughly $6,864 for 2024; presenters stressed that the state average weekly wage is recalculated each July and the numeric threshold will change accordingly.

Weekly benefits will be calculated under a two-tier system, Parson said: wages at or below 50 percent of the state average weekly wage are replaced at a higher rate (about 90 percent under the tier-one portion) while earnings above that level are replaced at a lower percentage (about 66 percent on the portion above 50 percent); total weekly benefits are capped at the state average weekly wage.

Parson described rules for notice and medical proof: non-emergency leave generally requires reasonable advance notice (the presenters said 30 days would usually be sufficient) and medical claims will typically require certification from a health-care provider. For medical claims where an employer contests a schedule as an "undue hardship," presenters said the agency may refer the question to the treating medical provider to determine whether delay would cause medical harm.

The state has built an employer-facing portal for registration, quarterly wage reporting and premium remittance. Parson said the portal launched publicly on Jan. 6 after a soft launch, that employers reported an average 12-minute registration time, and that private-plan applications will open April 1; the first-quarter 2025 wage reports are due between April 1 and April 30. A call center number (621-5024) and translated FAQs and explainer videos were offered as resources.

On special populations and coordination with other benefits, presenters said H-2A workers pay premiums and may be eligible if they meet the wage and documentation requirements; presenters noted other states'paid-leave programs generally cover workers regardless of visa status. They also explained interactions with short-term disability and federal unpaid leave: PFML may run concurrently with FMLA, and where employers allow it short-term disability or accrued PTO can augment PFML to bring a worker closer to full wage replacement.

Public-sector employers and collective-bargaining agreements were discussed: presenters said public employers with bargaining agreements in place on Oct. 25, 2023 are not required to participate until the contract expires; once the contract expires the employer must report to the portal and remit premiums.

Presenters noted the state announced that the 0.5 percent payroll deduction for some state employees will not begin until at least October; they said they could not comment on ongoing litigation but that planning for implementation is continuing. The presenters emphasized they will run a larger public-education campaign before benefits begin and encouraged employers and employees to consult the website for translated materials and signup for interested-party updates.

The session closed with presenters offering follow-up contact information and assistance for employers and workers with technical or eligibility questions.