Maine Payroll Rules

Frequency of Payments

You must pay your employees at regular intervals, which cannot be more than 16 days apart. You must notify your employees at least 30 days before increasing the interval between paydays.

You must pay your employees within eight (8) days after the end of the pay period.

Manner of Payments

You may pay your employees by cash or check.

If the employee can make an initial withdrawal of the full amount (at no additional cost to the employee) or can choose another method of payment, you can pay your employees via direct deposit, ATM card, or other means of electronic transfer.

Payment Upon Separation

If an employee leaves your company for any reason, you must pay them by the next regular payday or within two (2) weeks of the employee’s demand for payment, whichever comes first.

Deductions

You can only make deductions from an employee’s paycheck for the following reasons:

• payment of a loan, debt, or advance made to the employee;
• payment of any merchandise voluntarily purchased by the employee;
• for sick or accident benefits or life or group insurance premiums (excluding compensation insurance) that the employee has agreed to pay; or
• rent, light, or water expenses of a company-owned house or building.

You cannot deduct any of the following from an employee’s paycheck:

• cash shortages,
• inventory shortages,
• dishonored checks or credit cards,
• damages to the employer’s property, or
• any merchandise purchased by a customer.

Uniforms & Other Required Equipment or Tools

You cannot require an employee to pay for uniforms, clothing, tools, equipment, or other necessary items.

You cannot require an employee to pay for the cleaning or maintenance of a uniform, but you can have them sign an agreement to have the cost of cleaning or maintenance deducted from their paycheck.

Pre-Hire Medical, Physical, & Drug Tests

Maine does not have any laws about whether you can require employees to pay for pre-hire exams.

Notice of Wage Reduction

If you’re going to reduce an employee’s wages, you must give the employee at least one (1) working day’s notice.

Paystubs

Maine does not have any laws about whether you must give each employee a paystub on payday.

Recordkeeping

For each employee, you must keep the following records:

• the date and amount paid each pay period, and
• time worked each day.

Notices

If you increase the interval between paydays, you must give your employees at least 30 days notice.

If an employee requests, you must give them, in writing, the reason for their termination. You must provide the reason within 15 days of the request.