Paternity Leave in Maine: New in 2026, and a Good One

Maine started paying for leave on May 1, 2026. If you’re a Maine dad with a baby on the way, you’re one of the first in line, and the program is a good one: up to 12 weeks, any size employer, no waiting week for bonding.

Do you qualify for paternity leave in Maine?

Most likely. Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) covers private employers of any size. To get paid, you need to have earned six times the state average weekly wage in Maine in roughly the last year. For leave starting after July 1, 2026, that’s about $7,500.

Bonding leave is for both parents, in the baby’s first year. Self-employed workers can opt in. Federal employees aren’t covered.

Is your job protected during paternity leave in Maine?

Yes, if you’ve worked for your employer for at least 120 days in a row when your leave starts. Under 120 days, your employer can hold your job but doesn’t have to. Retaliation is banned either way.

Not sure how to bring it up at work? Our guide on how to ask for paternity leave has a script.

How much is paid family leave in Maine, and for how long?

Maine pays 90 percent of your weekly wage up to half the state average weekly wage, plus 66 percent of anything above that. The maximum is the state average weekly wage itself: $1,249.12 a week for leave starting from July 1, 2026.

You get up to 12 weeks in a benefit year, which starts the week your leave does. You don’t have to take it all at once. There’s no waiting week for bonding leave, only for medical leave.

One catch: Maine PFML runs at the same time as federal FMLA and Maine FMLA. Unpaid FMLA leave you took in the year before can count against your 12 weeks.

How to file a paid family leave claim in Maine

You apply online with the Maine Department of Labor, unless your employer has an approved private plan.

1. Tell your employer in writing. About 30 days ahead is reasonable for a due date. A text or email counts.
2. Apply up to 60 days before your leave starts. The latest is 90 days after it starts, but there’s no prize for waiting.
3. Have your documents ready: ID, your employer’s details and proof of the birth.
4. Wait for the review. Your employer is notified once you apply, and nothing is paid until your claim is complete.

What does your employer have to do?

• Give you your job back, or an equivalent one with the same pay, benefits and conditions, if you’ve been there 120 days.
• Keep your health insurance going on the same terms, if you qualify for job protection. Adding the baby to the plan is a separate step with its own short deadline.
• Not punish you for taking approved leave.

Maine paid family leave deadlines

• About 30 days before your leave: tell your employer in writing.
• Up to 60 days before your leave: you can apply.
• Within 30 days of the birth: add the baby to your health plan. Federal rules give you at least 30 days.
• 90 days after your leave starts: last day to apply.
• Baby’s first birthday: all bonding leave has to be used by then.

Before you lock in dates, take our free paternity leave HR questions to HR and write the answers down. Rather ask by email? Our free HR email template is ready to copy: fill in the blanks and hit send.

---

General information, not legal or financial advice. Maine’s program is new and the figures change every July. Check with HR and maine.gov/paidleave before you plan dates.

Sources: Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave, for workers, employee FAQ, July 2026, 26 MRSA 850-B, US Department of Labor.