Maine tipped minimum wage (2026)
Maine sets a tipped cash wage of $7.55/hr — above the federal $2.13 — with employers allowed to count up to $7.55/hr of your tips toward the $15.10/hr minimum.
Note: Maximum tip credit is 50% of the applicable minimum wage. Tipped employee defined as receiving more than $191 in tips monthly.
How Maine compares
At $7.55/hr, Maine ranks 12th of the 47 states with a single published tipped cash wage. No other state pays tipped workers exactly $7.55/hr.
Tips have to cover 50% of your $15.10/hr minimum here. On a shift where they don't, the shortfall is your employer's to pay — but only if you can show what you actually made.
Thirty hours on the schedule guarantees $226.50 before tips, $162.60 more than the same week would guarantee under the federal $2.13 floor.
Nearest rates on either side: Illinois at $9.00 and Missouri at $7.50.
Maine pays at least as much as every state it borders (New Hampshire $3.27), so crossing a state line does not raise your base wage.
What's different about tipped work in Maine
Because Portland's tipped wage is defined as half the city minimum, a server there earns $8.38 in cash — more than the entire minimum wage in the states still on $7.25.
Some Maine cities require more than the state floor. Where a local ordinance is higher, it wins:
| City | Minimum wage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | $16.75 | Tipped cash wage $8.38 — half the city minimum. |
| Rockland | $16.00 | — |
Maine caps the tip credit at 50% of the applicable minimum wage, and you only count as tipped above $191 a month in tips. The shortfall is reconciled weekly, not averaged over a season.
The number that actually matters
Official wage tables lean on reported pay and miss most cash tips, so your real hourly — cash plus card, minus tip-out — lives only in your own records. That's the number that tells you whether a shift was worth it, and the one you'll need at tax time.
Simulate a Maine shift
Legal minimums are the floor. Enter a real shift — your actual hourly is what decides whether the night was worth it.
Federal tipped minimum cash wage is $2.13/hr — but many states require more, and if tips don't bring you to the full minimum wage ($7.25 federal), your employer must make up the difference. Enter your state's tipped minimum as the base wage for an accurate number.
Quick answers
What is the tipped minimum wage in Maine?＋
Employers in Maine must pay tipped workers a cash wage of at least $7.55/hr, and tips must bring total pay to at least $15.10/hr. Figures as of July 1, 2026 (US DOL).
Can my Maine employer take a tip credit?＋
Yes, up to $7.55/hr — but only if your tips actually cover the gap. If they don't, the employer must make up the difference.
What if my tips don't reach the full minimum wage?＋
Federal law (FLSA) requires your employer to make up the difference whenever cash wage + tips falls below the applicable minimum wage for the pay period. Track every shift so you can prove a shortfall.
Do any Maine cities require a higher wage?＋
Yes. Several Maine cities set local minimums above the state floor: Portland ($16.75/hr), Rockland ($16.00/hr). City ordinances override the state rate when they're higher, so check your specific location.
Source: U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division (July 1, 2026). Federal floor: $2.13 cash / $7.25 total. Not legal advice — local ordinances (city minimum wages) may set higher rates.
Compare with other states
Working out what a shift actually paid you? Run it through the tips-to-hourly calculator — base pay plus tips, minus tip-out, divided by the hours you really worked.
TipScan reads your checkout slip and computes your real hourly every shift — with Maine's wage rules built in. Free, no ads.
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