LeaveCalc / Sick leave / Maine

Maine paid sick leave calculator

Enter your hours worked and see your accrued paid sick leave under Maine’s law, including any cap and your running balance, instantly and privately.

✓ Free✓ Runs in your browser, nothing uploaded✓ Uses Maine’s 2026 sick leave rules

1 Your hours

How we count:
  • We multiply the hours you worked by Maine's accrual rate to estimate hours earned.
  • If the law sets an annual accrual cap, we stop counting new hours once you hit it.
  • If the law sets a maximum balance, your total before subtracting used hours is capped there too.
  • This does not account for hours carried over from a previous year or usage timed partway through the period.
Not legal advice or a payroll record. These are estimates based on the accrual rules on file for Maine. Always check your actual balance against your pay stub, employee handbook or HR/payroll system; real-world proration and policy exceptions are not reflected here.

The rule in Maine

“1 hour per 40 hours worked, any reason; cap 40h/yr (employers with 11+ employees)”

“1 hour per 40 hours worked, any reason; cap 40h/yr (employers with 11+ employees)”

  • Fewer than 11 employees. This law does not apply at this size, based on the size thresholds on file.
  • 11 or more employees. earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours you work, up to 40.0 hours a year.
  • Payout at termination. Sick leave payout at termination is generally not required unless your employer’s own policy promises it. (This is separate from any vacation-payout rules that may apply in Maine.)
  • Carryover. No cap on ordinary vacation carryover. Maine's separate Earned Paid Leave law (any reason, not just vacation) has its own accrual floor -- see the sick-leave column.
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How Maine’s paid sick leave accrual works

Under Maine’s paid sick leave law, earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours you work (the exact rate depends on your employer’s…

Under Maine’s paid sick leave law, earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours you work (the exact rate depends on your employer’s size; see the table below). That works out to about 1.0 hours a week for a full-time, 40-hour-a-week employee, or about 52.0 hours over a full 2,080-hour work year, before any cap in the law is applied.

Maine sets different accrual rates and caps depending on how many people your employer has: Fewer than 11 employees: this specific law does not apply, based on the size thresholds on file. 11 or more employees: earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours you work, up to 40.0 hours a year.

Sick leave you do not use is generally not paid out when you leave your job unless your employer’s own policy says otherwise; that is a separate question from Maine’s rules about ordinary vacation pay at termination, which this page does not cover. On carryover: No cap on ordinary vacation carryover. Maine's separate Earned Paid Leave law (any reason, not just vacation) has its own accrual floor -- see the sick-leave column.

Part-time employees accrue the same way, just on fewer hours: someone working 25 hours a week under this law would earn about 0.6 hours of paid sick leave every week, or roughly 32.5 hours over a full year, subject to the same cap rules described above.

FAQ

How fast does paid sick leave accrue in Maine?

You earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours you work. The exact hours-worked threshold and cap depend on how many people your employer has, since the law is tiered by employer size.

Is there a cap on how much I can earn?

Yes, and it depends on your employer’s size. 11 or more employees: earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours you work, up to 40.0 hours a year.

Can I carry unused sick leave into the next year?

The data on file does not show a numeric carryover cap for this specific sick leave mandate. For context, Maine’s general note on ordinary vacation carryover says: No cap on ordinary vacation carryover. Maine's separate Earned Paid Leave law (any reason, not just vacation) has its own accrual floor -- see the sick-leave column.

Does my employer’s size change my sick leave rules in Maine?

Yes. Fewer than 11 employees: this specific law does not apply, based on the size thresholds on file. 11 or more employees: earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours you work, up to 40.0 hours a year.

Is unused sick time paid out when I leave my job?

Generally, no. Paid sick leave you have not used is typically not required to be paid out when you leave a job, unless your employer’s own written policy specifically promises it. That is a separate question from any rules your state may have about ordinary vacation pay at termination, which this page does not cover.

Where is Maine’s paid sick leave law?

See the official source: https://www.maine.gov/labor/labor_laws/earned-paid-leave.html. LeaveCalc’s confidence rating for this page is Medium, so double-check the current rule before relying on it.