Pay Transparency Laws in Maine
Maine has pay transparency requirements
Maine prohibits employers from asking about salary history and requires employers to provide the pay range for a position upon request after an offer of employment is made. Salary ranges are not required in job postings.
Key details
| Pay transparency law? | Yes |
|---|---|
| Salary range in job postings? | No |
| Salary range on request? | Yes |
| Salary history ban? | Yes |
| Employer size threshold | 1+ employees — Applies to all employers. |
| Effective date | September 17, 2019 |
| Penalties | Enforcement through the Maine Department of Labor. Fines up to $100 for first offense, up to $500 for subsequent offenses. |
| Statute | 26 M.R.S.A. SS 628-A |
Pay Transparency Laws in Maine: what you need to know
Maine has enacted a pay transparency law that affects how employers handle salary information. Maine prohibits employers from asking about salary history and requires employers to provide the pay range for a position upon request after an offer of employment is made. Salary ranges are not required in job postings. Pay transparency laws are one of the fastest-growing areas of employment regulation in the country, and Maine is among the states leading this trend.
In Maine, employers must provide salary range information upon request (even though they are not required to include it in the job posting itself). This means you can ask a prospective employer for the salary range at any point during the hiring process.
Maine also prohibits employers from asking about your salary history during the hiring process. This is an important protection because relying on salary history can perpetuate wage gaps, particularly for women and people of color who may have been underpaid in previous positions. Employers in Maine must base compensation on the value of the role and your qualifications, not on what you earned before.
Enforcement of Maine's pay transparency law includes penalties for non-compliance. Enforcement through the Maine Department of Labor. Fines up to $100 for first offense, up to $500 for subsequent offenses. These penalties give the law teeth and create an incentive for employers to comply proactively rather than waiting for a complaint.
For Maine workers, understanding pay transparency laws (or the lack thereof) is important for salary negotiations. Even without mandatory disclosure, researching salary ranges through resources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Glassdoor, or industry surveys can give you leverage in negotiations. Knowledge of the market rate for your role and experience level is one of the most powerful tools you have in any salary conversation.
Pay transparency is one of the fastest-changing areas of employment law in the United States. Even if your state does not currently have a law, the trend is clearly moving toward greater disclosure requirements. Since 2019, more than a dozen states have enacted pay transparency laws, and the pace of new legislation is accelerating. Workers and employers in all states should prepare for the possibility of future requirements.
More Maine workplace laws
Check other workplace law topics for Maine:
Frequently asked questions about pay transparency laws in Maine
No. Maine does not currently require employers to disclose salary ranges in job postings.
No. Maine has a salary history ban that prohibits employers from asking about your previous compensation during the hiring process.
Yes. Maine requires employers to provide salary range information upon request.
Enforcement through the Maine Department of Labor. Fines up to $100 for first offense, up to $500 for subsequent offenses.
This depends on the specific provisions of Maine law. Some states require transparency for any job that can be performed in the state, while others apply only to positions physically located there. Check the specific statutory language or consult an attorney.