Maine SUTA Tax Calculator
Figure basis: Official U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment InsuranceState Unemployment Tax Act (SUTA) tax is the state unemployment insurance tax that employers pay to fund unemployment benefits in Maine. This calculator estimates your Maine SUTA liability for the 2026 tax year. Enter the average annual wages per employee, your number of employees, and your assigned SUTA rate to see the taxable wages, tax per employee, and total tax. SUTA is charged only on the first $12,000 of each employee's wages (the 2026 Maine taxable wage base); wages above that per employee are not taxed. Your rate is set by the state based on your business's unemployment claim history (your "experience rating"); a new employer pays 2.23%. SUTA is separate from the federal FUTA tax and, in most states, is paid entirely by the employer and never deducted from employee wages. All wage-base and rate figures are sourced from U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance and verified for 2026. Replace the default rate with the rate on your state tax-rate notice for an exact figure.
In Maine, employers pay SUTA on the first $12,000 of each employee's wages for 2026, and a new employer pays 2.23%. For 5 employees earning $50,000 each at 2.23%, the estimated annual SUTA tax is $1,338.00 ($267.60 per employee).
How Maine SUTA tax works
Maine charges state unemployment tax on each employee's wages up to the taxable wage base of $12,000 for 2026. Once an employee has earned that much in the year, no further SUTA is due on that employee. Your rate is assigned by the state from your experience rating; a new employer pays 2.23%.
taxable wages per employee = min(annual wages, $12,000)
SUTA tax per employee = taxable wages per employee x rate / 100
total SUTA tax = SUTA tax per employee x number of employees
Worked example: 5 employees each earning $50,000 in Maine at 2.23%. Each employee's taxable wages are capped at $12,000, so the tax per employee is $267.60 and the total is $1,338.00.
Maine SUTA figures (2026)
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Taxable wage base | $12,000 | U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance |
| New employer rate | 2.23% | U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance |
| Experience rate range | 0% to 6.29% | U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance |
The experience-rate range shown is the base statutory range. Most states add mandatory assessments on top (for example a fund-building, solvency, or administrative surcharge), so an employer's effective rate can be higher than the range shown, and the new-employer rate may exclude those add-ons. Your exact assigned rate is on your annual state tax-rate notice.
The Maine rate, plus one assessment to watch
Maine sets its 2026 SUTA on a taxable wage base of $12,000, matching Kentucky's base but pairing it with a distinctly different rate structure. State unemployment tax applies to the first $12,000 of each employee's annual wages, so once a worker crosses that mark partway through the year, no further SUTA accrues on them.
New employers in Maine pay a fixed 2.23%, an unusually precise figure that reflects the state's method of setting the new employer rate from recent industry averages. On the $12,000 base that caps a new employer's cost at $267.60 per employee per year. After the new employer period, the Maine Department of Labor assigns an experience rate between 0% and 6.29%: a strong account can reach the 0% floor and owe nothing, while the top of the schedule reaches about $754.80 per employee.
One Maine-specific wrinkle to watch: the state layers a Competitive Skills Scholarship Fund (CSSF) assessment on top of the base contribution rate for most employers, so the amount actually remitted can sit slightly above the experience rate alone. The calculator above uses whatever rate you enter directly, so for an exact figure include any CSSF or other assessment shown on your annual rate notice. New Maine employers should plan around 2.23% for the first year, then replace the default with the precise total rate the Department mails you.
Maine SUTA tax: frequently asked questions
What is the Maine unemployment (SUTA) taxable wage base for 2026?
For 2026, Maine employers pay state unemployment tax on the first $12,000 of each employee's wages. Wages above $12,000 per employee are not subject to SUTA.
What is the Maine new employer SUTA rate?
New employers in Maine pay a SUTA rate of 2.23% until they have enough history to be experience-rated. On the $12,000 wage base that is up to $267.60 per employee per year.
How is Maine SUTA tax calculated?
Multiply each employee's wages, capped at the $12,000 taxable wage base, by your assigned experience rate, then add up across employees. SUTA is primarily an employer-paid tax and is not deducted from employee pay.
Is the Maine SUTA rate the same for every employer?
No. After the new-employer period, Maine assigns each employer an experience rate based on its history of layoffs and claims, generally ranging from about 0% to 6.29% for experience-rated employers before any state add-on surcharges. The rate field above defaults to the new-employer rate; replace it with the rate on your state tax notice for an exact figure.
Official sources
- Maine unemployment taxable wage base and rates (tax year 2026): U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance, as at Jul 15, 2026.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 15 July 2026. See our methodology. General information, not tax or legal advice.