Maine: Employee Expense Reimbursement Requirements
The short answer
Maine has no general statute requiring reimbursement of every necessary employee business expense. A narrow law bars an employer from making an employee or accepted applicant bear the cost of an employer-ordered or employer-required medical examination, including copayments and other out-of-pocket costs. The employer may pay directly, through group health insurance, or another way; the Director of the Bureau of Labor Standards enforces the rule, and each violation may bring a forfeiture up to $50.
Ask Ezel about your situation
This is the general rule in Maine. Ezel applies current Maine law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law and coverage | No general Title 26 business-expense mandate; 26 M.R.S. §§ 591-592 cover employees and accepted applicants, listed private employers, and—under § 592—state, county, municipal, quasi-municipal, and other public employers |
|---|---|
| Reimbursable expense standard | Only medical and eye-examination expenses when the examination is ordered or required by the employer; employee cannot bear copayments or other out-of-pocket costs (§ 592) |
| Authorization, direction, and primary benefit | Narrow duty turns on employer ordering or requiring the examination; for an eye exam, employer may require a specific provider type or provider and pay only when that specification is followed |
| Excluded losses and employee fault | No general negligence, ordinary-risk, wear, theft, commuting, personal-cost, or employee-fault schedule stated |
| Request deadline and documentation | No reimbursement request, receipt, itemization, certification, submission deadline, or missing-document substitute stated; accepted applicant means one offered a job |
| Employer policy, preapproval, and caps | Employer may pay directly, through employee group health insurance, or another way, but employee cannot bear any covered copayment or other out-of-pocket expense; no general policy-cap framework |
| Payment deadline, method, and interest | No payment clock or interest rule; employer may use direct payment, group health insurance, or another method so long as employee or accepted applicant bears none of the covered cost |
| Enforcement and remedies | Director enforcement; civil violation with forfeiture up to $50 for each violation (§ 592); cited section states no private damages, attorney-fee, interest, or limitations formula |
Compare this rule across all 50 states + DC →
Requirements one by one
Maine's direct rule is limited to required examinations
The current Title 26 labor index does not state a general requirement that an
ordinary private employer repay every necessary or reasonable employee business
expense. 26 M.R.S. § 592 instead addresses medical and eye examinations ordered
or required by the employer.
An employee or accepted applicant may not be required to bear the covered cost.
The statute expressly includes copayments and other out-of-pocket expenses. It
does not extend that rule into a general mileage, travel, phone, home-office,
tool, supply, uniform, or employee-loss reimbursement mandate.
The employer may choose the payment method
Section 592 permits the employer to pay directly, through the employee's group
health insurance, or in another manner. Whatever method is used, the employee
or accepted applicant cannot be left with a covered copayment or other out-of-
pocket expense.
For an eye examination, the employer may require a specific type of eye-care
provider or a specific provider. In that situation, the statute requires payment
only when the examination is performed by the specified provider type or
provider.
Coverage includes accepted applicants and public employers
Under 26 M.R.S. § 591, employee includes a person permitted, required, or
directed by an employer to work for direct or indirect gain or profit, and the
listed employer definition includes common private business forms and common
carriers. Section 592 expands its own employer coverage to the State, counties,
municipalities, quasi-municipal corporations, and other public employers.
Section 592 defines accepted applicant as an applicant who has been offered a
job. It therefore does not apply to every person who merely submits an
application.
Enforcement is administrative and penalty-based
The Director of the Bureau of Labor Standards has the duty to enforce 26 M.R.S.
§ 592. Each violation is a civil violation for which a forfeiture up to $50 may
be adjudged.
The section states no separate private damages amount, attorney-fee award,
interest rate, reimbursement request deadline, payment clock, or limitations
period.
What trips people up
The statute prevents the worker from bearing the examination cost; it does not
require a particular reimbursement form. An employer can comply through direct
payment or insurance, but not by leaving the worker responsible for a copay or
other out-of-pocket amount.
The accepted-applicant limit also matters. The express protection applies once
the employer has offered the applicant a job, not merely because the employer
is considering the person.
Common questions
Must a Maine employer reimburse ordinary business mileage?
No general private-sector mileage right or rate appears in the current Title 26
provisions reviewed for this topic. Public travel schedules, tax rules, and
workers' compensation mileage answer different questions.
Can group health insurance pay for the required examination?
Yes. Section 592 permits that method, but the employee or accepted applicant
cannot be required to bear a copayment or other out-of-pocket expense.
Can the employer specify the eye-care provider?
Yes. If the employer orders a specific provider type or provider, the statute
requires the employer to pay only when the employee uses that specification.
What is the penalty for violating the rule?
The violation is civil, with a forfeiture of up to $50 for each violation. The
Director of the Bureau of Labor Standards enforces the section.
Statutes and sources
- 26 M.R.S. §§ 591-592. Define covered employees and employers, identify the
protected examination costs and applicants, authorize payment methods, and
state enforcement and the forfeiture. Definitions
and examination-cost rule,
accessed July 14, 2026. - Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26. The official index places §§ 591-592 in
Chapter 7, Employment Practices. Official Title 26
index, accessed
July 14, 2026. - Maine Revisor of Statutes currency notice. The compiled text reflects
changes through October 1, 2025; the completed 2026 session was separately
checked for later amendments. Official notice,
accessed July 14, 2026.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
Get the answer for your situation
You just read how Maine handles this in general. Ezel applies current Maine law to your facts and answers your specific question, with citations.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer cites the authority it relies on.