AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine employers will remain on the lowest unemployment tax schedule allowed under state law in 2027, the Maine Department of Labor said.

The department said the 2027 schedule will stay at Schedule A. The taxes fund the state unemployment trust fund, which pays unemployment insurance benefits to eligible workers.

Under Schedule A, the average tax per employee earning at least $12,000 is expected to be $277.20 in 2027, the department said. That is an average increase of $9.60 per employee over the previous year.

Unemployment taxes are charged on the first $12,000 in wages paid to each employee during the calendar year. About 56,600 Maine employers pay into the fund.

Each employer's rate depends on its experience rating, which reflects its history of unemployment claims, as well as on changes in wages across Maine. Because every employer's rating is different, the change in what each one pays will vary, the department said. Employers will get their own tax information by mail in December.

The department said it has paid out more than $139 million in state unemployment benefits so far in 2026 to people who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. As of September, the average weekly benefit under the regular state unemployment program was about $580.64, according to the department.

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