Replenish Maine Unemployment Trust Fund

Department of Labor

State unemployment insurance is paid to eligible Mainers through the Maine Unemployment Trust Fund, which is funded by employer taxes. There are approximately 45,000 employers in Maine that pay into the trust fund. The Mills Administration has transferred $80 million to Maine's Unemployment Trust Fund, providing alternative funding for state unemployment benefits in order to mitigate tax increases on Maine small businesses.This $80 million transfer is the Governor's third infusion into the fund, building on two previous transfers totaling nearly $300 million. Without these investments, the Maine Department of Labor estimates that employer unemployment taxes in both 2021 and 2022 likely would have more than doubled.