Starting residency · ME
Starting residency in Maine
Maine requires residents to hold a training license from the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine: the Educational Certificate. Maine has a graduated income tax (top rate 9.15% above $1,000,000 for 2026).
Training license
- Status
- Training license required
- Called
- Educational Certificate
- Apply
- Board FAQ lists 1 to 2 weeks of processing.
- Fee
- $300 for 3 years (fee schedule dated 2018)
- Renewal
- Renewable every 3 years, up to 7 years; ends when the resident leaves the program
Who applies: Resident, through the FSMB Uniform Application and a Maine addendum; the Maine program documents enrollment and dates.
Maine law has no resident exemption. The educational certificate gives residents a licensed physician's rights, limited to their program at a specific hospital, so it does not cover moonlighting. On January 1, 2027 the MD and DO boards merge into a new Maine Board of Medicine (P.L. 2025, c. 738). The new law keeps one educational certificate for MD and DO residents, renewable every 3 years for up to 8 years with a $300 fee cap, but the new board's rules were still in draft in October 2026, so fees and terms for July 2027 may change.
Full license: MD: after 36 months of ACGME training (or ABMS certification); residents in a Maine program can be licensed after 24 months with the program director's endorsement if continuing to 36 months. DO graduates from 2026 onward: after 36 months. A full license matters if you plan to moonlight.
State income tax
Graduated income tax: top rate 9.15% above $1,000,000 (7.15% bracket plus a 2% surcharge); 7.15% applies above $64,849 for 2026.
Source: maine.gov
Match Day to your first loan payment
Assumes you enroll in RAP or IBR when the grace period ends, recertify once a year, and file each tax return by April. Your servicer's dates govern.
Mid-March
Match Day
You learn where you'll train. Your program sends its residency (GME) agreement and onboarding steps.
March–April
Maine training license
Apply for your Maine training license as soon as your program sends instructions. Applications often need school records and background checks that take weeks.
April–June
Credentialing and onboarding
Hospital credentialing, health screening, payroll and benefits forms, and a DEA registration if your program requires one.
Late June–July 1
Move and start
Intern orientation usually starts in the last week of June. When the first paycheck arrives depends on the hospital's payroll schedule, so budget for a few weeks of moving costs without one.
About 6 months after graduation
Federal loan grace period ends
Payments start 6 months after you leave school. Choose a plan before then, or request residency forbearance, during which interest accrues and months don't count toward PSLF.
First year of payments
Payments use last year's income
RAP and IBR use the adjusted gross income on your most recent tax return, which for most new residents is a student year. Payments rise after you recertify with a resident's income.
Until the merger, DO residents register with the Maine Board of Osteopathic Licensure for a one-year temporary educational permit ($200), renewable up to 5 years. LD 2212 (April 2026) added a 2% surcharge on Maine taxable income above $1 million for single filers, starting with tax year 2026.
Related
- Compare RAP, IBR and Tiered Standard on a resident's income
- Maine physician non-compete law, for when you sign your first attending contract
- All states
General information, checked on the date above. Board requirements and fees change; confirm with the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicineand your program before you apply.