  We analyze the dependence of the effective action and the entanglement
entropy in the Maxwell theory on the gauge fixing parameter $a$ in $d$
dimensions. For a generic value of $a$ the corresponding vector operator is
nonminimal. The operator can be diagonalized in terms of the transverse and
longitudinal modes. Using this factorization we obtain an expression for the
heat kernel coefficients of the nonminimal operator in terms of the
coefficients of two minimal Beltrami-Laplace operators acting on 0- and
1-forms. This expression agrees with an earlier result by Gilkey et al. Working
in a regularization scheme with the dimensionful UV regulators we introduce
three different regulators: for transverse, longitudinal and ghost modes,
respectively. We then show that the effective action and the entanglement
entropy do not depend on the gauge fixing parameter $a$ provided the certain
($a$-dependent) relations are imposed on the regulators. Comparing the
entanglement entropy with the black hole entropy expressed in terms of the
induced Newton's constant we conclude that their difference, the so-called
Kabat's contact term, does not depend on the gauge fixing parameter $a$. We
consider this as an indication of gauge invariance of the contact term.
