AUGUSTA, Maine — More than 850,000 Mainers will start receiving the $850 relief checks beginning Thursday. The announcement was made by Gov. Janet Mills' office said Wednesday in a news release.
The Department of Administrative and Financial Services will send out an initial 5,000 relief checks by mail that are expected to arrive in mailboxes as early as next week. After that, an estimated 200,000 checks per week will be mailed out. All checks are expected to be in the hands of Mainers by mid-July, according to the governor's office.
“The budgets of so many hardworking Maine people have been stretched to the brink by inflation, and while we cannot control inflation or global markets, we can make sure that Maine people have what they need to grapple with these rising costs,” Mills said in the news release. “Through hard work, Democrats, Republicans, and independents came together to do what is right for Maine people, and, today, I am proud to say that help is on the way. I hope that this will provide at least a small measure of relief during these tough times.”
In a show of bipartisanship, lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the $729 million budget proposal back in April that created the inflation relief checks.
Eligibility
Individuals must file a 2021 Maine individual income tax return by Oct. 31, 2022, as a full-time Maine resident.
(Even though the 2021 Maine individual income tax filing deadline has passed, people will still be able to file after that date to claim their $850 relief checks.)
Those eligible must not be claimed as a dependent and must have a federal adjusted gross income of less than:
- $100,000 if filing single or if married and filing separately
- $150,000 if filing as head of household
- $200,000 for couples filing jointly
Individuals who have not already filed their 2021 Maine individual income tax return, either because they are late in doing so or because their unique financial situation has not typically required them to do so, have until Oct. 31, 2022, to file their return and claim the $850 relief check. Seniors on social security who generally are not required to file income tax will be needed to get these checks.
The treasurer's office confirmed in the news release it had a sufficient number of envelopes for the checks after reports of a shortage that would have delayed the mailing.
