Federal stimulus checks have stopped coming since last year, but residents in one state will be getting stimulus checks this month. The state of Maine started sending out stimulus checks to eligible residents earlier this month. These one-time stimulus checks from Maine are $850 each. The first batch of payments went out on June 1, and the authorities plan to send more checks every week.
Stimulus Checks From Maine: When To Expect Them
Maine Governor Janet Mills proposed the plan to use more than half of the state budget surplus ($729.3 million) to send direct payments to residents. Lawmakers backed the plan, and the proposal to send these stimulus checks from Maine was turned into law as part of the state’s budget in late April.
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“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,” Gov. Mills said in a press release earlier this month.
Gov. Mills informed that initially (i.e. June 1) 5,000 relief checks will be sent via the U.S. Postal Service. Thereafter, it is estimated that 200,000 checks will be sent per week. So, eligible residents can expect to get the stimulus checks sometime this month, or early July.
Under the plan, the stimulus checks will be sent to about 858,000 Mainers. The Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS) is responsible for issuing the stimulus checks. The primary objective behind sending the direct payment is to help residents hit hard by COVID-driven inflation.
“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," Gov. Mills said.
Who Will Get It?
To be eligible for the stimulus checks from Maine, residents must have filed their state individual income tax returns as full-time residents. Also, they must not be claimed as a dependent by any other taxpayer.
Moreover, the adjusted gross income of single filers (or married and filing separately) should be less than $100,000. The income limit for head of household filers is $150,000, while for couples filing jointly, it is $200,000.
Those who haven’t yet filed their 2021 Maine individual income tax return, either due to their financial situation or they are late in doing so, have until Oct. 31, 2022 to file their tax return and claim their $850 stimulus check.
You can view the status of your check at https://portal.maine.gov/refundstatus/payment. If you have any questions regarding the stimulus checks from Maine, you can visit Maine.gov/reliefchecks, or call Maine Revenue Services at (207) 624-9924.
