Up To $1,700 Relief Payments In Maine— Here’s What You Should Know!

Maine has been issuing relief payment checks of $850 to $1,700 to its taxpayers all year round, says Brady. Here’s what you should know about the state’s relief plans.

Relief Payments

The state of Maine has been issuing relief payments worth $850 to qualified taxpayers all year round. This initiative is the state striving to help its residents bear the rising costs of living. Among the 18 other states that also offer relief plans, Maine provides one of the highest disbursements for its residents. The state’s relief plan provides direct payments worth $850 to single filers and $1,700 to joint filers. Maine also offers other financial assistance funded by the state’s surplus budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023. These assistances reportedly affect around 858,000 residents of Maine.

Who is eligible for the relief payments?

According to Maine Governor Janet Mills, to be eligible for the relief payments, a recipient must be a full-time resident of Maine. They must have filed an individual income tax return by October 31, 2022 and must not be claimed as a dependent of another resident. Recipients must also state their federal adjusted gross income (FAGI). For single filers and couples filing separately, they must earn not more than $100,000. For the heads of households, they must earn less than $150,000 and $200,000 for couples who filed jointly.

On June 1, 2022, the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS) started distributing the first batch of relief payments. This first round of distribution consisted of 5,000 checks. An estimated total of 200,000 checks every week were distributed after that. By November, more than 850,000 relief payment checks were already distributed. The remaining checks will be distributed until the end of the year, as reported by Brady.