Americans living in Maine may be eligible for up to $850 in inflation relief checks in June.
Gov. Janet Mills, D-Maine, signed a supplemental budget on April 20 that included a provision to provide $850 in direct relief payments to state taxpayers to assist households “grappling with the increased costs as a result of pandemic-driven inflation.”
“We may not be able to control inflation or global markets, but we can make sure that Maine people have what they need to grapple with these rising costs – and that is what we are doing. Today, I am here to say to Maine people: help is on the way. You are our greatest asset – and this budget delivers for you,” Mills said.
The $850 relief payments will be sent to 858,000 residents, with the first round expected to arrive in mailboxes by June 2022. The government will send out more rounds of notifications until the end of the year.
The payments are only available to full-time Maine residents who have filed a Maine individual income tax return for the year 2021. Residents who have not yet filed their tax returns have until October 31, 2022, to do so.
While there is no necessity for residents to work in order to get the payments, they must meet the income thresholds in order to receive the $850 checks. The recipient must be a single filer with an annual income of less than $100,000, ahead of a household with an income of less than $150,000, or a couple filing jointly with an annual income of less than $200,000.
Residents who want to receive the checks should not claim to be dependent on another person’s tax return, other than fulfilling the income limits. The Maine government has set up a website for the relief checks where residents can check whether or not they are eligible to receive the $850 payments.
As per Ibtimes, Maine’s assistance comes as Americans continue to struggle with rising prices. Despite this, neither the Biden administration nor congressional members have suggested that the fourth batch of stimulus checks will be issued.
Some states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Mexico, have enacted laws to provide tax rebates to their residents in reaction to rising costs and the lack of federal stimulus payments.