A NEW round of winter relief checks are in the mail today, and if you qualify, you’ll soon be $450 richer.
Maine residents should keep checking their mailbox because the first round of 200,000 checks were sent out this week.
Governor Janet Mills said around 200,000 checks will be mailed each week until all eligible taxpayers have earned their $450 winter energy relief payments.
These payments come courtesy of Mills’s Emergency Energy Relief Plan, which intends to help residents as they battle sky-high energy costs this winter.
An estimated 880,000 Maine residents are eligible for the payments.
“High energy prices have made staying warm more difficult for Maine families this winter,” Mills said.
Read more about payments
“I thank the Legislature for approving this emergency measure and look forward to working with lawmakers to implement policies that will bring down energy costs and improve energy efficiency in the long-term,” Mills continued.
Each mailed check will likely take a few days to show up at your doorstep, but the majority of Maine residents should receive their check by the end of March.
WHO QUALIFIES
Maine residents do not need to do anything in order to secure the $450 payments.
However, they must meet a special set of criteria.
Most read in Money
First, you must have filed your 2021 Maine individual income tax return as a full-time resident of the state for the tax year 2021. The deadline to do so was October 31, 2022.
It’s also required that you are not claimed as a dependent on anyone else’s return.
Income-wise, you must make less than $100,000 if filing individually.
For the head of household, that figure jumps to $150,000, while married couples must earn less than $200,000.
OTHER SUPPORT
Maine residents can get other aid for energy- and housing-related bills from the Winter Emergency Relief Plan as well.
The program also invested $40million in supplementing the Federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Average benefits range from $1,600 and $2,200.
To prevent a heating crisis, Maine also is offering $800 in emergency funds to those who qualify.
If you are currently experiencing homelessness and/or living in a hotel, you can also seek help from the Emergency Housing Relief Fund.
OTHER DIRECT PAYMENTS
Maine is one of several states that has created direct payments to support residents through times of high inflation and energy cost surges.
The deadline is approaching for South Carolinians, who have just two weeks to apply for a tax rebate of up to $800.
Residents with a tax liability must submit their 2021 tax returns by February 15 to qualify.
Because of Hurricane Ian, the original deadline was extended to February from October.
Meanwhile, in California, taxpayers are earning relief debit cards of up to $1,050 in the mail.
These are included as part of the Middle-Class Tax Refund payments, which will be sent out until February 14.
This will be for recipients who changed their address after filing their 2020 tax return.
Read More on The US Sun
Another one-time relief payment has been sent out in Chicago, hoping to help those who missed out on federal coronavirus stimulus checks.
Plus, see if you qualify for yearly cash payments worth up to $1,200.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEZqqupl6YvK57zKilnrFfbIBxfJVqcGidnpq%2FqMWMq5yloZWberGt2Kacp6yjYrqitc2eZKydnql6sMHTaA%3D%3D
