$850 Stimulus Payment to be Given to 850,000 Maine Residents by June 2022

More than 850,000 residents of Maine will be eligible to get a stimulus payment amounting to $850 per taxpayer by June 2022. Gov. Janet Mills approved the relief budget into law on Wednesday, April 20, in front of the lawmakers and cabinet members.

Kirsten Figueroa, Maine's Commissioner for the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, said via Maine.Gov that they have started working on getting the $850 stimulus payments out to "every Maine adult who qualifies" this summer. Distribution of the relief payment will be rolled out until the rest of the year and will be mainly based on the residents' 2021 income tax returns.

Aside from the most recent tax declaration, eligible individuals must also be full-time residents of the state and are not dependent on another taxpayer. They must also meet the Federal adjusted gross income of $100,000 for individual filers, $150,000 for the head of household filers, and $200,000 for joint filers or couples, who will get separate checks or $1,700 per two-income families.

Taxpayers who have yet to file their tax declaration, despite the end of tax season last Monday, April 18, have until Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, to submit their tax returns. They cannot expect the $850 relief check until this has been completed.

Additional Eligible Recipients

Maine's governor, along with the state's lawmakers, agreed to use more than half of the state's budget surplus to help residents who are struggling with the soaring prices of basic goods. This one-off payment is different from last year's rollout, which was focused on people who still came to work in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the wage requirement has been lowered this year, an additional 333,000 eligible recipients have qualified for the stimulus payment. This includes self-employed individuals or business owners, the elderly who are living on their retirement income or social security benefits, and both filers in a two-parent household where one works or runs a business while the other stays at home.

Mill's government said that an upcoming Maine Revenue Services website will soon be opened to expound and help the locals with their stimulus payment. Those who need help with the late filing of tax returns may for free assistance by calling 2-1-1 or getting in touch with 211Maine.Org. Late filers, however, should expect to pay penalty fees or interests thus they are advised to file as soon as possible so that the fees will not accumulate.

The relief checks will only be mailed to the address written on their 2021 tax return. There will be no direct deposits for this stimulus check. For Maine residents who have moved since their tax filing, or may encounter lost or stolen payments in the mail, they can report the incident to the Maine Revenue Services via (207) 624-9924.

Other Benefits for Maine Residents, Illinois Next

Apart from the relief check, Mills also approved a property tax relief for senior residents, low-income homeowners and tenants through the Homestead Exemption Program, Maine Earned Income Tax Credit, and the State Property Tax Fairness Credit. Maine has also secured enough funds to support two years of community college for eligible students.

Meanwhile, Illinois will be the next state to roll out its relief payment in the amount of $50 to $400, depending on the taxpayers' most recent filing. According to The State-Journal Register, Gov. JB Pritzker has approved the state's new budget and will soon come out with the directives for the stimulus payments or tax rebates. Illinois locals may look forward to more details about their relief checks by early July.