The Mills administration announced Monday that the first round of $450 winter energy relief payments to Maine residents are in the mail.
If you haven't gotten your relief check yet, you can check the status of your payment in a couple of easy steps.
First, you have to enter https://portal.maine.gov/refundstatus/payment. From there, all you need to do is enter your Social Security number, your filing status and your Federal Adjusted Gross Income to see the status of your relief check.
The energy relief package approved by the state legislature calls for nearly $400 million to be used to provide $450 payments to an estimated 880,000 residents. It provides an additional $40 million to bolster the federal heating assistance program that’s administered through community action partnerships. It also includes $10 million for emergency fuel assistance and $21 million to bolster an emergency relief housing fund to help people experiencing homelessness.
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Gov. Janet Mills said Maine Revenue Services mailed the first 5,000 relief checks Monday, and they are expected to arrive in residents' mailboxes later this week. Another 200,000 checks will be issued per week beginning next week, with most people expected to receive their payment by the end of March.
“High energy prices have made staying warm more difficult for Maine families this winter. That’s why I proposed — and was pleased to sign — an emergency relief measure that quickly puts money back into the hands of Maine people,” Mills said. “Beginning next week, Maine people will start to receive their $450 relief payment to help ease the burden of increased energy costs. 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.”
The qualifications for the heating relief checks are the same as when Mills sent $850 inflation relief checks last summer. According to the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, the qualifications are based on Maine 2021 income tax returns.
If you filed as an individual and made less than $100,000, filed as a head of a household and made less than $150,000 or filed as a married couple and made less than $200,000, you qualify for the payments.
The state has created a guide to Frequently Asked Questions at Maine.gov/energyrelief to help answer any questions residents might have about the energy relief payments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
