Essential workers in Massachusetts will see $500 payments just in time for summer.
Here’s all you need to know to see if you qualify.
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Am I eligible for the $500 payment?
300,000 low-income essential workers in Massachusetts are expected to get a $500 check from the state. The Department of Revenue said that payments started June 6 and will continue to be sent out over the month.
The payments are funded through the Essential Employee Premium Pay program, which was signed into law December 2021. The legislation allocated $460 million for these stimulus payments.
The first round of payments went out in March and nearly 240,000 received the benefit. In order to be eligible you must:
- file a 2021 tax return
- be a Massachusetts resident as of before June 15, 2021, or a part-time resident that lived in Massachusetts between January 1, 2021 and June 15, 2021
- earned income of at least $13,500 in 2021 employment compensation
- have a total household income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level in 2021
You will NOT qualify for this round if:
- Received a $500 payment in the FIRST round of this program OR
- Received any unemployment compensation in 2021 OR
- If you are an employee of the Commonwealth’s Executive Branch – received a one-time Covid-related payment from the Commonwealth as your employer
There are also a series of income requirements, based on the number of people in your household:
- single filer- $38,640
- two person household- $52,260
- three person- $65,880
- four person- $79,500
Eligible workers who didn’t receive a check in the first wave of payments will automatically be sent the one-time payment this round.
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