Maine Affordability Payment Checks Set to Begin Mailing by July 31

Maine’s one-time $300 affordability payments are scheduled to begin mailing by July 31, 2026, to eligible residents. The program is not available to every Mainer: eligibility depends on a 2025 Maine income tax return, full-year residency, federal income and dependency rules.

Maine Public Law, chapter 650, requires the State Tax Assessor to begin payments as soon as administratively feasible, but no later than July 31, 2026, for eligible recipients whose 2025 Maine returns were filed by July 1, 2026. Maine Revenue Services says paper checks will be sent beginning in late July using the address on file with the agency.

Who qualifies for the $300 payment

To qualify, a person must file a 2025 Maine individual income tax return as a full-year Maine resident by October 15, 2026. The person also cannot be eligible to be claimed as another taxpayer’s dependent on a 2025 tax return.

For the 2025 tax year, federal adjusted gross income must be less than one of these thresholds:

$100,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouses;
$75,000 for taxpayers filing as head of household; or
$50,000 for single taxpayers or married taxpayers filing separately.

The October 15 deadline is the overall filing deadline in the eligibility rules. It is different from the July 1 date in the law, which identifies qualifying returns for the first payment phase that must begin by July 31. People who file after July 1 but by October 15 may be handled under the program’s later payment schedule.

How the program is funded

The Legislature authorized $155.2 million for the affordability payment program. That amount is not solely the money distributed to residents. The enacted budget specifies that the funding covers $300 payments to eligible recipients as well as administration, programming, mailing and taxpayer assistance.

The program was enacted through Public Law, chapter 650. The law says the payments are intended to return a portion of Maine consumption taxes to individuals considered disproportionately affected by those costs.

How payments will be sent

Maine Revenue Services will automatically send paper checks to eligible recipients. The agency generally will use the mailing address shown on the recipient’s 2025 Maine individual income tax return.

Married taxpayers who filed jointly and both qualify will receive two separate $300 checks, each issued in the recipient’s name, rather than one $600 check.

Residents can use the Maine Revenue Services eligibility and payment-status tool to check whether they qualify and whether a payment has been issued. The agency says residents who do not receive a payment within six weeks after confirming eligibility should call the affordability payment assistance line at (207) 624-9924.

What to do if your address is wrong

If a resident submitted a change-of-address request to the U.S. Postal Service, the check should be forwarded to the new address. Residents who need to update the address on record with Maine Revenue Services must submit a written request that includes the date of the request, their printed name, Social Security number, signature and proof of the new address, such as an updated photo identification card, utility bill or lease.

The documentation may be emailed to Affordability.MRS@maine.gov or mailed to:

Maine Revenue Services
PO Box 1060
Augusta, ME 04332-1060

Residents should follow the agency’s instructions when sending sensitive personal information.

Missing checks and disputed eligibility

If an eligible resident does not receive a payment within six weeks after confirming eligibility, Maine Revenue Services says the resident should call (207) 624-9924 to begin the reissue process. The same number and Affordability.MRS@maine.gov may be used by residents who believe they qualify but whose online status shows them as ineligible.

A check that is lost, stolen or destroyed can also be addressed through the agency’s reissue process. Maine Revenue Services states that eligibility determinations are made by the agency and are not reviewable under Maine’s general tax-appeal statute.

The law provides additional processing dates for people who do not receive a payment in the initial phase. By December 31, 2026, the State Tax Assessor must make payments to eligible recipients who did not receive one under the first phase. A person who still has not received a payment may submit documentation showing eligibility by March 1, 2027. Payments for people found eligible through that review are due by April 30, 2027.

Tax treatment and other program details

Maine Revenue Services says the affordability payment is not subject to Maine individual income tax and is not an advance against future state income taxes. The payment also cannot be used by Maine Revenue Services or another state agency to offset debts owed to the state.

The payment may be subject to federal income tax. If the payment is included in a recipient’s 2026 or 2027 federal adjusted gross income, Maine law provides a subtraction on the corresponding Maine income tax return for the amount included. The law also directs the State Tax Assessor to seek an Internal Revenue Service ruling on federal tax treatment.

For residents, the immediate steps are to confirm that the 2025 return was filed under the correct residency status, check income and dependency eligibility, review payment status and make sure Maine Revenue Services has accurate address information.

Sources

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