BOSTON — Eligible low-income workers around the state should start seeing $500 checks in their mailboxes. 

 

Approximately 500,000 people will be begin receiving payments over the next week through the COVID-19 Essential Employee Premium Pay Program.

 

These payments were previously announced last month and represent the first round of a $460 million program passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Charlie Baker as part of a $4 billion spending plan for American Rescue Plan Act funds. Under this program created by the Legislature, the administration was provided flexibility to design the program and develop eligibility parameters to ensure this critical support is provided quickly to workers across the commonwealth.

 

Massachusetts residents will be eligible for first-round payments if, based on filed 2020 Massachusetts tax returns, their income from employment was at least $12,750 — the equivalent to working 20 hours a week for 50 weeks at minimum wage as of 2020 — and their total income put them below 300 percent of the federal poverty level.

 

The 2020 levels for households were $12,760 for one person; $17,240 for two; $21,720 for three, and $26,200 for four.

 

Individuals who received unemployment compensation in 2020 will not be eligible for the first round of payments, nor will commonwealth executive branch employees who received or will receive a one-time payment from the state as their employer. Eligible individuals will receive the payment in the form of a check mailed to them. Checks will be mailed in batches in the coming days.

 

Click here for more information on eligibility or call 1-866-750-9803 weekdays between 9 and 4. Some frequently asked questions can be found here.

 

The legislation creating the Premium Pay program included $500 million in total for low-income essential workers; this $460 million program comprises the majority of those funds, and $40 million was allocated to fund previous agreements with state employee unions. This first round of payments, worth $250 million, will be made based on 2020 returns. Following the 2021 tax filing season, the next round of payments will be made using information from 2021 returns.

 

Information on plans to disburse subsequent rounds of funds will be released in the future.