The first of Maine’s controversial $300 “affordability” checks are now in the mail, nearly seven months after Gov. Janet Mills introduced the payments as the centerpiece of her final State of the State address.
Maine Revenue Services began mailing the one-time paper checks in late July, meaning some eligible residents could receive their payments during the first weeks of August. The money will not be distributed through direct deposit, even to residents who previously received state tax refunds electronically.
Checks are being mailed to the address listed on each recipient’s 2025 Maine individual income tax return. Maine Revenue Services said the payments are intended to assist residents considered disproportionately affected by state sales and excise taxes.
The checks originated with an affordability agenda Mills unveiled on Jan. 27 as Maine residents continued to face rising prices for groceries, gasoline, housing, utilities and other necessities.
Mills initially proposed withdrawing approximately $218.5 million from Maine’s Budget Stabilization Fund, commonly known as the rainy-day fund, to send checks to an estimated 725,000 residents. At the time, the reserve had reached its statutory maximum of approximately $1 billion.
Under the original proposal, individuals earning as much as $75,000 and married couples earning as much as $150,000 would have qualified. Married couples filing jointly would have effectively received $600.
The proposal was later narrowed during negotiations over the supplemental state budget. The final program provides approximately $155 million for payments to an estimated 514,000 residents, more than 200,000 fewer recipients than Mills initially proposed.
The checks became one of the most contentious elements of the budget debate in Augusta.
Republican lawmakers argued that the state should pursue permanent tax relief rather than distribute another round of one-time government checks. They also questioned the decision to withdraw money from the rainy-day fund, which is traditionally reserved for economic downturns, natural disasters and other emergencies.
Republicans pushed alternatives that included conforming Maine’s tax code to federal tax reductions and temporarily suspending the state gasoline tax. One proposed amendment would have eliminated the affordability checks and used money from the stabilization fund to suspend Maine’s gasoline tax for 60 days.
Critics also accused Mills of promoting the payments during an election year while campaigning for the U.S. Senate, describing the checks as politically motivated spending rather than a serious response to Maine’s affordability crisis.
The proposal faced skepticism from some Democrats and progressive advocates as well. Those critics argued that a single $300 payment would provide little lasting benefit and that the money could be better invested in housing, health care, child care or other programs aimed at reducing long-term expenses.
Supporters countered that the state had accumulated a record reserve and could afford to return a portion of that money to residents facing higher everyday expenses. Mills’ administration characterized the checks as limited but immediate assistance for Maine families.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature ultimately approved the payments as part of the supplemental budget, which Mills signed into law on April 10. The broader spending package also included funding for housing programs, property-tax relief, veterans’ homes, indigent legal defense and the continuation of Maine’s free community college program.
To qualify for a check, a person must file a 2025 Maine individual income tax return as a full-year resident by Oct. 15, 2026, and cannot be claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer’s return.
Eligible recipients must have a 2025 federal adjusted gross income below $50,000 for single filers or married individuals filing separately, $75,000 for heads of household, or $100,000 for married couples filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouses.
Married couples who filed jointly will receive two separate $300 checks, each issued in the name of an individual spouse, rather than one combined $600 payment.
Residents can check their eligibility and payment status through the Maine Revenue Services Affordability Payment Program website.
Those who are confirmed as eligible but have not received their check within six weeks of its mailing date are advised to contact Maine Revenue Services at 207-624-9924.
For supporters, the checks represent immediate relief at a time when household expenses remain high. For opponents, they represent another round of temporary election-year spending that does nothing to reduce Maine’s taxes or address the policies driving the state’s high cost of living.
this is a wacky way to run our government, Over tax the taxpayers and then send certain taxpayers back a little bit of money. It’s a way of trying to buy votes.