Eligibility Parameters

Individuals are eligible for a Round 3 payment of $250 if they meet the eligibility criteria for either Round 1 or Round 2 except for the requirement that they had not received unemployment compensation .

In other words, individuals who were excluded from receiving a check in previous rounds of this program solely because they had received unemployment compensation will receive a Round 3 payment.

Eligibility criteria for Rounds 1 and 2 can be found below.

All eligible individuals will automatically receive a check in the mail.

Eligibility for Round 2 Premium Pay checks was based on the below criteria:

You must have:

Filed a 2021 tax return;

Been a Massachusetts resident on or before June 15, 2021, or a part year resident that lived in Massachusetts between January 1, 2021 and June 15, 2021;

Earned income of at least $13,500 in 2021 employment compensation; AND

Had a total household income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level in 2021.

And you must NOT have:

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.

Individuals were not eligible for a second round of payment if they received a payment in the first round of the program, received unemployment compensation in 2021, or received a one-time COVID-related payment from the state as their employer.

Eligibility for Round 1 Premium Pay checks was based on the below criteria:

You must have:

Filed a 2020 tax return;

Been a Massachusetts resident in 2020, or a part year resident that lived in Massachusetts between March 10, 2020 and December 31, 2020;

Earned income of at least $12,750 in 2020 employment compensation; AND

Had a total household income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level in 2020

And you must NOT have:

Received any unemployment compensation in 2020; 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.