ELIGIBILITY

Q. Are payments being sent to workers in certain industries?

No, your eligibility is not determined by the industry in which you work.

Q. How do I find out what my gross income was in 2020 or 2021?

Gross income is defined as federal adjusted gross income for the corresponding tax year. To find your federal adjusted gross income, look at your Massachusetts Form 1, or at line 11 of your U.S. Form 1040.

Q. What is income from employment?

Income from employment means compensation paid in connection with work you did, as opposed to retirement income, investment income, or other income not associated with a job. More specifically, income from employment would have been reported on Line 3, Line 6a, Line 6b, or Line 7 (non-passive income only) of your Form 1 for 2021.

Q. What does three times the federal poverty level mean?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services creates a table each year as a guideline for gauging the “poverty line”; income below this level implies a household is living in poverty. The poverty level increases for households with more people living in them. This table is used by states and the federal government to set eligibility for various programs, including this program, often by using a multiple of the Federal Poverty Level in order to set a uniform cutoff for lower or middle income households.

Here’s the chart for 300% of, or three times, FPL for 2021:

Persons in family/household 300% of FPL 1 $38,640 2 $52,260 3 $65,880 4 $79,500 5 $93,120 6 $106,740 7 $120,360 8 $133,980

For family size greater than 8, add $13,620 for each additional member to calculate 300% of FPL.

Q. My spouse works part-time, and we file jointly. Are we both eligible to receive a payment?

Each spouse must be independently eligible in order for that spouse to receive a payment. Therefore, it is possible that neither spouse, or only one spouse, or both spouses would be eligible for a payment.

Q. What should I do if I have questions about my eligibility?

A call center is available to answer questions about eligibility at (866) 750-9803 Monday through Friday, 9am - 4pm.