The second round of $500 payments to low-income workers under the COVID-19 Essential Employee Premium Pay program is scheduled to go out to 330,000 eligible Massachusetts workers. The Essential Employee Premium Pay program was passed by the Massachusetts Legislature and signed by the Governor in December 2021 as part of a $4 billion spending plan for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
The first round of payments, distributed in March 2022, provided $500 checks to approximately 480,000 people. Individuals in the second round of payments did not receive payments in the first round. With this second round of payments, over $400 million of the $460 million program will have been distributed to eligible individuals.
Click here to learn more about the program and see if you are eligible. For questions about eligibility, a dedicated call center is available at (866) 750-9803 and is open Monday through Friday, 9am - 4pm. Click here to view answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).
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