When MA Residents Can Expect $600 Stimulus Payments

MASSACHUSETTS — The latest stimulus payments were set to arrive as early as Tuesday night for some Massachusetts residents and will continue into next week, according to the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service.

Paper checks will begin to be mailed Wednesday.

Most people will receive a non-taxable payment of $600. Full payments will go to people who meet the following thresholds for adjusted gross income based on 2019 tax returns: $75,000 for single filers, $112,500 for heads of household and $150,000 for those married filing jointly. After those thresholds, the payments decrease and won't be available for single filers who earned more than $99,000. Adults also get $600 for each child they claim as a dependent.

"Treasury and the IRS are working with unprecedented speed to issue a second round of Economic Impact Payments to eligible Americans and their families," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a news release.

This second round of payments will be distributed automatically, with no action required for eligible individuals. If additional legislation is enacted for higher stimulus payments, those payments that have been issued will be topped up as quickly as possible, officials said.

Later this week, you can check the status of your stimulus payment at IRS.gov/GetMyPayment.
President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion coronavirus relief package Sunday that also includes extended unemployment benefits.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blocked Democrats' push to immediately bring Trump's demand for bigger $2,000 checks up for a vote, The Associated Press reported. The House voted overwhelmingly Monday to increase the size of payments.

"The Senate will begin a process," McConnell said, adding he plans to bring the president's demand for the $2,000 checks and other remaining issues "into focus." Among those issues is Trump's insistence on a voter fraud investigation despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

"The only thing standing between Americans and $2,000 survival checks is Senator Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

"$600 is not enough. Democrats will fight for the Senate to take a vote," Schumer said, referring to Georgia's Jan. 5 runoff elections that will determine control of the Senate.

Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts has been among the most vocal in demanding $2,000 payments for Americans, even advocating for monthly payments retroactive to March.