Many Maryland residents who qualify for the RELIEF Act’s stimulus program should automatically receive payments by end of the week, according to a Tuesday video presentation from Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot. Gov. Larry Hogan signed the act into law Monday.
State taxpayers who claimed the earned income tax credit in their 2019 federal taxes qualify for the payments. Individuals who were claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return do not qualify.
Qualifying taxpayers who filed as individuals will receive $300. Spouses who filed joint returns, surviving spouses and heads of household will receive $500. The legislation also boosts the value of the earned income tax credit for three years.
More than 400,000 residents are eligible for these stimulus payments, according to the video presentation by Franchot. The video is also available with Spanish subtitles.
The office started processing payments Tuesday and expects to process 98 percent of them by Friday, according to the presentation.
The comptroller’s office will send payments via electronic direct deposit to about 63 percent of eligible people — those whose bank information is already on file with the office. About 35 percent of those eligible will receive their payments via check. The remaining eligible people — about 6,500 taxpayers — who have no bank account or address on file with the comptroller will need to contact the office, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Marylanders can check their eligibility through the state’s newly created RELIEF Act Stimulus Portal. The comptroller’s office also has a landing page with additional information including answers to frequently asked questions.
