There are no new Massachusetts stimulus checks scheduled for 2025 or 2026. The payments most people remember, roughly $2.941 billion sent to about 3 million taxpayers beginning November 1, 2022, were not stimulus at all. They were refunds required by Chapter 62F of the Massachusetts General Laws, a 1986 voter-approved cap on state tax revenue that forces the Commonwealth to return the excess when collections run over.1Mass.gov. Distribution of Excess Tax Revenue Refunds Begins November 1, 2022 The window to claim that refund closed on September 15, 2023. If you are looking for money from the state now, the answer is not a stimulus check but a set of tax credits you claim on your annual return.
What the 2022 Payment Actually Was
Massachusetts voters approved “Limiting State Tax Revenue Increases” in November 1986, and it became Chapter 62F.2Mass.gov. Chapter 555 Legislative History FY18 The law ties the maximum allowable state tax revenue in any fiscal year to the growth of Massachusetts wages and salaries. When collections exceed the cap, the excess must be returned to taxpayers.
For decades, the cap sat well above actual collections and the law did nothing. Fiscal year 2022 changed that. Total state tax revenue came in at $41.81 billion against an allowable cap of about $38.87 billion, producing roughly $2.94 billion in excess that had to go back.3Mass.gov. Chapter 62F Taxpayer Refunds The legislature did not vote to send checks. Once the Department of Revenue certified the overage, the refunds were automatic.
That is why calling them stimulus is misleading. Federal stimulus rounds were newly designed programs with income cutoffs and eligibility rules Congress wrote from scratch. The 62F refunds followed a formula already in state law and had no income ceiling.
Who Received a 62F Refund and How Much
Eligibility was broad. Anyone who paid Massachusetts personal income tax for tax year 2021 and filed a 2021 state return on or before September 15, 2023, qualified. Residents and non-residents both qualified. So did fiduciary filers such as trusts and estates, and non-residents on whose behalf a partnership or S corporation filed on a composite basis.3Mass.gov. Chapter 62F Taxpayer Refunds The only people left out were those with zero 2021 Massachusetts income tax liability and those who never filed a 2021 return by the deadline.
Each eligible taxpayer received 14.0312% of their 2021 Massachusetts personal income tax liability, a percentage the Department of Revenue set after the extended October 17, 2022 filing deadline.3Mass.gov. Chapter 62F Taxpayer Refunds A $3,000 liability produced roughly $421. A $10,000 liability produced about $1,403. Higher earners got larger dollar amounts because the refund scaled with tax paid, but everyone received the same proportional share.
Payments began November 1, 2022. Filers who had submitted 2021 returns by October 17 and had direct deposit on file went first. Paper checks followed by mail, with distribution to that group targeted for completion by mid-December 2022. Anyone who filed later, up through September 15, 2023, got their refund about a month after filing.3Mass.gov. Chapter 62F Taxpayer Refunds
Can You Still Claim One?
No. The refund was tied to filing a 2021 Massachusetts return by September 15, 2023. That date has passed, and the file identifies no separate late-claim mechanism outside the standard filing window. If you filed within the window and believe your refund never arrived or came in the wrong amount, the Department of Revenue’s MassTaxConnect portal is where you check status and raise the issue.
Federal Tax on the Refund You Already Got
The 62F refund is not taxable at the Massachusetts state level and does not affect your state liability for any year.3Mass.gov. Chapter 62F Taxpayer Refunds
The federal picture is narrower. In guidance issued February 10, 2023, the IRS said most recipients can exclude the refund from federal income. If you took the standard deduction on your 2021 federal return, it is not taxable. If you itemized but got no tax benefit from deducting state taxes, for example because the $10,000 SALT cap bound you, it is still excluded.4Internal Revenue Service. IRS Issues Guidance on State Tax Payments The group that may owe federal tax is itemizers who actually benefited from the Massachusetts tax deduction. The Department of Revenue issued Form 1099-G to affected taxpayers, following IRS rules that require reporting of state refunds, credits, or offsets of $10 or more.5Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1099-G If you got a 1099-G, a tax preparer can tell you whether it changes your federal bill.
Will Massachusetts Send Another One?
Possibly, but nothing is scheduled. Chapter 62F remains on the books, and if state tax revenue again exceeds the cap in a future fiscal year, refunds trigger automatically on the same proportional-to-liability formula. Whether a trigger happens depends on wage growth (which raises the cap) and total collections. The 4% surtax on taxable income above $1,083,150 in 2025 has added a new revenue stream that could push collections higher.6Mass.gov. Massachusetts 4% Surtax on Taxable Income The Department of Revenue certifies the numbers after each fiscal year closes, so any next refund would be announced then, not before.
Massachusetts Tax Credits You Can Claim Now
If you are looking for money from the state this year, refundable credits on your Massachusetts return are the practical route. Three matter for most households.
Earned Income Tax Credit
Massachusetts matches 40% of your federal EITC. A $3,000 federal credit adds $1,200 in state credit on top.7Mass.gov. Tax Season 2026 Healthy Families Tax Credits Coalition You need to be a Massachusetts resident for at least part of the year and file a state return. Married taxpayers filing separately cannot claim it.8Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Tax Credits to Help Put Money in Your Pocket
Child and Family Tax Credit
For tax year 2025, the credit is $440 per qualifying dependent, up from $310 in tax year 2023.7Mass.gov. Tax Season 2026 Healthy Families Tax Credits Coalition Qualifying dependents include children under 13, a spouse who is physically or mentally incapable of self-care and lives with you, and dependents 65 or older who are disabled. You have to file a Massachusetts return to claim it, even if you have no income to report.8Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Tax Credits to Help Put Money in Your Pocket
Senior Circuit Breaker Credit
If you are 65 or older and own or rent your principal residence in Massachusetts, you may qualify for a refundable credit of up to $2,590. Tax year 2023 income limits were $69,000 for single filers, $86,000 for heads of household, and $103,000 for joint filers.8Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Tax Credits to Help Put Money in Your Pocket Include Schedule CB with your return to claim it.