Thanks to the COVID-19 Essential Employee Premium Pay Program approved by the Massachusetts legislature in December, $500 checks are being mailed to half a million low-income workers. Governor Charlie Baker said in a statement, “this program will support those workers who served our communities, especially early in the pandemic.” The governor's administration will be using workers’ 2020 tax return information to determine eligibility. To be eligible for the one-time $500 payment, workers must have worked in person and have a total income below 300% of the federal poverty level.
See "500,000 Massachusetts workers will receive a $500 check in March", Louisa Moller, CBS Boston, February 9, 2022