Coinciding with Connecticut’s tax free week, some families will receive $258 per child starting Sunday to help with back-to-school costs.
Some low-income Connecticut families with school children will receive payments starting on Sunday of $258 for each child.
Gov. Ned Lamont’s office announced Friday the “one-time, back-to-school, COVID-19 relief special benefit” will be paid out to families over the weekend. The program is called the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund.
The money is drawn from a $7 million grant the state Department of Social Services received through the American Rescue Plan, President Joe Biden’s signature COVID-19 relief act.
Families are only eligible if they have children and received government assistance through one of two programs in May 2022 — the Temporary Family Assistance program or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The money will be automatically added to recipients’ EBT cards or bank accounts on Sunday, the governor’s office said.
“Connecticut is the most family-friendly state in the country, and this one-time, special benefit puts money back into the pockets of families who have been struggling to make ends meet,” Lamont said in a statement from his office.
Here’s what you need to know about the payments:
Only families who received TFA or SNAP benefits in May 2022 and had “no countable income” that month are eligible for the program, the governor’s office said.
The program is expected to benefit more than 15,000 households in the state, or around 27,000 children.
Most families will see the money applied directly to their EBT card balance starting on Sunday.
Families that receive SNAP or TFA assistance through direct deposit will have the money transferred into their bank accounts, the governor’s office said.
Eligible families will receive $257.87 per child.
Families can only receive the Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund money if they received benefits through SNAP or TFA in May.
The PEAF money families receive is separate from prior pandemic-related payments. The back-to-school benefits will be in addition to any direct payments families received from previous COVID-19 relief acts, or the state tax rebate of up to $250 per child.
But those prior payouts were applied more broadly — the third round of economic impact payments, which most people received as $1,400 payouts from the IRS, was restricted by income. The $250 tax rebates were restricted by income and to up to three children.
The state Department of Social Services mailed letters to recipients this week letting them know about the payouts.
Lamont’s office said the payments under the PEAF program are timed to coincide with back-to-school shopping.
The influx of spending money for families also coincides with the state’s sales tax-free week, which runs from Sunday to Aug. 27.
“During this one-week sales tax holiday, retail purchases of most clothing and footwear items priced under $100 are exempt from the Connecticut sales and use tax,” Lamont’s office said.
Peter Yankowski is a breaking news reporter for Hearst Connecticut Media. He previously reported for the Danbury News-Times and, before that, the Ridgefield Press.