Maine grants
& benefits: MaineCare, the fairness credit and HEAP.

In 2017 Maine became the first state to expand Medicaid through a citizens' referendum. Coverage started after Governor Janet Mills signed an executive order in 2019. DHHS said in 2025 that about 400,000 Mainers, roughly 30% of the state, had MaineCare.

Expansion adults are 19 to 64, not pregnant and not eligible for Medicare. The 2026 limit is 138% of poverty: $1,836 a month for one person or $3,796 for four. There is no asset test. Children and young adults 19 and 20 qualify up to 305% of poverty.

From January 1, 2027, expansion adults must earn at least $580 in a month, or log 80 hours of work, school, a work program or volunteering. Current members show this for one month since their last renewal. New applicants show it for the month before they apply.

These members are exempt from the 2027 rule:

• Pregnant people, and those up to 12 months postpartum who had MaineCare while pregnant.
• Anyone caring for a child aged 13 or under, or for someone with disabilities.
• Veterans with a disability rated total, and former foster youth under 26.
• People getting TANF or SNAP, or in drug or alcohol treatment.
• People with a work-limiting health condition, and American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Maine calls its Medicare Savings Programs the Buy-In, and it raised the income limits on July 1, 2024. Neither level has an asset test, and DHHS says estate recovery does not apply to these benefits, so savings do not block you.

QMB pays the Part B premium plus Medicare deductibles and coinsurance, and may pay Part A premiums. The 2026 limit is $2,461 a month for one person or $3,337 for a couple, which is 185% of poverty.

QI pays only the Part B premium, for incomes up to $3,325 a month single or $4,509 for a couple. You cannot hold other MaineCare coverage at the same time. You must be entitled to Medicare Part A and B for either one, and you apply through My Maine Connection.

The Property Tax Stabilization Program, which froze homestead taxes for some seniors, was repealed by Public Law 2023, chapter 412. No town takes freeze applications now. Two older programs were widened instead.

The Property Tax Fairness Credit is claimed on Form 1040ME with Schedule PTFC/STFC, even if you owe no Maine income tax, and any excess is refunded. For tax year 2025 it pays up to $1,000, or up to $2,000 when you or your spouse is 65 or older.

It applies when property tax on your main home tops 4% of total income, or rent tops 26.67%. Income must be under $63,750 for a single filer, $82,500 or $101,250 for joint filers depending on dependents, or $102,500 at 65 or older. Married filing separately cannot claim it.

The State Property Tax Deferral Program pays your yearly bill as a loan if you have reached 65 or have a permanent and total disability, with income under $80,000 and liquid assets under $100,000 ($150,000 joint). File with the assessor January 1 to April 1; repay with interest when you sell, move or die.

MaineHousing runs the Home Energy Assistance Program, and local Community Action Agencies and ProsperityME take the applications. Homeowners and renters can apply online or book a phone or in-person appointment. The benefit usually lands as a credit with your fuel dealer.

Applications for the 2026 to 2027 season opened August 3, 2026, and run until May 29, 2027, or until funds run out. The yearly gross income cap is $38,070 for one person, $49,784 for two and $73,213 for four. Some medical costs can be deducted if you are over.

Running low on fuel? File a HEAP application, then ask your agency about the Energy Crisis Intervention Program, open November 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027. HEAP eligibility also opens doors to weatherization, heating system repairs and electric bill help.

A veteran who served in a recognized war period and is 62 or older, or who is rated 100% disabled, can take $6,000 off a home's taxable value. Veterans who got a federal specially adapted housing grant get $50,000 off. Apply with the town assessor by April 1.

Veterans rated 100% permanently and totally disabled by the VA, or their spouses, get a doubled Property Tax Fairness Credit: up to $2,000, or $4,000 at 65 or older. Attach the VA rating decision or benefit summary letter to Form 1040ME.

The Bureau of Maine Veterans' Services runs the Veterans' Emergency Financial Assistance Program with FEDCAP, covering rent or mortgage, utilities, car repairs and other urgent bills after a sudden hardship. Its Veteran Services Officers also help with VA claims; call 207-287-7020.

Veterans with a 50% service-connected rating get a free lifetime hunting and fishing license, and Maine veterans can apply for a free Lifetime State Park and Museum Pass.

Apply on My Maine Connection, by phone at 1-855-797-4357, by mail or at a regional DHHS office. Every applicant has an interview. From October 1, 2026, the top benefit for one person is $306.

The gross income limit is 200% of poverty. DHHS's chart lists $2,609 a month for one person, which matches the 2025 poverty line; 200% of the 2026 line that sets federal figures from October 1, 2026 is $2,660, so ask OFI which amount applies to you.

A new 36-month time-limit period for adults 18 to 64 without dependents began October 1, 2026, and runs to September 30, 2029, so people subject to the limit get three fresh months. EBT cards work only in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont for now, as a theft guard.

Deposit days, the Resource Guide route to the 200% line and state-funded SNAP are covered in our Maine food stamps guide.