The state finance office says nearly 60% of recently approved energy relief payments have been mailed to eligible Maine residents as of Friday.
The $450 checks were approved by the Legislature in early January after Democratic Gov. Janet Mills proposed them in an emergency bill.
The governor has described the payments as a band-aid to address soaring heating and electricity costs as policymakers seek longer term solutions to volatile energy prices.
Her nearly half-billion dollar proposal is drawn from the state surplus, and it's expected that 880,000 Maine tax filers will receive a payment.
The payments are exempt from state taxes and are designed to be exempt from federal income taxes, although the IRS has not yet made a determination.
The agency recently determined that state-issued pandemic and inflation payments are exempt.
Mills said during her recent budget address that she expects all of the checks will be delivered by the end of March.