Ready Or Not, It’s Tax Time

The 2020 tax season officially started on January 27 and our agency is ready to assist taxpayers with the high level of customer service they deserve.

As public servants, we focus on three R’s when dealing with the people who pay our salary – respect the taxpayers, respond to the taxpayers and get results for the taxpayers.

Last year, we processed 3.2 million individual state tax returns with refunds totaling more than $2.8 billion. More than 2.7 million Marylanders – roughly 86% of taxpayers – filed their taxes electronically, which helps us process your returns faster and issue refunds in an average of 2.1 business days.

It’s your money and that’s why I emphasize returning it as soon as possible.

At the same time, we also continue to make sure that taxpayers are protected against fraudulent preparers and other tax schemes. Our office’s state-of-the-art and highly-innovative fraud detection system has been nationally recognized and is a model for other states. Last year, our agency blocked 24 tax preparers who had attempted to file suspicious returns, and we work closely with Attorney General Brian Frosh to hold tax cheats accountable.

The landmark and unanimous passage of the Taxpayer Protection Act of 2018 has given our agency additional statutory tools to enforce tax laws and more efficiently and effectively investigate potentially fraudulent preparers.

Providing results-focused customer service to taxpayers remains our priority – and we are constantly trying to improve the taxpayer experience.

For instance, our agency’s newly-redesigned website — www.marylandtaxes.gov — is designed to be more user-friendly and functional. We know taxes can be a complicated and frustrating process, so we tried to make it easy to find what you’re looking for, regardless of what device you’re using.

You also can call our taxpayer services hotline at 1-800-MD-TAXES or stop by one of our 12 regional branch offices located across Maryland. Our knowledgeable, professional staff can even help file your state taxes for free with your completed federal return.

Remember, this year’s tax filing deadline is Wednesday, April 15.

It is my honor and privilege to serve as your comptroller. I am as focused as ever on serving taxpayers and our agency staff remains committed to delivering respectful, responsive results.