Personal income tax filing began Monday, January 27th, 2025 in Maryland, with the Office of the Comptroller beginning a controlled rollout of processing and ramping up to full return processing next week, beginning February 3.
This process is in line with established IRS best practices and will allow the agency to test fraud detection and other systems to ensure a smooth process for Marylanders.
Tax Filing Options – IRS Direct File is one of the new tools available to Maryland taxpayers for filing, beginning today. Direct File allows users to file their federal and state returns at no cost. Direct File also allows users to transfer certain information from their federal return to their state return at no cost, in English or Spanish, from mobile devices. Direct File also allows users to transfer certain information from their federal return to their state return. An estimated 30 million Americans in 25 states, including 870,000 people in Maryland are eligible to use Direct File.
“I am focused every day on making government work better for Marylanders and so I’m thrilled to be able to offer a better way to file taxes this year – Direct File. Through a partnership with the IRS and Code for America, our agency is offering this new, free, secure way for eligible Marylanders to file their tax returns online,” said Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman. “Direct File provides a choice in how people file their taxes and gives them the support they need to claim all tax credits they have earned and file on their own.”
Code for America developed Maryland’s Direct File tool and will provide support to Marylanders as they file their taxes through live chat and email, much like the IRS provides to Direct File users through the federal platform
Marylanders interested in filing using Direct File are encouraged to find out their eligibility by using the IRS’s Eligibility Checker.
As it has each tax season, the Office of the Comptroller will provide tax preparation assistance through its 11 branch offices across the state. Branch offices and call centers are open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call centers will remain open for personal income tax assistance until 6 p.m. between February 3 and April 15, 2025. Virtual appointments are also available.
Marylanders can make an appointment by calling 1-800-MD-TAXES, visiting our website, or emailong [email protected].
Taxpayers can also receive tax preparation help from agency partners including organizations participating the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, the CASH Campaign of Maryland and AARP Maryland.
Members of the Comptroller’s Public Engagement team will also host webinars in January and February to provide more information about tax filing resources to Marylanders. Webinars will be tailored to specific audiences, including veterans, new Americans, students, and older Marylanders.
Tax Credits and Tax Outreach – Last week, the Office of the Comptroller launched the #EarnedIt Campaign,which is designed to encourage Marylanders to file their taxes and claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (E, ITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) if they are eligible. Claiming tax credits you qualify for can lower taxes Marylanders pay or increase the amount their refund amounts. The #EarnedIt Campaign engages other state agencies and community partners to educate the public on how tax credits work, and encourage Marylanders to file their tax returns, so they can claim tax credits for which they are eligible.
The EITC is one of the most effective and underutilized tools to reduce poverty. On average, Marylanders who are eligible for and claimed the EITC last year received about $1,100 as a tax break or refund, and unfortunately 180,000 eligible Marylanders did not claim the benefit.
The deadline to file personal income tax returns, or to pay taxes due and file for an extension is April 15, 2025.
For more tax resources, including information on Direct File and #Earnedit Campaign, please visit our Maryland Tax Toolkit.
