Maryland residents and businesses will have a three-month extension to pay their state taxes, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot said.
State tax payments for 2019 made by July 15 will occur no interest or penalty for lateness, he said in a statement his office released late Tuesday.
The news follows Tuesday’s announcement at the White House that the April 15 deadline for federal income tax payments is being extended for 90 days, due to the coronavirus.
“Right now, Maryland taxpayers and businesses must stay focused on their health and keeping their lights on, both in their homes and businesses,” Franchot said in the statement. “Extending the due date for Maryland state individual and business income tax payments helps us keep cash flowing in our economy and into employees’ bank accounts.”
As always, taxpayers who wish to take advantage of the extension to Oct. 15 to file their federal tax return must file a simple form with the Internal Revenue Service by April 15; however, payments are normally still due on April 15. But taxpayers now will have more time to make their federal and state tax payments.
Taxpayers who request a federal extension will continue to be automatically granted an extension to file their Maryland taxes by Oct. 15. No additional extension forms are required, according to the Comptroller’s Office.
Fiscal-year filers with tax years ending Jan. 1, 2020 through March 31, 2020, also are eligible for the July 15 extension.
Franchot said last week that certain business tax payments due in March, April and May will now be due June 1. “The extension applies to businesses filing sales and use tax, withholding tax, and admissions & amusement tax, as well as alcohol, tobacco and motor fuel excise taxes, tire recycling fee and bay restoration fee returns,” his office said.
The Comptroller’s Office is encouraging taxpayers to file their state income tax returns electronically and receive refunds via direct deposit. Taxpayers can e-mail questions to [email protected]. or call 1-800-MD-TAXES for help weekdays from 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. EDT. (Extended hours during the tax season remain in effect.)
Franchot also is urging Marylanders to support restaurants and other small local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many restaurants and other eateries are open for delivery and take-out orders. In-house dining at restaurants is banned, Gov. Larry Hogan said on Monday.
“Local businesses are the beating heart of our state’s economy and the backbone of our communities,” Franchot said in a statement. “They are being decimated through no fault of their own, leaving their survival and the fate of the tens of thousands of Marylanders they employ — as well as their families — in jeopardy. We have to pull together and help them keep the lights on during this period of deep uncertainty and loss.”
The list of small businesses — sorted by county — that remain open appears on www.marylandtaxes.gov. The list is updated daily by 3 p.m. EDT. To add a business, share it on the Comptroller of Maryland Facebook or Twitter pages.
Franchot’s office also said that due to the closure of the State Center office complex because of the coronavirus, the comptroller’s Baltimore branch office located there is shut down. Taxpayers with urgent business can visit the Towson branch office at 300 E. Joppa Road, Plaza Level 1A.
The comptroller’s Upper Marlboro branch office also is closed and there is limited public access to the Frederick office because both branches are located in county courthouses, Franchot’s office said. The other nine branch offices, including Towson, remain open for taxpayer assistance from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. EDT. For a complete list of branch offices, visit www.marylandtaxes.gov.
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