Reposted from the Maryland Comptroller, June 15, 2026 email news article.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (June 15, 2026) — The Office of the Comptroller of Maryland announced today that Maryland Tax Connect, the agency’s secure, self-service tax portal, will expand to serve individual taxpayers beginning September 1, 2026, marking the first system-wide modernization of Maryland’s tax infrastructure in more than 30 years.
Maryland Tax Connect is an online tax portal offering real-time account balances, complete filing history, and expanded self-service tools, already in use by Maryland businesses to file returns, manage accounts, and communicate directly with the Comptroller’s office. Beginning September 1, the portal will extend those same capabilities to individual filers, including the ability to file income tax returns, make estimated payments, set up payment plans, and more. The new portal will be free t use and available to all Maryland individual taxpayers beginning September 1.
This momentous change for Maryland will be the culmination of years of work to transform Maryland’s revenue administration and move it from its COBOL-based mainframe system to new cloud-based technology capable of providing more services and processing complex tax types more efficiently. The agency today launched a dedicated information hub, MarylandComptroller.gov/IndividualTaxHub, providing taxpayers, tax professionals, and community partners with resources to prepare for the September 1, 2026, launch of Maryland Tax Connect for individual taxpayers.
“Thirty years ago, Comptroller Louis Goldstein brought our revenue administration system off of paper and pencil and into the computer age. That legacy tax system has served this state for more than 30 years, but as we saw when it abruptly shut down three years ago, it is now past its useful life. Marylanders demand and deserve a system that offers more transparency and self-help options,” said Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman. “I am proud of the team that has been working for years to bring this new integrated tax system, Maryland Tax Connect, to all individual taxpayers. It will provide our agency, Marylanders, and policy makers greater flexibility, transparency, and security over the long term.”
To complete the modernization by migrating the 4 billion records now held by the Comptroller’s legacy systems to the portal, the agency must take all processes offline for two weeks in late August. The Office of the Comptroller is urging taxpayers with payments due or returns to file to review the transition schedule and act before the applicable deadlines. The transition is purposely scheduled for August, the lowest activity period in Maryland’s tax calendar, to minimize disruption for taxpayers. The Office of the Comptroller will coordinate with tax professionals, legislators, and community organizations to ensure broad awareness ahead of the cutover.
“This migration involves transferring more than 4 billion tax records from legacy systems into a modern, secure platform,” said Chief Information Officer Rob O’Connor. “The work required to do that accurately and safely requires a planned period of downtime. We have structured that window carefully, and we are confident in our timeline.”
Taxpayers should note the following key dates related to the transition:
| July 24 | Last day for in-person paper check payments at branch offices for personal income, pass through entity, and fiduciary taxes. Branch offices close at 4:30 p.m. Electronic payments and money orders will continue to be accepted. | |||
| July 29 | Last day to electronically file a return or make a payment through current online systems, by 11:59 p.m. Online filing and payments for individuals will resume in Maryland Tax Connect on September 1. | |||
| August 20 | Last day to electronically file and pay Business Taxes, by 11:59 p.m. | |||
| Aug 21–31 | All tax systems are down for migration of records and data validation. E-check and credit card payments will continue to be accepted and processed during this period, although they will not post to taxpayer accounts until after September 1. | |||
| September 1 | Maryland Tax Connect for Individual Taxpayers is live. All services resume. |
**No penalties will be assessed for any payment or filing deadline that falls within the system’s outage window.**
E-check payments will remain available throughout the entire transition period. This free, fast, and secure payment method debits directly from a taxpayer’s bank account and can be used for existing balances, estimated payments, and extension payments. More information is available at MarylandComptroller.gov/Payments.
Taxpayers, tax professionals, and community partners are encouraged to visit MarylandComptroller.gov/IndividualTaxHub for a complete list of key dates, answers to frequently asked questions, and resources to share with constituents and clients. The page will be updated regularly through the September 1 launch.