Coronavirus Closes MD Taxpayer Services Call Center

MARYLAND — The state's taxpayer services call center agents will no longer staff the 1-800-MD-TAXES phone lines effective 4:30 p.m. March 23. To accommodate residents, staff will instead respond to questions via email sent to taxhelp@marylandtaxes.gov. Response times may be affected as limited staff will be focused on processing tax returns and issuing refunds, said Comptroller Peter Franchot.

"For many Marylanders who are financially struggling to survive this crisis, their tax refunds will be a huge relief, so we want our very limited on-site workforce remaining to prioritize getting that money to them as quickly as possible," said Franchot in a statement. "By extending the filing and payment deadline for individual and corporate income taxes to July 15, as well as postponing most business tax payments until June 1, we've given taxpayers extra breathing room and allowed our staff to continue answering taxpayer questions without having to report to state offices."

Essential employees will concentrate on processing income tax returns and issuing refunds as quickly as possible. All mission critical staff who are reporting to their offices must take all necessary public health precautions, including wellness screenings upon entry, proper sanitation at all times and spatial distancing between workers, Franchot said.

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