ANNAPOLIS — The Office of the Comptroller of Maryland will launch Maryland Tax Connect for individual taxpayers on September 1, 2026, providing a modern online portal for filing returns, making payments and managing accounts.
The expansion marks the first major modernization of the state’s tax infrastructure in more than 30 years. The portal already serves businesses and will now offer the same real-time account access and self-service options to individual filers at no cost.
The change requires a two-week shutdown of all tax systems in late August to migrate more than 4 billion records from the legacy COBOL-based mainframe to the new cloud-based platform. The transition is scheduled during the lowest-activity period of the tax calendar to limit disruption.
Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman said the legacy system has reached the end of its useful life. “Thirty years ago, Comptroller Louis Goldstein brought our revenue administration system off of paper and pencil and into the computer age,” Lierman said. “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.”
Chief Information Officer Rob O’Connor noted the scale of the migration. “This migration involves transferring more than 4 billion tax records from legacy systems into a modern, secure platform,” O’Connor said. “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 these key dates:
July 24 is the 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.
July 29 is the 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 is the last day to electronically file and pay business taxes by 11:59 p.m.
August 21–31 all tax systems will be down for migration and data validation. E-check and credit card payments will continue to be accepted but will not post to accounts until after September 1.
September 1 marks the launch of Maryland Tax Connect for individual taxpayers, with all services resuming.
No penalties will be assessed for any payment or filing deadline that falls within the outage window. E-check payments remain available throughout the transition. This free, secure method debits directly from a bank account and can be used for balances, estimated payments and extensions.
Southern Maryland residents who file state income taxes or make estimated payments should review the transition schedule and complete any necessary actions before the deadlines. The new portal will allow filers to view real-time balances, complete filing history and use expanded self-service tools once live.
The Office of the Comptroller has launched an information hub at MarylandComptroller.gov/IndividualTaxHub with key dates, frequently asked questions and resources for taxpayers, tax professionals and community partners. The page will be updated regularly through the September 1 launch.
