ANNAPOLIS — Working Marylanders who claimed the state Earned Income Tax Credit this year gained more than $1 billion through refunds and lower tax bills, the Office of the Comptroller said Oct. 20, an 8% increase over the year before.
The Comptroller’s new report credits an expanded awareness campaign, branded “EarnedIt 2026,” for reaching more eligible workers. In all, 443,156 Marylanders claimed the credit during the 2026 filing season, 86% of those the state considers eligible.
That still leaves about one in seven eligible filers without money they were owed. For a low-wage household, the credit can be worth thousands of dollars: Special Secretary Carmel Martin of the Governor’s Office for Children said it can put up to an additional $4,000 in a family’s pocket.
What filers received
According to the Comptroller, the average filer who qualified either received a $935 refund or saw a $1,333 reduction in taxes owed. Those are two different groups, not one combined benefit: some workers get the credit back as cash, while others use it to cut what they owe.
Maryland’s credit is tied to the federal one. For tax year 2025, the refundable state credit equals 45% of a filer’s federal EITC, and filers without dependents can receive a refundable credit equal to 100% of the federal amount, according to the Tax Policy Center’s tracker of state credits. A nonrefundable version worth 50% of the federal credit is also available, though filers can claim only one.
“The Earned Income Tax Credit puts money back in the pockets of working Marylanders to help cover groceries, housing, childcare, and other everyday needs,” Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman said in a statement.
How the campaign worked
The General Assembly funded the outreach in 2024 through House Bill 845 and Senate Bill 1105. When the Comptroller and Gov. Wes Moore’s office launched this year’s campaign in March, they said the legislature provides $300,000 a year for the multi-year effort.
The Comptroller says the campaign generated 10 million outreach touchpoints, more than triple the previous campaign’s reach, through paid ads, social media, text messages, work with 13 state and local agencies and elected officials, and a new letter campaign aimed at people who appeared eligible based on state tax data. In March, the agency said it planned to send 50,000 letters to likely-eligible residents who had not claimed the credit the year before. It also worked with the Urban Institute to study who was missing the credit and why, and with New America to test its messaging.
The gap the campaign targets has been narrowing. The Comptroller estimated about 99,000 eligible filers missed the state credit for tax year 2023 and about 72,000 for tax year 2024, according to a July 2025 report. The agency’s estimates are based on people who file returns, so they likely miss workers who do not file at all.
Southern Maryland’s share
The Comptroller’s announcement did not break out results by county. Earlier state data show the largest numbers of eligible non-claimers live in Prince George’s, Montgomery and Baltimore counties and Baltimore City, while rural counties generally have lower claim rates, according to the March campaign release.
Southern Maryland residents have local places to get free help claiming the credit:
- The Comptroller’s Waldorf branch office at 1036 Saint Nicholas Drive, Suite 202, the agency’s only branch in Charles, Calvert or St. Mary’s, according to its office locator.
- The Lifestyles of Maryland Foundation’s free VITA tax preparation program in Prince Frederick, which serves Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s and Prince George’s residents who meet income limits. It runs seasonally, January through April, by appointment at 301-609-9900, according to Maryland 2-1-1.
The Comptroller says the EarnedIt campaign will continue in coming years. Residents can check eligibility and find free tax help at MarylandComptroller.gov/EarnedIt before the next filing season opens in January.
