According to its website, the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) announced today that the 2020 deadline to submit Annual Reports and Personal Property Tax Returns will be automatically extended to July 15th as part of the Hogan administration’s response to COVID-19. Expiration dates for trade names and name reservations, as well as entity forfeiture dates, will also be extended to 30 days after the state of emergency is rescinded in accordance with Governor Hogan’s executive orders. Please note that it may take some time for these changes to be reflected on SDAT’s website and online searches.
SDAT’s Director Michael Higgs applauded Governor Hogan’s leadership during this COVID-19 health emergency. These business-related deadlines are being extended according to the Governor’s executive order. According to Director Higgs, nearly all Charter and Business Personal Property transactions can be completed through Maryland Business Express, and SDAT is not currently experiencing any online filing processing delays. SDAT will actively explore additional online services that could be made available over the next few weeks, as SDAT is committed to providing the best service possible to its customers.
Last week, SDAT closed all public access at State Center for Charter, Personal Property, Ground Rent, and Tax Credit filings. The majority of Charter and Personal Property filings can be completed online through Maryland Business Express, and turnaround times for those filings remain unchanged. All tax credit applications can also be submitted online; homeowners’ and renters’ tax credit applications can be submitted through Maryland One Stop, and homestead tax credit applications through SDAT’s website.
SDAT has also closed all public access to its 24 county-based Real Property Offices. At this time, those offices are only accepting telephone and written real property assessment appeals; all in-person hearings have been suspended.
PDFs of all SDAT filings and applications may also be downloaded, printed, and mailed, although SDAT strongly encourages customers to complete transactions online when possible. Any paper-based submissions will take significantly longer to process throughout the remainder of the COVID-19 crisis.
At this time, SDAT’s phone lines have limited staffing or are only accepting voicemails. SDAT is requesting that you email your questions to the appropriate program below:
Charter and Business Assessments:
- All Charter inquiries not listed below (most filings can be online) [email protected].
- Business Personal Property Program: [email protected].
- Trade Name Applications and Renewals (can be filed online): [email protected].
- Charter Requests for Certified Copies and Certificates of Good Standing (can be filed online): [email protected].
- UCC Filings (can be filed online): [email protected].
- Charter Forfeitures: [email protected].
- Franchise Tax and Public Utilities: [email protected].
- Ground Rent Filings: [email protected].
Real Property Assessments:
- Email addresses for SDAT’s local offices can be found here.
Tax Credit Programs:
- Homeowners’ Tax Credits Program (applications can be filed online): [email protected].
- Renters’ Tax Credits Program (applications can be filed online): [email protected].
- Homestead Tax Credits Program (applications can be filed online): [email protected].
- Office of the State Tax Sale Ombudsman (information can be found online): [email protected].
Any Other Inquiries: [email protected]. The Hogan administration has taken a number of unprecedented steps to respond to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 crisis. For health resources regarding COVID-19, including case counts and clinical guidance, please visit the Department of Health’s webpage. For a list of resources to help businesses whose daily operations are affected during the state of emergency, please visit Maryland Business Express’ webpage. For a comprehensive list of ongoing state actions, please visit Governor Hogan’s webpage. For additional questions or assistance about any of the information described in this article, please contact Colleen Helmlinger, Esquire at SLH at [email protected] or 410-893-7503.