Maryland comptroller encourages new direct file

MARYLAND – The first official day of tax season kicked off on Monday and the Maryland State Comptroller’s Office is promoting a new and easy way to file your income taxes this year.

Maryland now joins 25 other states with using direct file for federal and state income taxes.

Direct file is a free, online mobile ready, secure system to file taxes with both the IRS and the state comptroller’s office.

Here’s how it works, you will first file your federal taxes with the IRS.

Then once you are done with the federal return, direct file will push through the information to the comptroller’s office.

“The IRS estimates that the average American spends over $250 and over 8 hours filing their taxes every year and I just think that’s crazy,” said Maryland State Comptroller Brooke Lierman. “We require people to file tax returns and we should make it easy and free, and that is what direct filing is all about.”

The comptroller also encourages eligible Marylanders to apply for the earned income, child, or senior tax credits.

Lierman says the average Marylander who qualifies for the EITC receives over $1,100 in refunds.