Mayor Scott & Other Officials Highlight Free Tax Help Available To Marylanders
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and other officials on Friday urged low- to middle-income residents to take advantage of free tax preparation services.
Those services are available through the Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope (CASH) Campaign of Maryland, a nonprofit organization that offers free assistance to residents in need.
Campaign staff hosted a virtual meeting with Scott and others to draw attention to the location of several sites that aim to assist state residents who made less than $58,000 in 2021.
The tax preparation sites are located throughout Baltimore. Some of them are solely drop-off sites while others offer walk-in services. All the tax preparation sites require appointments.
CASH Campaign staff have prepared and filed more than 235,500 tax returns—putting almost $333 million in refunds and tax credits into the pockets of Maryland residents—over the past two decades.
Internal Revenue Commissioner Charles Retting noted that roughly 20% of people are unaware that they are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and can use it to increase the amount of refund that they receive. The challenge is in reaching that pocket of people, Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) said.
The EITC is a refundable tax credit for low- to moderate-income individuals. It is most beneficial to people who have children or dependents because the size of the benefit fluctuates based on the number of dependents.
Scott said that the credit could theoretically "put thousands of dollars back in the pockets of working families."
"We want folks to make an appointment at Bmorefreetaxes.org," he said. "We want you to do that. And IRS certified volunteers will prepare and e-file your taxes for the price of $FREE.99—that's $FREE.99—safely with virtual and in-person drop-off services for our residents who made less than $58,000 or less last year."
Marylanders have extra time to take advantage of the free tax service, Comptroller Peter Franchot said.
The state has extended the filing and payment deadline for individual income taxes until July 15 to help families struggling financially due to the pandemic.
Franchot announced the deadline extension on Jan. 19.
This is the third year in a row the state has extended its individual income tax deadline to provide financial relief to taxpayers, many of whom have struggled to make ends meet due to the pandemic.
Franchot described his concerns about the economic impact of COVID-19 on Marylanders during the virtual hearing. He said it was important to help them maximize their tax benefits given that the pandemic has created economic hardships that have left "thousands of Marylanders struggling to put food on the table to pay their bills and avoid foreclosure and eventual eviction."
He urged Marylanders to look into whether they qualified for EITC.
In the tax year 2020, more than 250,000 Marylanders claimed over $111 million in state EITC with the highest number of claimants in Prince George's County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, and Montgomery County, he said.
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski also urged people to take advantage of the whole host of CASH Campaign services, not just the tax preparation portion. The CASH Campaign can assist people with opening a savings account, obtaining a safe low-fee checking account, and finding benefits.
People who live in the Baltimore area can schedule an appointment by calling 410-234-8008 any time between 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Or they can schedule an appointment online by going to www.bmorefreetaxes.org.
Those who live outside of the Baltimore area can find a nearby tax preparation location by dialing 1-800-492-0618 or going to www.bmorefreetaxes.org.
Central Baltimore
- 1199 SEIU - Drop-off by Appointment for Union members only
- 611 North Eutaw Street, 21201
- Central Enoch Pratt Free Library - Drop-off, by appointment only
- 400 Cathedral Street, 21201
West Baltimore
- UMB Community Engagement Center - By Appointment Only
- 16 North Poppleton Street, 21201
Northwest Baltimore
- YMCA – Drop-off, by appointment only
- 1609 Druid Hill Ave, 21217
North Baltimore
- Loyola University Maryland - Drop-off, by appointment only
- Loyola Clinical Center
- 5911 York Road, #100, 21212
- Morgan State University, School of Business - Drop-off, by appointment only
- 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, 21251
- Corner of Hillen Road and Argonne Drive
East Baltimore
- We Are CASA - Drop-off, by appointment only
- 2706 Pulaski Highway, 21224
- Appointments only 410-732-7777
- *Servicios disponibles en español, llame al 410-732-7777 para hacer una cita
Baltimore County
- Baltimore County Public Library - Drop-off, by appointment only
- Randallstown Branch
- 8604 Liberty Road, Randallstown, 21133
- University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) - By appointment only
- Apartment Community Center,
- 1000 Hilltop Circle, Catonsville, 21250
