Press Release

For immediate release:
June 29, 2020
Contact:
Meghann Malone
meghann.malone@maryland.gov

SDAT’s 2020 Annual Business filings Due in Two Weeks

Annual Reports and Personal Property Tax Returns Must Be Filed By July 15; No Further Deadline Extensions Permitted

2020 Annual Reports and/or Personal Property Tax Returns must be filed for all domestic and foreign business entities with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) by Wednesday, July 15. Governor Larry Hogan issued an Executive Order to extend the original deadline of April 15 by ninety days in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. SDAT will not be granting any further deadline extensions for annual business filings this year. The quickest and easiest way to submit these filings is through the department’s award-winning Maryland Business Express website. If you do not submit these critical filings by the July 15 deadline, your business will enter into “not in good standing” status, which eventually leads to forfeiture.

“I thank Governor Hogan for his unwavering leadership during the COVID-19 crisis, and for granting this extension to help Maryland businesses during such an unprecedented time,” said SDAT Director Michael Higgs. “SDAT is well-poised to help our customers with the annual filings process, and is very proud to have a fast and reliable system in place making it easier and faster than ever to plan, start, manage and grow a business here in Maryland.”

In order to maintain good standing status, all business entities formed, qualified or registered to do business in Maryland must file an Annual Report every year. If your business owns, leases, or uses personal property in Maryland and/or maintains a trader’s license with a local unit of government in Maryland, you must also file a Personal Property Tax Return. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SDAT’s offices are closed to the public until further notice. If you are unable to file your returns on Maryland Business Express, please find the appropriate form on this page and follow the instructions to mail them in.

If you do not file your required documents by the deadline, your business will enter into “not in good standing” status. If your domestic business entity is currently not in good standing because of failure to submit previous annual filings, you may now file up to ten years of overdue Annual Reports and Personal Property Tax Returns online to regain the ability to legally conduct business in Maryland. For more information about the filings that entities are required to submit annually or to view the standing of your business, visit the Maryland Business Express webpage and review SDAT’s Good Standing Checklist.

SDAT strongly recommends that all business owners sign up for our email distribution list to receive timely reminders about filing these important documents by the required deadline, as well as general SDAT news updates.

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 click here.

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