Maryland Expands EITC to ITIN Filers
Last week, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to expand the state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to taxpayers using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) and create a state Child Tax Credit for families earning $6,000 or less with a child with disabilities. Governor Larry Hogan (R) allowed the legislation to become law without his signature.
The legislation comes on the heels of Maryland’s recent EITC expansion in the state’s COVID-19 relief package, which increased the value of the state credit for eligible taxpayers. The ITIN expansion was removed from the final relief package, causing Democrats in the state legislature to introduce separate legislation. In a joint statement, House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said, “Every taxpaying Marylander deserves to access this benefit. No Marylander deserves to wonder where their next meal will come from, how to buy their child’s diapers, or how to pay for life saving medicine — especially when they go to work every single day.”
In a statement, Cathryn Ann Paul, a policy analyst for CASA, said, “This is a victory for Maryland’s immigrant families, who have been serving, cleaning, and working for others selflessly throughout the pandemic.” The Baltimore Sun estimates that this expansion will benefit 60,000 immigrant workers in the state.
Maryland now joins California and Colorado as the only states to expand their state credits to ITIN filers, a major step toward making the EITC more inclusive.
To learn more about other state-level tax credits across the country, visit our 50-state map here.