Maine Revenue Services’ web portal, rolled out in phases since 2021, can now be used to file, pay and manage personal state income tax returns, and the agency is offering free webinars on how to access the online system.

This is the first filing season that the Maine Tax Portal is available to file personal income tax returns – which are due April 17 – as well as for other previously allowed business taxes, fees and programs.

The opening of the portal for personal income taxes is part of a multiyear rollout that is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.

Steven Scott of Scott Associates Certified Public Accountants in Portland has been using the portal for his clients for more than a year. He has found it especially helpful to address notices and inquiries from Maine Revenue Services as soon as possible.

“The portal has great potential,” Scott said. “As a preparer, we can respond quickly through the portal on a client’s behalf.”

The portal expands some of the state agency’s services and replaces others, including I-File, FastFile and EZ Pay, which have been deactivated for most taxes.

“More than 140,000 business taxpayers are already using the Maine Tax Portal,” said Kirsten Figueroa, commissioner of the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services. “We’re looking forward to introducing it to taxpayers who previously used I-File, FastFile, EZ Pay or paper (forms) to file and pay their state individual income taxes.”

Taxpayers also can continue to use third-party, self-service software or online services such as TurboTax to prepare and file state income tax returns, Figueroa said.

The state is offering free, live portal training webinars for individuals and tax professionals on Feb. 1, 15 and 29; March 14 and 28; and April 11. Sign up for training sessions at maine.gov/revenue/mtpwebinarschedule.

“We know that change can be challenging,” Figueroa said in a statement. “To ensure that the tax season goes as smoothly as possible, we encourage all individual income taxpayers, as well as the tax professionals who are not familiar with the Maine Tax Portal, to attend these online training sessions.”

The portal can be used to pay a wide variety of taxes, including sales, use, withholding, business equipment, prepaid wireless, corporate income, service provider, estate, franchise, milk handling, cannabis, tobacco, blueberry, potato and commercial forestry taxes.

Regarding the $450 state energy relief payments that Mainers received last year, the Internal Revenue Service has determined that they are exempt from federal taxes, which would have cost taxpayers about $50.

The checks were a part of a $473 million emergency winter energy relief plan that the Mills administration and bipartisan legislative leaders negotiated after the November 2022 election. The package was funded with surplus tax revenue to help residents cope with high energy costs driven largely by soaring natural gas prices on global markets.

Recordings of previous Maine Tax Portal training sessions are posted at maine.gov/revenue/webrecordings.

Additional help is available by emailing taxpayerassist@maine.gov or calling 207-624-9784.

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