Central Payroll Bureau

The office provides information technology services critical to the daily operation of most state agencies. Acting as Maryland’s chief accountant, the comptroller pays the state’s bills, maintains its books, prepares financial reports, and pays state employees. For the Comptroller, the Division administers finance, procurement and other administrative functions. It is responsible for the preparation and execution of the agency’s budget, payment of invoices, accounting for expenditures of the agency, and procurement of goods and services (except for those concerned with information technology). In addition, the Division maintains a centralized mail room and supply facility, and oversees fleet management, timekeeping, and payroll. These forms (created as PDF’s) can either be used as electronic fill-in forms or printed for manual use and circulation.

TAXPAYER SERVICES DIVISION

Additionally, a flow chart (attached) has been developed to outline the payroll advance I recovery process. Once an employee is in the payroll system (it can take new employees 2-3 pay periods to be “in the system”), it will take 2 more pay periods for direct deposit to begin. If the bank does not reject the pre-note, the direct deposit will begin next pay period. Building upon the agency’s commitment to stellar customer service, the agency has created a new unit dedicated to providing taxpayers with a high-level contact for tax issues that haven’t been resolved adequately. The Ombudsman’s Office, led by Dana Frank Buker, is dedicated to helping taxpayers navigate government channels and come to a swift resolution of their problems.

FRAUD DETECTION & BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE DIVISION

Beginning in January 2023, all main offices of the Comptroller of Maryland began to report to the Comptroller through the Chief of Staff. Directly under the Chief of Staff is the Administration and Finance Division. The Comptroller is elected by the voters to a term of four years (Const., Art. VI, sec. 1). Moreover, neither the Constitution nor the Annotated Code of Maryland specifies qualifications for this office. Yet, the Comptroller must give a bond and keep the office at the seat of government (Code State Government Article, sec. 4-102).

Both have been filled with great leaders, un-sung heroes, intrigue, and conflict. Like Maryland’s other elected officials, the 30 people who have served as comptrollers have affected the lives of citizens in many ways since 1851. Unique among state financial officers, Maryland’s Comptroller has diverse and far-reaching responsibilities that touch the lives of every Marylander.

Salary Advances

The first comptroller, Philip Francis Thomas, had a salary of $2,500 and a staff of one clerk. This first office provided the money and accounting that made the government work and still does today. Comptroller Thomas and his early counterparts put together fiscal reports, printed piles of forms and collected revenue from lotteries and property taxes as well as license fees for peddling, hunting and fishing and getting married. The first comptrollers also spent a lot of their time signing forms until the office was able to obtain an official signature stamp in 1858. The comptroller audits taxpayers for compliance, handles delinquent tax collection, and enforces license and unclaimed property laws.

• The public’s right to information about government activities lies at the heart of a democratic government.
• The major revenue sources are individual and business income taxes and sales and use taxes.
• In addition, the Division maintains a centralized mail room and supply facility, and oversees fleet management, timekeeping, and payroll.
• CPB strives to provide quality payroll services in the issuance of paychecks, deposit advices and W-2 wage statements for all permanent and contractual employees of all branches of state government.
• Acting as Maryland’s chief accountant, the comptroller pays the state’s bills, maintains its books, prepares financial reports, and pays state employees.

About the Office of the Comptroller of Maryland

These tax rates are set by local officials, and the Comptroller distributes the local revenue to each county and Baltimore City. In addition, revenues collected by the Maryland Racing Commission, along with motor vehicle revenues, are distributed to local jurisdictions by the Comptroller’s Office. The office of the Comptroller of Maryland was established by the Constitution of 1851 (Art. VI, secs. 1-4). Concerned about the potential for fraud and corruption in the administration of the public treasury, delegates to the 1850 Constitutional Convention established the office as a check on the State Treasurer. A direct deposit will stop within 21 days of filing the form with the Central Payroll Bureau. Do NOT close your bank account until you have received your first regular paycheck.

The Division’s work is supported by the automated State of Maryland Integrated Tax (SMART) System. Through the System, tax return information is recorded and processed, refunds are issued for individual income taxes, and for certain other taxes, including corporate income taxes, employer witholding taxes, and sales and use taxes. The Compliance Division originated when the Income Tax Division formed in 1937. Some of its duties also stem from the Sales and Use Tax Division which organized in 1947.

• Under the Division, the State’s Corporate Purchasing-Card Program reduces the number of invoices and checks used in the purchasing and procurement process.
• The Office oversees much of the public work of the Comptroller of Maryland, including the agency�s field offices, public engagement initiatives, and internal and external communications.
• Formed in 1953, the Central Payroll Bureau was authorized several years earlier by the Board of Public Works.
• PIA requests made for information owned by the Comptroller of Maryland will be reviewed and processed per all applicable laws.
• Now, the Division administers laws and regulations concerned with the manufacture, storage, transportaton, sale, and distribution of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and motor fuel.
• With a budget of $110 million, the agency collects approximately $16 billion a year in state and local tax revenue and provides 12 branch offices throughout the state.

When sending an email to the Comptroller of Maryland, central payroll bureau do not include information such as your full social security number (use only the last 4 digits), bank account numbers, routing numbers, or any other sensitive information. All requests for records maintained by the Comptroller of Maryland pursuant to the Maryland Public Information Act should be submitted via this website, email or mail. By enforcing the collection of use tax, the comptroller’s goal is to provide a level playing field for local businesses in competing with out-of-state retailers who sell through catalogs and on the Internet. Alaska has a “Commissioner of Administration.” Maryland’s 1851 Constitution calls for the “Comptroller of the Treasury” to “superintend fiscal affairs…for the support of the public credit.”