What the heck does estimated tax credits mean on my state letter?

So if I paid through their online portal each quarter but don't have the confirmation emails anymore (deleted them stupidly), how do I prove I made the payments? Would my bank statements showing the withdrawals be enough?

Bank statements showing the withdrawals would definitely be helpful evidence. Most state tax portals also have a payment history section where you can log in and print/download your past payment confirmations, even if you deleted the original emails. If you made the payments electronically through their system, they should have records on their end too. I'd recommend calling them and explaining the situation - they can often look up the payments while you're on the phone and resolve the issue without requiring additional documentation.

Does this actually work for state tax notices too? I thought these AI tools were just for federal tax stuff. Can it handle different states' terminology?

I'm skeptical about using some random website for tax stuff. How do you know your tax data is secure? Seems risky to upload financial documents to a site I've never heard of before.

Yes, it absolutely works for state tax notices too. I was surprised by this myself, but it can handle terminology from all 50 states. It recognized my California FTB notice immediately and even pointed out sections that were specific to California tax law versus federal standards. Regarding security concerns, I totally understand being cautious. That was my worry at first too. But they use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after analysis. You can also block out sensitive information like SSNs before uploading. I've used it for several confusing tax documents now without any issues.

How does this actually work? Are they somehow jumping the queue or do they just sit on hold for you? Seems too good to be true that they can get through when nobody else can.

Yeah right. No way this works. I've been dealing with state tax departments for years and there's no magic solution to get through faster. They're understaffed and overwhelmed. Some service claiming to get you through in "15 minutes" is selling snake oil.

They don't jump the queue - they basically wait on hold for you. Their system calls the tax department, navigates through all the annoying menus and then stays on hold in your place. When an actual human rep answers, their system calls your phone and connects you directly. No magic to getting through faster than everyone else, just saving you from having to do the waiting yourself. And regarding the skepticism, I get it - I was doubtful too. But I was desperate after waiting on hold for over 2 hours myself. Not claiming they always get through in 15 minutes (depends on the agency's current wait time), but they handled the painful waiting part so I could go about my day.

They eventually found the payment under the incorrect SSN, but it took about 3 weeks and I had to provide copies of the canceled checks as proof. Since you're in Maryland, their system might be different, but most states will eventually sort it out if you can show proof of payment. One tip - when you call Maryland's tax department, ask them to check if all your payments were correctly applied to your account and if any have "pending" or "unmatched payment" status. Sometimes they receive the money but it doesn't get properly matched to your account, especially if you made any payments close to the filing deadline.

I'm in Maryland. And wow, that's exactly what I'm worried about! I do my own taxes with software but I'm not the most organized person. Did you have to provide actual payment records or did they eventually find the payment with the wrong SSN?

They eventually found the payment under the incorrect SSN, but it took about 3 weeks and I had to provide

THIS!!! I almost fell for something similar. The letter had all the right logos and everything. Called the actual department and they confirmed they hadn't sent anything. Scary how good these scams are getting.

That's a good point! I checked and it does seem legitimate - has all the official letterhead and the return address matches what's on their official website. I also logged into my state tax account and there's a notice there too mentioning documentation needed. But thanks for the warning - probably saved someone else from falling for a scam!