NH Department of Revenue Administration Completes Modernization of Information Systems

Concord, NH – After an intensive 36-month effort, the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration (NHDRA) has successfully completed the modernization of its information system on-time and on-budget. The new Revenue Information Management System (RIMS) replaced a 30-year-old system by upgrading and consolidating the functionality of its tax administration processes. NHDRA also launched a new Granite Tax Connect (GTC) online user portal where taxpayers, operators, and practitioners can complete a variety of tasks online with ease.

RIMS transformed the way New Hampshire taxpayers and tax preparers file and pay taxes through automation, integration, and electronic filing. Since implementing RIMS, NHDRA processed over $3 billion in payments and administered three CARES Act programs, issuing COVID-19 relief grants to 12,000 New Hampshire businesses, which resulted in a total of $390 million. More than half of the 420,000 returns NHDRA processed in Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) were filed electronically through GTC or NHDRA’s eFile interface, which will be fully replaced by GTC on January 1, 2022.

“Since the implementation of RIMS, it has allowed the state to be more efficient by streamlining and simplifying many tasks for both our department and our taxpayers,” said Lindsey Stepp, Commissioner, NHDRA. “I am so proud of our department for achieving this incredible feat in 36 months, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to the continued efficiencies RIMS and GTC will provide to our taxpayers.”

In addition to simplifying the way taxpayers and tax preparers pay taxes and interact with the department, RIMS has resulted in many tangible benefits for NHDRA, including implementing numerous process improvements resulting in more than $2 million in measurable revenue uplift, issuing more than 255,000 electronic letters or web notices, receiving more than 19,000 new GTC account enrollments, and improving employee training and taxpayer assistance by providing real-time feedback.

One of the successes NHDRA is celebrating is the increased efficiency of RIMS. One example is the processing of Reports of Change forms from an IRS audit on a previously submitted return. Before RIMS, this process took two hours; now, it only takes 30 minutes. Additionally, abatements are now 100% paperless. All approvals are done within the system, as opposed to obtaining ink signatures on paper, making this process more streamlined.

Before the project began in December 2018, NHDRA and their partner, FAST Enterprises, established a timeline with go-live dates for each of the three phases. The team successfully met each date even as the COVID-19 pandemic waged on. Due to the pandemic, the majority of FAST Enterprises’ 23 employees, as well as the NHDRA project team, worked on the project remotely for most of phases two and three. Nevertheless, the project team proved successful with the on-budget and on-time launch of all three RIMS phases and did not incur any additional unexpected project costs.

The implementation of RIMS – from preparation and development to testing and rollout – began on December 3, 2018. Three tax types were included in the first rollout that went live on October 28, 2019: Meals and Rentals Tax, Medicaid Enhancement Tax, and Nursing Facility Quality Assessment Tax. The next set of tax types to go live in the second RIMS rollout on October 5, 2020 included New Hampshire’s three largest tax types: Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Tax, Interest & Dividends Tax, and Communication Services Tax. The third and final rollout that went live on August 9, 2021 included the remaining tax types, as well as Assessment Review and Assessor Certification.

To learn more about GTC, visit revenue.nh.gov/gtc. To use Granite Tax Connect, visit gtc.revenue.nh.gov.

About the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration

The New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration (NHDRA) is responsible for fairly and efficiently administering the tax laws of the State of New Hampshire. NHDRA collects approximately 80% of New Hampshire’s general taxes. During Fiscal Year 2021, NHDRA collected $2.4 billion in taxes, most of which went to the New Hampshire General Fund and Education Trust Fund. NHDRA also assists municipalities in budgeting, finance and real estate appraisal. NHDRA administers and collects the following taxes at the state level: Business Enterprise Tax, Business Profits Tax, Communications Services Tax, Interest and
Dividends Tax, Meals and Rooms Tax, Medicaid Enhancement Tax, Nursing Facility Quality Assessment, Tobacco Tax, Taxation of Railroads, Utility Property Tax, Real Estate Transfer Tax; and the following taxes at the local level: Property Tax, Excavation Tax, Timber Tax. To learn more about NHDRA, please visit www.revenue.nh.gov.

NHDRA successfully completes three-year technology overhaul on-time and on-budget despite COVID-19 pandemic