Article 1. Claim For Refund of California Revenue And Taxation Code >> Division 2. >> Part 6. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 1.

If the board determines that any amount, penalty, or interest has been paid more than once or has been erroneously or illegally collected or computed, the board shall set forth that fact in the records of the board and shall certify the amount collected in excess of the amount legally due and the person from whom it was collected or by whom paid. The excess amount collected or paid shall be credited by the board on any amounts then due and payable from the person from whom the excess amount was collected or by whom it was paid under this part, and the balance shall be refunded to the person, or his or her successors, administrators, or executors. Any proposed determination by the board pursuant to this section with respect to an amount in excess of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) shall be available as a public record for at least 10 days prior to the effective date of that determination.

No credit or refund shall be allowed after four years from December 10 of the year in which the assessment is made or after six months from the date of overpayment, whichever period expires the later, unless a written claim is filed with the board within such period.

(a) The limitation period specified in Section 11553 shall be suspended during any period of a person's life that the person is financially disabled.
  (b) (1) For purposes of subdivision (a), a person is financially disabled if the person is unable to manage his or her financial affairs by reason of medically determinable physical or mental impairment of the person which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. A person shall not be considered to have an impairment unless proof of the existence thereof is furnished in the form and manner as the board may require.
  (2) A person shall not be treated as financially disabled during any period that the person's spouse or any other person is authorized to act on behalf of the person in financial matters.
  (c) This section applies to periods of disability commencing before, on, or after the effective date of the act adding this section, but does not apply to any claim for refund that (without regard to this section) is barred by the operation or rule of law, including res judicata, as of the effective date of the act adding this section.

The claim shall be in writing and shall state the specific grounds upon which it is founded.

Interest shall be paid upon the amount of any overpayment of tax at the adjusted annual rate established pursuant to Section 19521 upon the amount found to have been illegally collected from the date of payment of the amount to the date of allowance of credit on account of the overpayment or to a date preceding the date of the refund warrant by not more than 30 days, the date to be determined by the board from the first day of the month following the month the tax becomes due. The interest shall be paid:
  (a) In the case of a refund, to the last day of the calendar month following the date upon which the person making the overpayment, if he or she has not already filed a claim, is notified by the board that a claim may be filed or the date upon which the claim is approved by the board, whichever date is the earlier.
  (b) In the case of a credit, to the same date as that to which interest is computed on the tax or amount against which the credit is applied.