Article 1. Claim For Refund of California Revenue And Taxation Code >> Division 2. >> Part 10.2. >> Chapter 6. >> Article 1.

(a) If the Franchise Tax Board or the board, as the case may be, finds that there has been an overpayment of any liability imposed under Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001), or this part by a taxpayer for any year for any reason, the amount of the overpayment may be credited against any amount then due from the taxpayer and the balance shall be refunded to the taxpayer.
  (b) In the case of a joint return filed under Section 18521, the amount of the overpayment may be credited against the amount then due from both taxpayers and the balance shall be refunded to both taxpayers in the names under which the return was paid.
  (c) In the case of a corporation, the balance shall be refunded to the taxpayer or its successor through reorganization, merger, or consolidation, or to its shareholders upon dissolution.

If the Franchise Tax Board determines that the taxpayer paid an amount not required to be paid under this part, the Franchise Tax Board shall set forth that fact in its records and may either credit the amount on any amounts then due and payable under this part from the taxpayer by whom the amount was paid or refund the amount or the balance to the taxpayer or the taxpayer's successors, administrators, or executors.

The Franchise Tax Board shall revise returns required to be filed pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 18501) of Chapter 2 of Part 10.2 of Division 2 to allow a taxpayer, who is an individual, to designate more than one account at financial institutions for direct deposit of the taxpayer's refund.

(a) The Franchise Tax Board shall revise taxpayer form instructions, for returns required to be filed, pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 18501) of Chapter 2, to include information about the ability of a taxpayer to directly deposit a portion of the refund into the Golden State Scholarshare College Savings Trust.
  (b) The Scholarshare Investment Board shall provide the Franchise Tax Board with a description of the Golden State Scholarshare College Savings Trust on or before a specified date provided by the Franchise Tax Board. The length of the description shall be five lines or less.
  (c) The Franchise Tax Board shall revise the taxpayer form instructions in the most cost-effective manner.
  (d) For purposes of this section, "Golden State Scholarshare College Savings Trust" has the meaning set forth in subdivision (e) of Section 69980 of the Education Code.

(a) No credit or refund shall be allowed or made after a period ending four years from the date the return was filed (if filed within the time prescribed by Section 18567 or 18604, whichever is applicable), four years from the last day prescribed for filing the return (determined without regard to any extension of time for filing the return), or after one year from the date of the overpayment, whichever period expires later, unless before the expiration of that period a claim therefor is filed by the taxpayer, or unless before the expiration of that period the Franchise Tax Board allows a credit, makes a refund, or mails a notice of proposed overpayment on a preprinted form prescribed by the Franchise Tax Board.
  (b) The amendments to this section by the act adding this subdivision shall be applied to all claims and refunds, without regard to taxable year, for which the statute of limitations has not expired on the date that this act takes effect.

For purposes of Section 19306, a return filed within four years from the last day prescribed for filing the return showing a credit allowable by Section 19002 or estimated tax paid pursuant to Section 19023, 19024, or 19136 in excess of the tax due, shall be considered a claim for refund of the excess if the amount thereof is more than one dollar ($1). No refund of tax withheld or estimated tax paid shall be allowed to an employee or taxpayer who fails to file a return for the taxable year in respect of which the tax withheld or estimated tax was allowable as a credit.

The period within which a claim for credit or refund may be filed, or credit or refund allowed or made if no claim is filed, shall be the period within which the Franchise Tax Board may mail a notice of proposed deficiency assessment under the same circumstances, if either of the following apply:
  (a) The taxpayer has, within the period prescribed in Section 19306, agreed in writing, under Article 3 (commencing with Section 19031) of Chapter 4, to extend the time within which the Franchise Tax Board may propose a deficiency assessment.
  (b) The taxpayer has agreed with the United States Commissioner of Internal Revenue for an extension (or renewals thereof) of the period for proposing and assessing deficiencies in federal income tax for any year.

Section 19306 shall apply to any claim filed, or credit or refund allowed or made, before the execution of an agreement pursuant to Section 19308.

(a) (1) If a change or correction is made or allowed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue or other officer of the United States or other competent authority, a claim for credit or refund resulting from the adjustment may be filed by the taxpayer within two years from the date of the final federal determination (as defined in Section 18622), or within the period provided in Section 19306, 19307, 19308, or 19316, whichever period expires later.
  (2) Within two years of the date of the final determination (as defined in Section 18622) or within the period provided in Section 19306, 19307, or 19308, whichever period expires later, the Franchise Tax Board may allow a credit, make a refund, or mail to the taxpayer a notice of proposed overpayment resulting from the final federal determination.
  (b) The amendments made by the act adding this paragraph shall apply, without regard to taxable year, to federal determinations that become final on or after the effective date of the act adding this paragraph.

(a) If any taxes paid to another state result in an allowable credit under Section 18001, 18002, 18003, 18004, 18005, or 18006, a claim for credit or refund of an overpayment of income tax attributable to a credit allowable under any of these sections may be filed within one year from the date tax is paid to the other state or within the period provided in Section 19306, whichever period expires later.
  (b) This section shall apply to taxes paid to another state on or after January 1, 2009.

Insofar as the claim for credit or refund relates to an overpayment on account of the deductibility, under Section 24348 of this code or Section 166 of the Internal Revenue Code, of a debt as one which became worthless, or a loss from worthlessness of a security under Section 24347 or 24348 of this code or Section 165(g) or 166 of the Internal Revenue Code, or an erroneous inclusion of an amount attributable to the recovery of a bad debt, prior tax or delinquency amount, under Section 111 of the Internal Revenue Code due to an adjustment of a bad debt deduction under Section 24348 of this code or Section 166 of the Internal Revenue Code, or a loss deduction from worthlessness of a security under Section 24347 of this code or Section 165(g) of the Internal Revenue Code, in lieu of the period of limitations prescribed in Section 19306, the period shall be seven years from the date prescribed by law for filing the return for the year with respect to which the claim is made.

(a) In the case of any tax imposed by Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001) or Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001) with respect to any person, the period for filing a claim for credit or refund of any overpayment attributable to any partnership item of a federally registered partnership shall not expire before the later of the following:
  (1) The date which is five years after the date prescribed by law (including extensions thereof) for filing the partnership return for the partnership taxable year in which the item arose.
  (2) If an agreement under Section 6501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 extending the period for the assessment of any deficiency attributable to the partnership item is made before the date specified in paragraph (1), the date six months after the expiration of the extension. In any case to which the preceding sentence applies, the amount of the credit or refund may exceed the portion of the tax paid within the period provided in Section 19306 or 19308, whichever is applicable.
  (b) For purposes of this subdivision, "partnership item" and "federally registered partnership" have the same meanings as when used in Section 19063.

(a) Notwithstanding any statute of limitations otherwise provided for in this part, any overpayment due a taxpayer for any year, shall be allowed as an offset in computing any deficiency in tax, for the same or any other year, if the overpayment results from any of the following:
  (1) A transfer of items of income or deductions or both to or from another year for the same taxpayer.
  (2) A transfer of items of income or deductions or both for the same year for a related taxpayer described in Section 19110.
  (3) A transfer of items of income or deductions, or both, to or from another taxpayer for the same or different years if the items of income or deductions are transferred between affiliated taxpayers whose tax is determined under Chapter 17 (commencing with Section 25101) of Part 11.
  (b) The offset provided under subdivision (a) shall not be allowed after the expiration of seven years from the due date of the return or returns on which the overpayment is determined.
  (c) No refund shall be allowed under subdivision (a) unless before the period set forth in Section 19306 a claim therefor is filed by the taxpayer or unless before the expiration of that period the Franchise Tax Board has allowed a credit or made a refund.

(a) In the case of an individual taxpayer under the Personal Income Tax Law (Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001)), the running of any period specified in Section 19306, 19308, 19311, 19312, or 19313 shall be suspended during any period during which that individual taxpayer is "financially disabled" as defined in subdivision (b). The financial disability of an individual taxpayer shall be established in accordance with those procedures and requirements specified by the Franchise Tax Board.
  (b) (1) For purposes of this section, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2), an individual taxpayer is "financially disabled" if that individual taxpayer is unable to manage his or her financial affairs by reason of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is either deemed to be a terminal impairment or is expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.
  (2) An individual taxpayer shall not be considered to be "financially disabled" for any period during which that individual's spouse or any other person is legally authorized to act on that individual's behalf 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 or 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.

A refund claim upon which action has become final shall not thereafter be considered a refund claim within the meaning of Section 19306 except to the extent it has been allowed.

Every claim for refund shall be in writing, shall be signed by the taxpayer or the taxpayer's authorized representative, and shall state the specific grounds upon which it is founded. A claim filed for or on behalf of a class of taxpayers shall do all of the following:
  (a) Be accompanied by written authorization from each taxpayer sought to be included in the class.
  (b) Be signed by each taxpayer or taxpayer's authorized representative.
  (c) State the specific grounds on which the claim is founded.

(a) A claim for refund that is otherwise valid under Section 19322, but that is made in the case in which payment of the entire tax assessed or asserted has not been made, shall be a claim only for purposes of tolling the time periods set forth in Section 19306. For all other purposes (including the application of Sections 19323, 19324, 19331, 19335, 19384, and 19385) the claim shall be deemed filed on the date that full payment of the tax is made. However, no credit or refund may be made or allowed for any payment made more than seven years before the date that full payment of the tax is made.
  (b) This section shall apply to all claims for refund filed on or after the effective date of the act adding this section, without regard to taxable year.

(a) If the Franchise Tax Board disallows any claim for refund, it shall notify the taxpayer accordingly and provide an explanation for the disallowance.
  (b) The amendments made by the act adding this subdivision shall apply to disallowances after the 180th day after the effective date of the act adding this subdivision.

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), at the expiration of 90 days from the mailing of the notice, the Franchise Tax Board's action upon the claim is final unless within the 90-day period the taxpayer appeals in writing from the action of the Franchise Tax Board to the board.
  (b) If within the period set forth in Section 19384 for filing a suit for refund the Franchise Tax Board receives information which it determines clearly establishes that a disallowed claim should have been allowed, in whole or in part, the Franchise Tax Board shall credit the amount of the overpayment against any taxes due from the taxpayer under this part and the balance shall be refunded to the taxpayer.

No interest shall be allowed or paid with respect to a claim for credit or refund based upon an overpayment which is the result of federal law, including treaties, which reduces taxes for taxable years prior to the enactment date of the federal law or the approval date of the treaty.

If the Franchise Tax Board fails to mail notice of action on any refund claim within six months after the claim is filed, the taxpayer may prior to mailing of notice of action on the refund claim consider the claim disallowed and appeal to the board. For substitution of the 120-day period for the six-month period contained in this section in a Title 11 case, see Section 505(a)(2) of Title 11 of the United States Code.

Two copies of the appeal and two copies of any supporting documents shall be addressed and mailed to the State Board of Equalization at Sacramento, California. Upon receipt of the appeal, the board shall provide one copy of the appeal and one copy of any supporting documents to the Franchise Tax Board at Sacramento, California.

The board shall hear and determine the appeal and thereafter shall forthwith notify the taxpayer and the Franchise Tax Board of its determination and the reasons therefor.

The determination of the board is final upon the expiration of 30 days from the date of the determination unless within the 30-day period, the taxpayer or Franchise Tax Board files a petition for rehearing with the board. In that event the determination becomes final upon the expiration of 30 days from the date the board issues its opinion on the petition.

If, with or after the filing of a protest or an appeal to the State Board of Equalization pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 19031) of Chapter 4, a taxpayer pays the tax protested before the Franchise Tax Board acts upon the protest, or the board upon the appeal, the Franchise Tax Board or board shall treat the protest or the appeal as a claim for refund or an appeal from the denial of a claim for refund filed under this article.

Interest shall be allowed and paid on any overpayment in respect of any tax, at the adjusted annual rate established pursuant to Section 19521 as follows:
  (a) In the case of a credit, from the date of the overpayment to the due date of the amount for which the credit is allowed. Any interest allowed on any credit shall first be credited on any amounts due from the taxpayer under Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), this part, or Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001).
  (b) In the case of a refund, including a refund in excess of tax liability as prescribed in subdivision (j) of Section 17053.5, from the date of the overpayment to a date preceding the date of the refund warrant by not more than 30 days, the date to be determined by the Franchise Tax Board.

(a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b), (c), and (d), if any overpayment of tax is refunded or credited within 90 days after the return is filed, or within 90 days after the last day prescribed for filing the return of tax (determined without regard to any extension of time for filing the return), whichever is later, no interest shall be allowed under Section 19340 on the overpayment. For the purposes of this section, "overpayment of tax" includes a refund in excess of tax liability as prescribed in subdivision (j) of Section 17053.5.
  (b) In the case of returns which set forth no determination or amount of tax liability, or credits other than that allowed under Section 17053.5, and which are filed solely for the purpose of claiming the renter credit, no interest shall be allowed on refunds made within 90 days from the date on which the return is filed, or within 90 days after the last day prescribed for filing the return, whichever is later. This subdivision applies only when communication with the claimant or other verification is necessary to determine entitlement to the claimed credit.
  (c) In the case of an individual or fiduciary taxable under Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), for the 1982 taxable year and each taxable year thereafter, the 90-day time periods specified in subdivision (a) shall be 45 days.
  (d) In the case of a return of tax which is filed after the last date prescribed for filing the return (determined with regard to extensions), no interest shall be allowed or paid for any day before the date on which the return is filed.

If the Franchise Tax Board disallows interest on any claim for refund, it shall notify the taxpayer accordingly.

At the expiration of 90 days from the mailing of the notice specified in Section 19342, the Franchise Tax Board's action upon the disallowance of the interest shall be final unless within the 90-day period, the taxpayer appeals in writing from the action of the Franchise Tax Board to the board.

Two copies of the appeal and two copies of any supporting documents shall be addressed and mailed to the State Board of Equalization at Sacramento, California. Upon receipt of the appeal, the board shall provide one copy of the appeal and one copy of any supporting documents to the Franchise Tax Board at Sacramento, California.

The board shall hear and determine the same and thereafter shall forthwith notify the taxpayer and the Franchise Tax Board of its determination and the reasons therefor.

The determination is final upon the expiration of 30 days from the date of the determination unless within the 30-day period, the taxpayer or Franchise Tax Board files a petition for rehearing with the board. In that event the determination becomes final upon the expiration of 30 days from the date the board issues its opinion upon the petition.

Within 90 days after the mailing of the notice of the Franchise Tax Board's action disallowing interest upon any refund claim, or, in the case of an appeal to the board from the disallowance of interest on any refund claim, within the 90 days after the board's determination (including the issuance of a decision, opinion, or dismissal) of the appeal becomes final pursuant to Section 19346, the taxpayer may bring an action against the Franchise Tax Board on the grounds set forth for interest in the claim for the recovery of the interest.

If the Franchise Tax Board fails to mail notice of action of disallowance of interest on any refund claim within six months after the interest was claimed, the taxpayer may, prior to mailing notice of action of disallowance of interest on the refund claim, consider the interest disallowed and bring an action against the Franchise Tax Board on the grounds set forth for interest in the claim for the recovery of the interest.

A payment not made incident to a bona fide and orderly discharge of an actual liability or one reasonably assumed to be imposed by law, is not an overpayment for the purposes of Section 19340 and interest is not payable thereon.

If a credit or refund of any part of an overpayment would be barred under Section 19306, except for Section 19312, no interest shall be allowed or paid with respect to that part of the overpayment for any period beginning after the expiration of the period of limitation provided in Section 19306 for filing claim for credit or refund of that part of the overpayment and ending at the expiration of six months after the date on which the claim was filed or, in case no claim was filed and the overpayment was found by the board, ending at the time the appeal was filed with the board.

The provisions of Section 19066, which are applicable in determining the period of limitation on credit or refund, shall be applicable in determining the date of payment for purposes of Sections 19340, 19341, 19363, and 19391.

If the amount allowable as a credit under Section 19002 (relating to credit for tax withheld) and the amount, if any, allowable as a refundable tax credit (including the Child and Dependent Care Credit allowable under Section 17052.6) exceeds the tax imposed by Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), against which the credits are allowable, the amount of the excess shall be considered an overpayment.

Any action of the Franchise Tax Board in refunding the excess of tax withheld under Section 18662 or 18666 or estimated tax paid pursuant to Section 19136 or any action of the Employment Development Department in refunding to the employer the excess tax withheld under Section 13020 of the Unemployment Insurance Code shall not constitute a determination of the correctness of the return of the taxpayer for purposes of this part.

In the case of an overpayment of tax imposed by Section 18662 or 18666, refund or credit shall be made to the employer or to the withholding agent, as the case may be, only to the extent that the amount of the overpayment was not deducted and withheld by the employer or withholding agent. No interest shall be allowed on the overpayment.

The Franchise Tax Board is authorized to prescribe regulations providing for the crediting against the estimated tax for any taxable year of the amount determined by the taxpayer or the Franchise Tax Board to be an overpayment of the tax for a preceding taxable year.

Credits or refunds of overpayments of estimated tax shall be made by the Franchise Tax Board as provided in this article. Any amount paid as estimated tax for any taxable year shall be deemed to have been paid on the last day prescribed for filing the return for the taxable year (determined without regard to any extension of time for filing the return).

If any overpayment of tax is claimed as a credit against estimated tax for the succeeding taxable year, that amount shall be considered as payment of the tax for the succeeding year (whether or not claimed as a credit in the return of estimated tax for that succeeding year), and no claim for credit or refund of that overpayment shall be allowed for the taxable year in which the overpayment arises.

(a) (1) A corporation electing to be treated as an "S corporation" for a taxable year beginning in 2002 under Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 23800) of Part 11 may file an application for the transfer of an overpayment with respect to payments of estimated tax for taxable years beginning in 2002 to the personal income tax accounts of its shareholders. An application under this subdivision shall not constitute a claim for credit or refund.
  (2) An application under this subdivision shall be verified in the manner prescribed by Section 18621 in the case of the taxpayer, and shall be filed in the manner and form prescribed by the Franchise Tax Board. The application shall set forth all of the following:
  (A) The amount the "S corporation" estimates as its tax liability under this part for the taxable year, which shall not be less than the greater of 1 1/2 percent of its net income or the applicable minimum franchise tax.
  (B) The amount and date of the estimated tax paid during the taxable year.
  (C) For each shareholder affected, his or her name, social security account number, address, and percentage of ownership, and any changes in that percentage of ownership for the S corporation's taxable year, the amount of each overpayment to be transferred, and the date the amount was paid.
  (D) Any other information for purposes of carrying out this section as may be required by the Franchise Tax Board.
  (b) (1) Within a period of 45 days from the date on which an application for a transfer is filed under subdivision (a), the Franchise Tax Board shall make, to the extent it deems practicable in that period, a limited examination of the application to discover omissions and errors therein, and shall determine the final amount of the transfers upon the basis of the application and the examination, except that the Franchise Tax Board may disallow, without further action, any application which it finds contains material omissions or errors which it deems cannot be corrected within the 45-day period.
  (2) The Franchise Tax Board, within the 45-day period referred to in paragraph (1), may credit the amount of the overpayment against any liability on the part of the taxpayer under Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001).
  (3) In the event the amount available for transfer is less than requested by the taxpayer, the overpayment amount shall be allocated among the shareholders on a pro rata basis based on their percentage of ownership stated on the application.
  (4) For purposes of Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001), Part 11 (commencing with Section 23001), and this part, the transferred amounts shall be treated as if they had been estimated tax payments paid by the respective shareholders on the date originally paid by the corporation.
  (5) No application under subdivision (a) shall be allowed unless the amount to be transferred equals or exceeds five hundred dollars ($500).
  (6) Each S corporation which files an application for transfer of overpayments under subdivision (a) shall furnish to each person who is a shareholder at any time during the taxable year a statement showing amounts and dates of the overpayments being transferred to that person's personal income tax account.

(a) If the Franchise Tax Board makes or allows a refund or credit that it determines to be erroneous, in whole or in part, the amount erroneously made or allowed may be assessed and collected after notice and demand pursuant to Section 19051 (pertaining to mathematical errors), except that the rights of protest and appeal shall apply with respect to amounts assessable as deficiencies without regard to the running of any period of limitations provided elsewhere in this part. Notice and demand for repayment must be made within two years after the refund or credit was made or allowed, or during the period within which the Franchise Tax Board may mail a notice of proposed deficiency assessment, whichever period expires the later. Abatement of interest on an amount due under this section is governed by subdivision (c) of Section 19104.
  (b) (1) This section shall also apply to a misdirected refund. For purposes of this subdivision, a "misdirected refund" means a direct deposit refund that was deposited in the account of a person other than the taxpayer entitled to that refund. A misdirected refund does not include any refund caused by Franchise Tax Board error, which is an erroneous refund under subdivision (a).
  (2) This subdivision shall only apply if the Franchise Tax Board determines that all of the following conditions have been satisfied:
  (A) A taxpayer filed a tax return that designated one or more direct deposit refunds.
  (B) The taxpayer, tax preparer, or electronic return originator entered an incorrect financial institution account or routing number that resulted in all or a portion of the refund not being received, directly or indirectly, by the taxpayer due the refund.
  (C) The taxpayer did not receive the refund.
  (D) The recipient of the misdirected refund was not entitled to the refund.
  (3) Before any credit of the misdirected refund is allowed to the taxpayer, the taxpayer shall provide one or more of the following to the Franchise Tax Board, upon written request by the board:
  (A) An affidavit from the taxpayer that the taxpayer notified the financial institution that the taxpayer, tax preparer, or electronic return originator entered an incorrect financial institution account or routing number and that the state-issued refund was directly deposited into an account not owned, directly or indirectly, by the taxpayer entitled to the refund.
  (B) An affidavit from the taxpayer indicating that neither the taxpayer nor the taxpayer's representative has custody or control, directly or indirectly, over the account at the financial institution that received the direct deposit refund.
  (C) An affidavit from the taxpayer indicating that neither the taxpayer nor the taxpayer's representative has received reimbursement of the refund moneys from any source.
  (4) The Franchise Tax Board shall mail notice and demand for repayment as prescribed in subdivision (a) to the recipient of the misdirected refund at the last known address.
  (5) Effective on the date the notice and demand for repayment to the recipient is mailed to the recipient, the taxpayer's account shall be credited with the amount of the misdirected refund.
  (6) This subdivision shall apply to any misdirected refund deposited on or after January 1, 2009.