Article 1. Claim For Refund of California Revenue And Taxation Code >> Division 2. >> Part 20. >> 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, certify the amount collected in excess of the amount legally due and the person from whom it was collected or by whom paid, and credit the excess amount collected or paid 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. Any overpayment of the surcharge by a service user to a service supplier who is required to collect the surcharge shall be credited or refunded by the state to the service user. However, if the service supplier has paid the amount to the board and establishes to the satisfaction of the board that it has not collected the amount from the service user or has refunded the amount to the service user, the overpayment may be credited or refunded by the state to the service supplier.

No refund shall be approved by the board after three years from the last day of the second month following the close of the month for which the overpayment was made, or, with respect to determinations made under Article 3 or 4 of Chapter 4 of this part, after six months from the date the determinations become final, or after six months from the date of overpayment, whichever period expires the later, unless a claim therefor is filed with the board within that period. No credit shall be approved by the board after the expiration of that period unless a claim for credit is filed with the board within that period.

(a) The limitation period specified in Section 41101 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 of rule of law, including res judicata, as of the effective date of the act adding this section.

Notwithstanding Section 41101, a refund of an overpayment of any surcharge, penalty, or interest collected by the board by means of levy, through the use of liens, or by other enforcement procedures, shall be approved if a claim for a refund is filed within three years of the date of an overpayment.

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

Failure to file a claim within the time prescribed in this article constitutes a waiver of any demand against the state on account of overpayment.

Within 30 days after disallowing any claim in whole or in part the board shall give notice of its action to the claimant in the manner prescribed for service of notice of a deficiency determination.

Interest shall be paid upon any overpayment of any amount of tax at the modified adjusted rate per month established pursuant to Section 6591.5, from the first day of the calendar month following the month during which the overpayment was made. In addition, a refund or credit shall be made of any interest imposed upon the person making the overpayment with respect to the amount being refunded or credited. The interest shall be paid as follows:
  (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 surcharge or amount against which the credit is applied.

(a) If the board determines that any overpayment has been made intentionally or by reason of carelessness, it shall not allow any interest thereon.
  (b) If any person who has filed a claim for refund requests the board to defer action on the claim, the board, as a condition to deferring action, may require the claimant to waive interest for the period during which the person requests the board to defer action on the claim.