California Tax Refund Status, Check Online, Required Credentials

California taxpayers who have overpaid the taxes receive the tax refund after their tax return is processed & approved. The taxpayers expecting their tax refund for the assessment year 2023-24 can track their refund status to stay updated on their tax refund. The article covers everything you wish to learn about the California tax refund and status tracking. 

California Tax Refund Status

The early tax return filers must have already received their tax refund as the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) processed the filer’s refund within 3 weeks, paper check filers in 3 months, and amended returns in 5 months. However, the taxpayers who have filed for an extension or his/her tax refund were delayed and must be expecting their tax refund. 

The business tax refund can take six months, so they must be expecting their tax refund in the coming month. The taxpayers can easily track their tax refund status to know about the stage of their tax refund. The tax refund status stages indicate at which stage your tax refund is processed, such as:

  • Your tax return is received and under review 
  • Your tax refund is approved
  • Your tax refund is processed.

The taxpayers can track their tax refund status through the FTB Where’s My Refund tool available on the official FTB website and MyFTB account. 

Steps to Track the California Tax Refund Status

The taxpayers can track their California tax refund status with the following information:

  • Social Security Number
  • Zip Code
  • Your refund amount
  • Numbers in your mailing address

California taxpayers can follow the below steps to check their Tax refund status on the official website:

  • Visit the official California FTB website at https://www.ftb.ca.gov/
  • Now, look for “Check your Refund Status” and click on the button.
  • On the next page, click on the blue button of Check Refund.
  • Now, enter SSN without any dashes, numbers in the mailing address, refund amount, and ZIP code on the designated boxes.
  • Once you click the “Check Your Refund,” your California Tax Refund status will appear on your screen. 

Other methods to track the California Tax Refund status 

If California taxpayers cannot  track their tax refund status on the official website, they can use the following ways to know their tax refund status:

  • By Call: Taxpayers can call the FTB helpline number at 1 800 338 0505 or taxpayers living overseas at +1 (916) 845 6500 from Monday to Friday between 7 AM to 5 PM. The FTB operator would tell the same status shown in the official Where’s MY Refund tool to the taxpayers. 
  • MyFTB account: Taxpayers with myFTB account can learn their tax refund status via myFTB chat system during weekdays. California taxpayers can easily create their myFTB account on the official website by validating their identity. The MyFTB account grants taxpayers 24-hour online access to their tax information without any hassle. 

The best and fastest way to track your FTB tax refund status is online or through myFTB account. 

Reasons that can delay your California Tax Refund 2024

The tax refunds of taxpayers can be delayed or stopped due to many factors. You must be aware of all possible reasons that may have delayed your tax refund to understand your California Tax Refund delay, such as:

  • Your tax return has incorrect information or mistakes.
  • Your address or bank details are invalid or changed and you have not updated the information to the authority.
  • Your tax return is still under review as some returns need extra time to be reviewed to protect the taxpayers from fraudulent activities and identity theft.
  • The authorities have found some missing information. In this case, the authority will notify you to send the necessary documents to process your tax return.
  • You may tax debt that may have been deducted from your tax refund, don’t worry the authority will notify you in such cases beforehand.  
  • You have chosen a paper check as the refund method, which can take more time than the direct deposit method. Taxpayers can expect their paper tax refund in 3 months, however, it can take depending on your local mailing services. 

How to track the prior year’s California Tax refund?

Taxpayers who wish to track their prior-year tax refund filed during the 2024 tax season can contact  California FTB through the following ways:

  • By Call: Taxpayers can contact the FTB at 800 852 5711 or 916 845 6500 (outside US  taxpayers) from Monday to Friday between 8 AM to 5 PM.
  • By post: Taxpayers can send a letter asking the tax refund status to the FTB with their prior tax return details on the following postal address:
  • Franchise Tax Board
  • PO Box 942840
  • Sacramento CA 94240-0040
  • MyFTB Chat: Taxpayers can use the myFTB chat to track their prior year’s tax refund status. 

What to do if your refund check is lost or damaged?

Taxpayers must wait an additional week from their estimated tax refund date before contacting the FTB. However, if you did not receive the refund your paper check is lost, or damaged due to any reasons,  you should contact the authority through any of the above methods and submit your request. 

The authorities will look into the matter, they will notify you about the reason for the delay in the tax refund, or reissue the paper check in case the check is lost or damaged.  The authority will guide you through further assistance to receive your entitled tax refund.

The taxpayers can contact the authority with any other query as well, such as a change in the refund amount, government debt, etc.  

The California FTB has provided an easy and convenient way to track the tax refund status online or through myFTB account. Taxpayers can easily use any method at their convenience and stay informed of their tax refund status. 

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