At Solvable, we care about your financial well-being and are here to help. Our research, articles and ratings, and assessments are based strict editorial integrity. Our company gets compensated by partners who appear on our website. Here is how we get compensated.
California taxpayers have several options when it comes to repaying past-due back taxes. If you cannot pay your state taxes, you should work with the state Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to arrange a California tax payment plan, ask for an extension, or make an offer to settle your back taxes. A qualified tax professional can help you explore available options to resolve your California tax issues.
California taxpayers can easily qualify for a payment plan if they owe less than $25,000 and can repay the total, including interest and penalties, within 60 months. If you owe more than $10,000 or need longer than 36 months to completely pay the balance, you must provide documentation to prove that you are currently experiencing financial hardship.
When you enroll in a California tax payment plan, you may be subject to a state tax lien. The FTB files a public record that gives them claim to your assets. This can negatively affect your credit, making it difficult to qualify for mortgages and other loans. In some cases, you can request to have the lien removed if you have made payments as agreed and you will pay off the debt in less than three years.
If you are paying your taxes by installment agreement, all future state and federal tax refunds will be applied to your balance until it is fully repaid. You are not eligible for this program if your account is currently subject to an Order to Withhold, Continuous Order to Withhold, or an Earnings Withholding Order for Taxes.
You have several ways to apply for a California tax payment plan:
Recommended
An application fee of $34 will be added to your tax balance when you request an installment agreement. If your request is accepted, you will receive a notice with your monthly payment due date and amount. Failure to make this initial payment within 30 days will result in termination of your installment agreement, and you will face subsequent collections by the FTB.
If the FTB does not accept your request for a payment plan, you will receive a notice in the mail with information about the decision. You can request an independent administrative review of this decision in writing within 30 days of receiving the notice or make other arrangements to pay your balance to avoid collections.
If you cannot afford to pay your back taxes and do not realistically expect your financial situation to change, the FTB may agree to settle for only a percentage of your balance. This is known as an offer in compromise (OIC). For example, you may be retired, living on disability, have a fixed income, or own limited assets. If you are unable to pay because of temporary job loss, this may not be the best option for your situation.
Like the IRS, the FTB uses your reasonable collection potential to determine the lowest offer they will accept. This amount must be the most the agency can expect to collect from you before the statute of limitations on your state back tax amount expires.
When determining whether to accept an offer in compromise, the state will look at your comprehensive financial picture including any assets or property you own, your current income and potential for future income, your monthly expenses, and whether your finances are likely to improve in a year or several years.
Like the IRS, the FTB does not attempt to collect taxes from individuals that have documented financial hardship. You must provide information about your assets, expenses, and income. If you meet the state qualifications, the collection of your debt may be postponed for one year, after which time you must submit new financial documentation.
If you do not make arrangements to repay your taxes, the state will issue a lien. This public record, which lasts for 10 years, gives the state a claim over your property. If you do not take action once a lien has been filed, your wages, accounts, real estate, and vehicles can be seized to satisfy your back taxes.
Even if you can’t pay your state back taxes, it’s important to communicate with the FTB. Ignoring your tax notices will result in accumulating interest and penalties as well as the eventual seizure of assets you own.
For basic questions, such as checking your balance due, confirming that your payment was received, and ordering tax forms, you can call 1-800-338-0505. This automated touch-tone system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In-person help is available at taxpayer service centers in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Santa Ana, San Diego, and San Francisco.
Solvable can also help you find a solution for your California back taxes. Fill out a simple form and you’ll be matched with well-reviewed debt relief companies who help taxpayers in situations like yours every day. Experience the peace of mind of a future free of back taxes.
Expert Contributor
Solvable is a for-profit company that helps customers resolve their tax problems, but a free service for consumers. Partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable editorial reviews or ratings. We do not publish favorable (or unfavorable) editorial reviews or assessments at the direction of an advertiser or partner. We always work to put consumers first and do our best to provide value in meaningful ways, but our reviews are subjective.
Solvable is compensated by some of the companies seen on our website. Most often, Solvable receives fees when one of our readers clicks, fills out a form, applies for, or receives a financial product from one of our partners. We also earn fees for capturing consumer stories and writing about them, displaying advertising, having our partners sponsor certain parts of the site, and writing content that may be relevant to our partner and their audience. This compensation may impact where products appear on this site, including article pages, comparison listings, the order in which they appear or if they will even appear on a given page, and our matching recommendations. Solvable has not written about, reviewed, or rated all financial products available to consumers.
In addition, we may be compensated in the following ways:
We do recommend that you shop around and compare services and costs with other companies while performing your own due diligence, especially since people’s experiences with companies can change over time.
The offers that you are matched up with are from companies or attorneys/law firms that we may receive compensation from. Based on our initial review of such companies or individuals, we feel comfortable introducing them to our readers. We won’t recommend something just because we’re offered payment to endorse or promote it. However, we do recommend that you shop around and compare services and costs with other companies while performing you own due diligence, especially since people’s experiences with companies can change over time.
We are not attorneys and we don’t provide legal advice. As always, we encourage you to do your homework and check out individuals and companies before you hire them. If you are already working with an attorney, we urge you to ask them your questions. After all, they will be familiar with your situation and the laws in your state.
We hope that you find Solvable helpful in your efforts to get a fresh start.
The Personal Loan offers that appear on this site are from companies or affiliates from which solvable may receive compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including for example, the order in which they appear or whether a lender is “featured” on the site). solvable does not include all Personal Loan companies or all types of offers available in the marketplace.
Personal Loan Providers determine the underwriting criteria necessary for approval. You should review each Provider’s terms and conditions to determine which loan works best for you and your own personal financial situation. All reasonable efforts are made to provide and maintain accurate information. All rates, fees, and terms are presented without guarantee and are subject to change pursuant to each Provider’s or affiliates discretion. There is never a guarantee you will be approved for credit or that upon approval you will qualify for the advertised rates, fees, or terms that were shown.
Be sure to speak with your representative about the actual term and rate you may qualify for based on your credit history and ability to repay the loan. Lenders may charge an origination fee generally around 1% of the amount sought. Be sure to ask up front about all fees, costs and terms associated with each loan product. Loan amounts of $1,000 up to $35,000 may be available through participating lenders or affiliates; however, your state, credit history, credit score, personal financial situation, and lender underwriting criteria can impact the amount, fees, terms and rates offered. In some cases, lenders may require that you have an account with them already and for a prescribed period of time in order to qualify for better rates on their personal loan products. Ask your representative for details.
The card offers that appear on this site are from companies or affiliate offers from which solvable may receive compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including for example, the order in which they appear). solvable does not include all card companies or all card offers available in the marketplace.
Credit Card Providers determine the underwriting criteria necessary for approval. You should review each Provider’s terms and conditions to determine which card works for you and your personal financial situation. Information is provided by the Credit Card Providers and is not a guarantee of approval.
All credit card rates, fees, and terms are presented without guarantee and are subject to change pursuant to each Provider’s discretion. All reasonable efforts are made to provide and maintain accurate information. There is no guarantee you will be approved for credit or that upon approval you will qualify for the advertised rates, fees, or terms shown.
Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in articles, marketing materials or otherwise are those of the author’s alone and/or solvable, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any Credit Card Provider.
See the online Provider’s credit card application for details about terms and conditions. Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. However all credit card information is presented without warranty. When you click on the “Apply Now” button, you can review the credit card terms and conditions on the provider’s website.
Business Loan offers that appear on this site are from companies or affiliates from which solvable may receive compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including for example, the order in which they appear or whether a lender is “featured” on the site). solvable does not include all Business Loan companies or all types of offers available in the marketplace.
Business Loans are those loans that are for commercial use and any property and/or proceeds from the proposed request will be used by the requestor for commercial purpose only and not for any personal, family or household purposes.
Most of our Business Funding Partners or affiliates, do not require collateral for business loans; however, please note that it is possible to be offered another product by the lender depending on your needs and if the underwriting requirements dictate the same. Traditional bank and SBA loans generally are known for collateral requirements.
There is no one-size fits all business loan. Rather there are several types that will likely be offered and or discussed with you upon completing your request. Business Funding Partners determine the underwriting criteria necessary for approval, you should review each Partner’s terms and conditions to determine which business funding option works for your business’s financial situation. All reasonable efforts are made to provide and maintain accurate information. All rates, fees, and terms are presented without guarantee and are subject to change pursuant to each Partner’s discretion. There is never a guarantee your business will be approved for credit or that upon approval your business will qualify for the advertised rates, fees, or terms shown. Lender terms and conditions will apply and all products may not be available in all states. Ask your loan representative for details.
Student loan offers that appear on this site are from companies or affiliates from which solvable may receive compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including for example, the order in which they appear or whether a lender is “featured” on the site). solvable does not include all student loan companies or all types of offers available in the marketplace.
Pursuant to the contracts between solvable and the Partners or affiliates on its Network, solvable may also receive information from the Partner or affiliate regarding the status of your application including, but not limited to, the amount or disposition of your loan. Information specific to the Partner/affiliate’s use of your information will be found in their specific Privacy Policy.
Potential savings may vary based on the interest rates, balances and remaining repayment term of the loans you are seeking to refinance. Your overall repayment amount may be higher than the loans you are refinancing even if your monthly payments are lower. Variable rate options will fluctuate over the term of your loan with changes in the LIBOR (or other index utilized by the lender) rate, and will vary based on applicable terms and presence of a cosigner. Fixed interest rates may be based on applicable terms and presence of a co-signer. Additional terms and conditions, and rates are subject to change at any time without notice and may not be available in all states or for all types of current student loans. Such changes should only apply to applications taken after the effective date of change. Please note: Due to federal regulations, Lenders are required to provide every potential borrower with disclosure information before they apply for a private student loan. The Lender you select is required to provide you with an Application Disclosure and an Approval Disclosure within the application process before you accept the terms and conditions of your loan. solvable is not a lender or creditor, it does not offer, extend or alter credit terms. Only participating lenders can perform the full application and deliver the required disclosures, please ask your lender about rates, terms, fees, and potential discounts that may be available for each product.
Solvable is not a creditor as it does not offer, extend or alter credit; rather it is an online market lead generator that allows consumers to shop and compare rates, terms and costs associated with financial products such as mortgages, auto loans, personal loans, student loans, etc. solvable does not originate or fund any product it markets; rather it has a network of lenders or Partners/affiliates. You may choose to speak with one or more of these lenders or Partners/affiliates to determine what your actual terms and savings may be. Only a lender can provide you with a formal application for credit, your inquiry form here is merely an expression of interest and/or intent to obtain credit or assistance. You must discuss your actual credit situation and fill out the lender’s required documents prior to obtaining an extension of credit. Network lenders may not have the best or the lowest rates so you are encouraged to continue to shop and compare additional lenders, credit unions, local financial institutions, etc. to ensure you are truly getting your best deal for your situation.
You should contact your tax professional or other financial advisor to determine if you can actually realize savings by refinancing when it can extend the life of your current loan. You should ask the lender about all terms, rates, fees and costs associated with each product and if you will realize a net tangible benefit from the same. All initial estimated savings is done by trying to calculate what your rate may be; however, solvable does not have that information and cannot guarantee potential savings or that lenders will approve you for such product that would warrant those savings. Rates are not guaranteed and change daily. Lenders/Brokers/Dealers/Partners that perform the actual underwriting will have to determine if you meet their underwriting criteria which is unknown to solvable at the time of matching/offer/quote delivery. All amounts are estimates and examples only and do not represent an actual offer.
