Free California Tax Return Preparation for Some Taxpayers

The Franchise Tax Board (FTB) has announced that California's ReadyReturn program, which provides free completed tax returns, is now available for taxpayers to access. ReadyReturn reduces the tax-filing burden for those with simple tax returns by using existing wage records to complete their returns.

Taxpayers can check to see if they qualify by visiting the FTB's website at ftb.ca.gov, clicking on ReadyReturn, and providing a name and Social Security number.  Taxpayers can accept the tax return as presented, change any information on the return, or disregard it for another filing method. To qualify, taxpayers must have in 2010: earned wages from only one employer; filed either as single or head of household; taken the standard deduction, and claimed no more than five dependents. Taxpayers who are renters and who can be claimed as a dependent are also eligible. Taxpayers who married, entered into a registered domestic partnership (RDP), had a child, received added income, or qualify for a tax credit, can update their ReadyReturn online. For those who do not qualify for ReadyReturn, the FTB offers CalFile; a free e-file program for more complicated tax filings, that takes about 15 to 30 minutes to complete. For taxpayers who may be interested but are unfamiliar with the programs, the FTB has on its website, two short videos demonstrating how the programs work.

Here is the link to the FTB's ReadyReturn webpage.