How to File California State Taxes and Check Your Refund

California personal income tax is administered by the Franchise Tax Board (FTB). For the 2026 filing season, the normal filing and payment due date was April 15, 2026. California provides an automatic filing extension to October 15, 2026, but tax owed was still due April 15.

Ways to file

FTB offers CalFile for eligible taxpayers to file directly with the state for free. FTB also lists other e-file choices and free tax-help resources.

Check a refund

Use FTB’s official refund-status service. MyFTB can also show tax documents, balances and secure messages.

Need preparation help?

California58 will always show official free options first. A clearly labeled affiliated resource may also be shown for people who want paid tax-preparation support.