{"id":1444,"date":"2023-02-03T21:06:28","date_gmt":"2023-02-03T21:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxreliefprofessional.com\/?page_id=1444"},"modified":"2023-08-27T19:31:23","modified_gmt":"2023-08-27T19:31:23","slug":"form-540","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/taxreliefprofessional.com\/irs-forms\/form-540","title":{"rendered":"IRS Form 540"},"content":{"rendered":"

<– Guide to IRS Forms<\/a><\/p>\n

The California Resident Income Tax Return form is commonly referred to as \u201cIRS Form 540\u201d. While this name isn\u2019t accurate, it\u2019s certainly easy to understand the confusion.<\/p>\n

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) governs the federal tax laws that Congress puts into place. \u201cThe IRS performs three main functions,\u201d says the Tax Policy Center<\/a>, \u201ctax return processing, taxpayer service, and enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The IRS\u2019s counterpart in the state of California is the Franchise Tax Board (FTB). It performs the same functions as the IRS for California state taxes. Like the IRS, the FTB requires an annual report of income and tax.<\/p>\n

Residents file their California Resident Income Tax Return on Form 540. Generally, people refer to the California Resident Income Tax Return as IRS Form 540. However, that\u2019s not technically accurate.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry. If you accidentally call Form 540 by the wrong name, a tax professional will likely know what you\u2019re referring to.<\/p>\n

Regardless of what we call it, be sure to file and pay on time if California tax law requires you to. \u201cGenerally,\u201d says the FTB<\/a>, \u201cyou must file an income tax return if you\u2019re a:<\/p>\n