California (CA) State Tax Refund Status and Key Tax Considerations

If you’re a California resident or tax filer, here’s what’s worth knowing about the state’s refund process and a few key state-specific tax considerations for 2026.

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The Middle Class Tax Refund (MCTR) Program Has Ended

The one-time Middle Class Tax Refund, passed in 2022, sent a combined $9.2 billion to roughly 32 million California taxpayers and their dependents via direct deposit or prepaid debit card between October 2022 and January 2023. That program is now fully closed. All MCTR prepaid debit card accounts expired on April 30, 2026, and the roughly $400 million left unclaimed on those cards was returned to the State of California General Fund under the terms of the Better for Families Act of 2022.

If you had an MCTR debit card and want your transaction history for your records, MCTRpayment.com has said it will keep that history available through July 31, 2026 – check the current deadline on that site before it closes.

There is no indication of a similar statewide relief payment being planned for 2026 or 2027 as of this writing.

Checking Your Current CA Tax Refund Status

The California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) manages the administration and collection of taxes for individuals and corporations in the state. You generally have to file a California state tax return if you’re an income-earning resident, part-year resident, or a non-resident who earned income from a California source.

To check your refund status, use the FTB’s Where’s My Refund tool directly – no account or login required for basic status checks, just your SSN/ITIN, filing status, and exact refund amount. E-filed returns are typically processed within 3 to 4 weeks; paper returns can take up to 3 months.

You can also use tax software with free filing options to file both your federal and California returns, or use CalFile to file directly with the FTB for free if your income is below the qualifying threshold.

California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC)

Lower-income Californians may qualify for CalEITC, a state-level credit that stacks on top of the federal EITC. For the 2025 tax year, you generally need earned income of $32,900 or less to qualify.

Filers with a qualifying child under age six may also receive the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC), worth up to $1,189 for 2025, claimed on the same FTB Form 3514 used for CalEITC. Check the current year’s exact thresholds directly at ftb.ca.gov/caleitc, since both credits are adjusted periodically.

California State Tax Brackets

California has one of the most progressive state income tax structures in the country, with rates currently ranging from 1% up to 12.3% depending on taxable income and filing status, plus an additional 1% Mental Health Services Tax on income over $1 million – bringing the effective top marginal rate to 13.3%. Because California adjusts its bracket thresholds for inflation each year, always check the current-year brackets directly on the FTB site rather than relying on a prior year’s numbers – bracket thresholds cited elsewhere online are frequently out of date.

You can see the current federal IRS tax brackets here for comparison.

If you’d rather have a real person walk through your California return with you, see my roundup of free tax advice and filing help — several of the options apply directly to CA filers.