California Income Tax: Rates, Who Pays in 2024 - NerdWallet (2024)

For tax purposes, you’re a resident of California if your presence in California wasn’t temporary or transitory. Generally, you’re a resident if you lived in California, even if you were temporarily out of state.

Here are some examples of situations that can make you a California resident for tax purposes, according to the state:

Students from California who go to college out of state do not automatically become nonresidents. Likewise, attending school in California doesn’t automatically make a student a California resident. The California Franchise Tax Board's website has the rules on how California determines residency status.

Generally, you’re a part-year resident of California if you were a nonresident for some of the tax year. This is often the case for people who moved to California from another state.

If you’re a part-year resident, you pay California state tax on all income you received during the part of the tax year you were a resident of California, plus state income tax on income just from California sources while you were a nonresident.

Nonresidents may still have to pay California state tax on income they receive from California sources. This means you may need to file a California state tax return even if you live in another state but made money from California-related things such as:

In some cases, you might be a nonresident for tax purposes even if you live in California but you were out of state for at least 546 consecutive days because of an employment-related contract.

However, that exception won’t apply if you had more than $200,000 of intangible income while the employment-related contract was in effect, were in California for more than 45 days during the tax year, or if the state thinks the point of your absence is to evade state income taxes.

California earned income tax credit (CalEITC)

The CalEITC is a tax benefit that mirrors the federal earned income tax credit. Californians with earned income and federal AGI of up to $30,950 in 2023 may be eligible for a tax credit of up to $3,529. The exact credit amount depends on your filing status and the number of qualifying children. (People without kids also qualify.)

California young child tax credit (YCTC)

The refundable young child tax credit is another state-level tax credit modeled after the federal version of the child tax credit. People who qualify for the California earned income tax credit mentioned above and who also had a child younger than 6 by the end of the 2023 tax year are generally eligible for the YCTC. The maximum credit for 2023 is $1,117. The credit begins to phase out for those with an earned income of $25,775 and above and is not available for anyone making above $30,931.

California child and dependent care tax credit

The state of California also offers a nonrefundable tax credit for people who may have expenses related to the care of a child, a spouse or another type of dependent. Similar to the federal child and dependent care tax credit, eligible taxpayers can claim a certain limited percentage of their expenses on their state tax returns. For more details about who qualifies as a dependent, see the Instructions for Form FTB 3506 on the California Franchise Tax Board’s website.

California adoption cost tax credit

To help offset the costs associated with adoption, California offers a tax credit that can help cover up to 50% of certain adoption-related expenses. The maximum you can claim for the credit is $2,500 per child per tax year, but the remaining amounts can be claimed on tax returns in future years. Typical expenses covered by the credit include travel, unreimbursed medical costs, and other adoptions and agency fees. The child must have been adopted from California.

California nonrefundable renters tax credit

If your income fell below a certain threshold in 2023, you may be able to claim a nonrefundable tax credit for having paid your rent for at least half of the year (six months). Those who are single/married filed separately and made $50,746 or below can qualify for a $60 credit, and those who are head of household, married filing jointly or qualified widow/er with an income at or below $101,492 can qualify for double, at a total of $120.