The California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) has delayed the tax refund process for at least 16,000 state taxpayers in order to complete extra identity verification steps to prevent refund fraud and identity theft. The FTB is sending letters to some taxpayers whose returns were prepared professionally to request confidential information using various form letters to validate their claims for refund.
According to the FTB’s May newsletter, these contacts are generally made within 30 days of the filing date of the return. The letters generated are:
- FTB 3904 – Request to Confirm Tax Return Filing. FTB generates this letter to the last good address on file for the taxpayer (not the address on the return).
- FTB 4734D – Request for Tax Information and Documents.
- FTB 4502 – Additional Documentation Required – Refund Pending.
- FTB 4579 – Demand to Furnish Information – sent to employers.
