Update to 2008.01f NOW AVAILABLE.
(Requires that you have already installed a California disc for the 2008 filing season, such as ce2008.01, cs2008.01, or cp2008.01.)
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CAUTION: Before using these downloads, you MUST exit Tax Preparer.
The update may not function properly if the Tax Preparer program is currently open!
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The downloads on this page are only for California Supplement for Form 540 returns.
Downloads for Tax Preparer for Form 1040 returns are found on the
Main Downloads page.
Downloads for the Partnership Edition for Form 1065 returns are found on the
Partnership Downloads page.
To use these downloads,
click the appropriate version and follow the on-screen instructions. (CAUTION: These downloads
require that you have already installed on your computer a prior California release for the 2008 filing
season for the same level -- Economy, Standard, or Premium.)
Economy Level. To update the prior release to release ce2008.01f, click the following link:
Update 2008 California 540 Economy (ce2008.01f).
(710 KB) (revised 3/3/2008 12:45 PM PDT)
Standard Level. To update prior releases to release s2008.01f, click the following link:
Update 2008 California 540 Standard (cs2008.01f)
CAUTION: Once you install this California release, you MUST have
release 2008.01c (or later) of the
Form 1040 software to avert problems with e-file for Form 1040 returns.
(980 KB) (revised 3/3/2008 12:45 PM PDT)
Premium Level. To update prior releases to release p2008.01f, click the following link:
Update 2008 California 540 Premium (cp2008.01f).
CAUTION: Once you install this California release, you MUST have
release 2008.01c (or later) of the
Form 1040 software to avert problems with e-file for Form 1040 returns.
(1,019 KB) (revised 3/3/2008 12:45 PM PDT)
(revised 3/3/2008)
Release 2008.01f differs from release 2008.01e in various changes
to make the software consistent with the newly revised California manual. The changes include:
- One line reference on Schedule CA and four line references on Worksheet A changed. (All changes are on-screen only,
and do not affect calculations or printouts.)
- Tab settings and alignment dot programming changed for non-graphic Form 540. (Affects only those
who must print onto an FTB-printed Form 540 because their printer is incapable of printing quality graphic forms.)
- Premium Level only: Road Map access to Form 3805Z added at Schedule CA, line 21e, and Schedule P (page 2) credit code 176.
- Premium Level only: Form 3805Z, Part IV, line 4 changed to limit entry to the range 0 through 100%
and to retain 2 additional places after the decimal point.
Release 2008.01e differs from release 2008.01d only in the printed graphic Form 3582
(Payment Voucher for Individual e-filed Returns). It therefore applies only to Standard Level and Premium Level
software. (The spelling of the word Payment in the title is corrected.)
Release 2008.01d differs from release 2008.01c only in the graphic forms as follows:
- Schedules CA, D-1, P, and W-2 CG, and Forms 3506, 3801, 3805Z, and 5805. The bottom registration
marks for some pages of these forms could formerly be faded rather than bold on some printers, but bold
printing is now assured for all printers. Even though none of these forms are scannable forms, the faded
registration marks could potentially delay the processing of the return by the FTB.
- Form 540. Section titles are recentered for better aesthetics.
Release 2008.01c differs from release 2008.01b as follows:
- Forms 3519, 540-ES, and 540X added. The forms for automatic 6-month extension, estimated taxes,
and an amended return are added.
- Forms 3805Z added. (Premium Level only) The form for claiming a deduction or credit for
enterprise zone activities is added to the Premium Level.
- Form 3582 voucher corrected. The placement of the 07 on the e-file payment voucher is moved to
the new location specified by the FTB.
Release 2008.01b differs from release 2008.01a as follows:
- Scannable Form 540 corrected. This release ensures that the tax preparer's SSN or PTIN
is properly formatted in the scanband area of the form. Formerly, the tax preparer's FEIN was
printed twice rather than the FEIN once and the SSN or PTIN once.
- Form 3540 added. This form, for claiming credit carryovers of expired credits, is added to
all levels of the software.
Release 2008.01a differs from release 2008.01 as follows:
- Renter's Credit corrected. This release ensures that Renter's Credit is properly given at
line 28 of Form 540 when applicable. (Note that the credit is not updated until the final recaluation of
the return if you have a Schedule P for the return, but you can force a final recalculation by pressing
ctrl-B or shift-F8.)
- e-file activated. California e-file is activated with the addition of Form 8453. Associated e-file
forms are printed based on your entries on Form 8453, including Form 3582 payment vouchers and Forms W-2,
W-2G, and 1099-R.
Important Instructions on the use of Schedule W-2 CG
Schedule W-2 CG is a new form designed by the FTB to eliminate the need for attaching
copies of the actual Form(s) W-2 to the return, providing all required information is printed
on Schedule W-2 CG. Your Tax Preparer automatically creates and completes Schedule W-2 CG for you upon
the final recomputation of the return, but you must take special care in your handling of the
California W-2 Worksheets in order for the Schedule W-2 CG to be properly prepared. You must...
- View each and every W-2 Worksheet translated from the federal return and attached to line 12 of Form 540.
(Unless California wages are different from federal wages, you may be accustomed to skipping this step,
even though we always recommend it. However, it is required for the proper automation of Schedule W-2 CG.)
- Verify that all entries required for Schedule W-2 CG appear on the W-2 Worksheets...
including employer's name, EIN, and state IDN, as well as recipient's SSN, state wages, and social security wages.
(Unless you e-file the return, you are not normally required to enter all this information
on the federal return, so it is common for the information to be omitted.)
- Verify that state SDI appears on line 14 of each and every California W-2 Worksheet.
Unless you entered the SDI on line 14a of the federal W-2 Worksheet,
it will not appear on the translated California W-2 Worksheet. You MUST enter all
SDI on line 14 of the California W-2 Worksheet, irrespective of whether it appears in
box 14 or box 19 of the actual Form W-2.
- If you have any W-2s from states other than California... you must access Schedule W-2 CG
yourself to answer the corresponding question on the screen. The FTB does not
want Schedule W-2 CG filled in when there are wages from other states, and your
proper answer here ensures that the schedule is printed as a blank form for use as a cover sheet
instead. (You must use the Forms Menu to access Schedule W-2 CG
because it is not available through the Road Map.)
- You must still attach actual copies of Form(s) W-2 when... the limit of four Form(s) W-2 per spouse is exceeded
or some W-2s are from other states. You can also elect to attach the copies by answering the corresponding
question on the screen for Schedule W-2 CG. The software will then print a blank Schedule W-2 CG
for your use as a cover sheet for your attached forms, as required by the FTB.
Note that Schedule W-2 CG is required to be placed behind Form 540 and in front of Schedule CA,
with copies of actual Form(s) W-2 attached to it only when the schedule is left blank.
(The software ensures the proper order when you choose to print the entire return at once.)
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(revised 3/4/2005)
There are a number of peculiarities of California e-file that can make it more difficult to generate an
FTB-accepted return that it is to generate an IRS-accepted return. In fact, most of the following common
error codes are a direct result of unduly restrictive requirements placed on e-file by the FTB, and
four of these errors are even in the FTB list of their five most common errors (listed below in
numerical order of the error code).
- Error code 013 in field 0363 of Form W-2. For an e-file return, line 14a of our W-2 Worksheet
for California Form 8453 is reserved for reporting state disability insurance paid. As result, the error
can arise for one of two reasons:
- Use of line 14a for a non-SDI amount. Even when a non-SDI amount is listed first in box 14 of a
taxpayer's Form W-2, you must report the type and amount in line 14b or 14c instead.
- Entering a type for line 14a that is not an FTB-sanctioned indicator for SDI. The only FTB-allowed
entries for type in line 14a are CASDI, SDI, VPDI, VD, VP, and VI. No spaces or hyphens are allowed. The
entry of any other type will result in the cited error.
Whatever the reason for the error, the solution is easy. Just access the offending W-2 Worksheet from screen 3
of the California Form 8453 and alter the entries for lines 14a, 14b, and 14c as necessary.
- Error code 123 in Form W-2. This error can arise when a blank W-2 is transmitted with the return.
A blank W-2 is generally created by accident when you access a W-2 Worksheet and accidently create an additional
one by paging past the end of the valid W-2. To correct this error you must access the W-2 Worksheets from
screen 3 of the California Form 8453 and remove any blank W-2 worksheets with the Remove Key (ctrl-R or shift-F3).
- Error code 521 in field 0360 of Form 540. This error means that the sum of state withholding
on W-2 (box 17), W-2G (box 14), and 1099-R (box 10) worksheets for Form 8453 is not equal to the total
for state withholding at line 38 of Form 540. This error is a common consequence of the
deviations caused by rounding to the nearest dollar. Because the FTB does not recognize the inevitability of such
rounding errors, when you encounter this error you must change the withholding
amounts on the worksheets for Form 8453 to whole dollar amounts that, when added together, total the amount on
line 38 of Form 540.
- Error code 522 in Schedule CA. This error is caused by using release 2005.01 to generate e-file output
for California. You must update to a later release in order to avert this error.
- Error code 530 in field 0200 of Form 540.
This error means that the sum of state wages (box 16) on the W-2 worksheets for Form 8453 is not equal to the total for
State Wages on line 12 of Form 540. There are two common causes for this error:
- Differences caused by rounding to the nearest dollar. Unlike the IRS, the FTB does not seem to
recognize that their requirement to report only dollar amounts for e-file can lead to deviations of a dollar
or so between a total and the sum of the individual parts. As a result, you must sometimes change the amounts
on the W-2 worksheets for Form 8453 to whole dollar amounts that, when added together, total the amount on
line 12 of Form 540.
- Differences between state and federal wages. Because only federal wages are available on Form 1040
for translation to Form 540, the federal wages are initially used in place of state wages at line 12 of Form 540.
Therefore, if a taxpayers's W-2 shows that state wages (box 16) are different from federal wages (box 1),
you must itemize to the W-2 worksheets at line 12 of Form 540, check that the proper
state wages are entered on line 16 of the worksheets, then escape back to Form 540. The proper state total should
now appear at line 12 of Form 540 and should agree with the wages entered on the W-2 worksheets for Form 8453 within
a dollar or so. (If they don't agree precisely, see the preceding bullet for more information.)
- Error code 543 in field 42 of Form 540. This error arises when the spouse's last name is a compound name
(such as JONES-SMITH), and is a result of an FTB restriction on last names that is contrary
to the acceptable IRS format. The FTB allows no hyphens or spaces in a last name. As a result, you must go to
screen 1 of the California Form 540 and remove all punctuation or spaces from the spouse's last name
(such as JONESSMITH in place of JONES-SMITH).
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