FTB notices and letters: how to identify what you received

Use this page when You have an FTB notice or letter but are not yet sure what category it fits.

Best first move Match the notice name or notice purpose before choosing the next page.

Short summary

If you are staring at an FTB letter and do not know what it is, start by matching the exact notice name. FTB uses notices and letters for balance-due issues, return changes, questions, requests for more information, refund changes, and processing issues, and the right next step depends on which category you actually received.

Quick scan

What to know first

FTB's notices-and-letters hub is the main official starting point for identifying taxpayer and business notices.
Different FTB notices can point to different issues, including balance due, return changes, questions, requests for additional information, refund changes, or processing delays.
The best next step is usually to match the notice name first, then move to the most specific FTB page rather than treating every letter like a collections emergency.

What this means

The notice name often matters more than the fact that you received an FTB letter at all.
A balance-due notice usually routes differently than a return-change notice or a request for more information.
If the notice is already tied to collection activity, the better next page may be the FTB withholding-orders, order-to-withhold, bank-levy, or wage-garnishment page.

What may have happened

FTB may be claiming a balance remains due.
FTB may be telling you it changed something on the return.
FTB may need more information or be responding to a refund or processing issue.
A prior notice trail may have progressed farther than expected.

What to do today

Write down the exact notice title, number, date, and tax year.
Start with the official FTB notices-and-letters hub to match the notice name to the right explanation page.
If the notice is clearly a balance-due notice, move to the FTB notice-of-state-income-tax-due page next.
If the notice says FTB changed something on the return, move to the FTB notice-of-tax-return-change page next.
If wages or accounts are already being affected, move out of the general notice path and into the FTB withholding-orders, bank-levy, order-to-withhold, or wage-garnishment pages.
Keep the envelope, all pages of the notice, and any related prior notices together before deciding what to do.

What can happen next

You may confirm that the notice is informational and needs review, not urgent collections action.
You may find that the issue is really a balance-due or return-change question.
If deadlines are missed or the balance is not addressed, the matter can become more complicated over time.

When to get help

It may be time to get help when the notice category is still unclear, multiple FTB notices are stacked together, a return-change issue overlaps with a balance due, or collections language is appearing alongside ordinary notice wording.

Official sources

Optional follow-up

Request a follow-up about this issue

You can use the site without submitting this form. If you want a follow-up, share the agency, notice stage, and balance details so the issue can be routed more accurately.

Required Name, phone, email, amount claimed to owe, short issue summary, and consent.

Optional guidance Agency selection and whether you received a notice can help route the follow-up.

Do not fill this out if you are human:

Name

Phone

Email

Amount claimed to owe

Agency

Optional, but helpful if the notice already names FTB, EDD, IRS, or another agency.

FTB EDD IRS Other

Received notice?

Yes No

Short description of tax issue

I agree to be contacted about my tax issue by phone, text message, and email, including by a service provider or partner responding to my request. Consent is not a condition of purchase.

By submitting this form, you authorize contact regarding your request using the information you provided. Message and data rates may apply. Frequency may vary.

This site is educational and may connect people with service providers. Official agency resources remain available directly through FTB and EDD.

Submissions are handled by Netlify Forms, stored in Netlify, and can trigger Netlify email notifications for the site owner.

Keep going

Related and next pages

FTB notice of state income tax due

Use this next if the notice clearly says California income tax is due.

FTB notice of tax return change

Use this next if the notice says FTB changed the return or adjusted the tax amount.

FTB withholding orders

Use this next if the notice trail has moved into collections language or legal orders.

FTB wage garnishment

Use this next if the problem has already reached paycheck withholding.

FTB payment plans

Use this next if the balance appears correct and the main issue is how to pay over time.

FTB hub

Return to the broader FTB hub for notices, collections, and payment-plan guidance.

Which agency?

Use the routing page if the notice still does not clearly fit FTB or EDD.