Notice from Calif FTB saying I owe more

[KT46]

Hello, I need help please.  I filed my 2023 taxes electronically using TurboTax, the $80 version, on 4/7/24 and immediately paid what was owed to the state.  Yesterday I received Form 4963 from CAFTB saying I owe MORE California tax. I am so confused. I’ve never had to pay in my whole life,  I’ve always gotten a refund so this is new to me.  I also happen make less than I ever have, and for the first time ever, I’ve had to pay both federal and state. And now they are trying to soak me for more? I have no clue why and of course you can’t get anyone on the phone.  Is this common? Is it a TurboTax thing? Thank you so much for any light you can shed I’d appreciate it very much.

[rjs]

They are not trying to "soak" you for more. They are trying to get you to pay the correct amount of tax on your income.

Form 4963 means you have a balance due. How much does the notice say you owe? If it's the amount that was due on your tax return, then either they did not get your payment or they did not properly credit it to your tax due. How did you pay the tax? Your proof of payment is a canceled check, a bank record showing the payment, or a credit card statement showing the payment. If the payment did come out of your bank account or credit card account, follow the instructions in the notice for what to do if you disagree with it.

As far as having to pay instead of getting a refund, it's not "a TurboTax thing," it's a taxpayer thing. Assuming you were employed, you apparently did not have enough tax withheld from your pay during the year. You can have your employer withhold more tax so that you will get refund. For your federal tax you can use the Tax Withholding Estimator on the IRS web site to figure out what to put on the W-4 form that you give to your employer. It will show you how to adjust your withholding to get the approximate refund amount that you want. For California use Form DE 4.

But keep in mind that it's better to owe a small amount when you file your taxes instead of getting a refund. Getting a refund means that you paid more tax than necessary during the year. The IRS or FTB holds your money and sends some of your own money back to you when you file your tax return. And they don't pay you interest on the money that they held. If you adjust your withholding so that you owe a small amount at the end of the year you get to use the money during the year instead of having the government hold it. And you don't have to wait for the refund or worry about the refund being delayed or lost.

[KT46]

Thank you for the response.  I paid the exact amount owed according to my finished and filed tax return, and it was accepted. I thought I was done.  The instructions say to call if I disagree, but I’ve tried multiple times and get the  “high volume of calls try again later” spiel.  Next year I guess I’m going to have to use a local tax preparer because then I can at least have some support when things go sideways like this.  

[KT46]

Thank you for the response.  I paid the exact amount owed according to my finished and filed tax return, and it was accepted. I thought I was done.  The instructions say to call if I disagree, but I’ve tried multiple times and get the  “high volume of calls try again later” spiel.  Next year I guess I’m going to have to use a local tax preparer because then I can at least have some support when things go sideways like this.  

[TomD8]

See this TurboTax help article as to what "accepted" means:

What does Accepted mean? (intuit.com)

An "accepted" return can still be subjected to further scrutiny by the taxing authority.

It is not at all uncommon for a taxing agency to find errors or omissions on a tax return, even though the return initially appears to be correct when it leaves the taxpayer's hands.  What TurboTax guarantees is that its calculations will be correct.  But the program of course cannot guarantee that all of a user's entries will be correct.

A 4963 notice from California means that after a review the taxing authority made a change to your tax return which resulted in your having a balance due.  The letter should contain instructions as to what steps you should take if you disagree with their findings.