question on california state CLC ...

[runnerdude]

do you HAVE to apply/use one's long term CLC to offset one's long-term capital gain even if doing so doesn't save you any money ?

software forced me to apply $300 of my CLC balance to offset

my $300 long-term capital gain even though doing so did not save me any money ...

is there a way to "opt out" of using a portion of one's CLC balance in any given

year and saving it to use in a year where it will actually save you some money ... ?

same question for federal ...

thanks !

[SusanY1]

No, you can't opt out of using up the annual carryover capital loss on your California or federal tax return each year. 

You must reduce by $3,000 (federal) and $300 (California) for each year - whether you can "use" it or not.  

Any amount remaining after these reductions will carry over to the next year.