topic Re: CA 540 filing rejected in State tax filing

CA 540 filing rejected

csaito — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:51:20 GMT

Hello! I filed my 2021 California tax return on 2/14/2022 and received a notice of rejection, saying that the return was rejected due to a problem with my charitable contributions. I am a senior citizen who takes the standard deduction, and in 2021 I made $236 in charitable contributions, all of which I listed individually in TurboTax. Today I logged into TurboTax to fix any discrepancies that caused my return to be rejected, but TurboTax didn't show me what to change, and when I again ran the review for my state, it showed no errors. How can I file my tax return without fixing the errors that caused it to be rejected in the first place unless I know which errors exist?

Re: CA 540 filing rejected

NashayLO — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 18:00:31 GMT

Your CA rejection is due to an internal error that was fixed on 2/17/2022. Please see this TurboTax FAQ, for more information, How do I file my return after receiving CA_CharitableContributions_Hold?

Re: CA 540 filing rejected

rasmussenb9 — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 20:59:13 GMT

I resubmitted mine after doing the CA update and it was rejected again. I checked for updates today and none were available. What are we supposed to do now?

Re: CA 540 filing rejected

patmon — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 19:40:15 GMT

And when you click on the link provided, this is what it says:

We're sorry, we can't find the page you requested.

I pulled out last year's return with the same situation and there was no problem when both federal and state were filed simultaneously.

Re: CA 540 filing rejected

csaito — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 01:34:35 GMT

Both returns were filed at the same time, so that's not the problem. There are now a lot of posts regarding CA state tax returns being rejected, and the most common solution has been to zero out charitable contributions and forgo any tax credit you are entitled to, which I prefer not to do. TurboTax recommends filing your State return by mail if the issue isn't resolved, so I can always do that.

Thanks for trying to help!

Re: CA 540 filing rejected

csaito — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 01:41:41 GMT

I re-filed my CA State tax return on the 17th, supposedly after it was fixed, and it was rejected for the second time. I decided to wait for a few weeks because I figure that Intuit will get thousands of complaints and will have to fix the issue at some point. Besides, Intuit already charged my credit card $20 for the filing fee.

Re: CA 540 filing rejected

rasmussenb9 — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 01:42:20 GMT

There seems to be some confusion about what contributions are being discussed, this the care act charitable contributions of money, and applies to those taking the standard deduction. The fed allows you to take up to $600 of cash contributions deduction even if you are taking the standard deduction without havig to identify "who", that's why its call the care act. The states do not allow this and I am guessing that is what is causing the issue. So you are not losing out on anything by zeroing this out and resubmitting your state return. If you have real charitable contributions and can itemize deductions I would put these cash dollars in that part of the fed return under deductions and credits and then you will have to identify the "whos" and all will be okay.

Re: CA 540 filing rejected

rasmussenb9 — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 01:44:36 GMT

There is no additional charge for resubmitting your state e-file, but I am sure Intuit is working hard to get this resolved. My human call support person knew the issue and said either wait for the fix or zero out the care act contributions.

Re: CA 540 filing rejected

jme02100 — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 01:51:03 GMT

@rasmussenb9 If they’re working hard to get it resolved they should be keeping people in the loop rather than limbo. My thread is based on the zero out method and yes if your charitable contributions makes a difference in your return or tax owed I’d follow the above advice you gave that allows you to itemize it on the fed return. That’s where it gets hung up. I was told last week the fix would be the 17th then I heard again from someone else that said the 20th it will be fixed. Either way terrible communication on TurboTax’s part. They’re knowingly let people file returns that are going to get rejected due to a software issue.

Re: CA 540 filing rejected

oberhausenmoney — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 23:51:53 GMT

My CA 540 rejection said "spouse SSN cannot match apreviously accedpted return unless the superceded return or amended return checkbox is checked." This was not an amended or superceded filing for 2021 State CA 540. Need help.

Re: CA 540 filing rejected

DaveF1006 — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 04:20:49 GMT

@oberhausenmoney It possibly sounds like an identity theft issue where someone has filed a tax return using your spouse's name and SSN. Please go to the following link if you think you may be a victim of identity theft. Also check around with family members to see if anyone has claimed your spouse on their return.