My daughter had an internship in CA last summer and they took CA state tax of $37, do we need to file a CA state return for this?

[sydney-kirby]

My daughter had an internship in CA last summer and they took CA state tax of $37, do we need to file a CA state return for this? It will cost $40+ to purchase the extra state and another $20 to e-file, it seems excessive.

[DanielV01 · Accepted solution]

It depends.  The real question is whether or not she has a filing requirement in California.  The chart on this website provides more information:  https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/2017-California-Tax-Rates-and-Exemptions.shtml#ifr

If you claim your daughter as a dependent, she would not have to file as long as her income is below the standard deduction.  If this is true, she would not have to file.

But there is another option.  If your daughter's return is not complex, then she may file using TurboTax online's Absolute Zero rather than the desktop software.  In this version of TurboTax, her Federal and State returns may be filed for free, so she can get the $37 refund (if that's the refund amount) and not have to pay for an extra state or fee.