I was in the military the last few years, resident of CA but stationed in WA. My returns haven't changed much over the last few years, but this year I see I'm not getting anything back from state, from which a healthy amount was withheld. Can someone give me insight if I'm doing something wrong or why CA is hoarding my withholdings?
Thanks, Josiah
Check your W2 in boxes 15-17 in your return to see if you reported Ca wages and taxes withheld in that section. What does your refund amount show?
It has the same amount listed under CA declared income as the federal income, with the tax withholdings listed in box 17. Any reason why that would not be refunded? Enlisted military would of course be in a very low tax bracket.
Do you have a copy of your 2018 tax return and W-2 form so you can compare it to your 2019 information?
I would start there to confirm there were no significant changes. Sometimes wages increase but the corresponding withholdings do not increase accordingly.
I have attached a link which shows the changes in amounts of the standard deduction and exemption amounts for California from 2018 to 2019 tax returns.