Previous state tax

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
February 4, 2020
1 reply
9 views

Hi,

For the year 2015, I was a visiting student researcher in the US and received a gross income of a bit less than 10k, I submitted my federal taxes and received a refund. Was I required to file state taxes too? I don't think I was required, but I just want to confirm. The state in question is California, and I was a nonresident alien for federal tax purposes.

Thanks!

DavidS127

Level 13

The California income that required you to file in 2015, for a single person with no dependents, was $16,256 of California Gross Income or $13,005 of California Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).

Although not authoritative for tax purposes, this San Francisco State University webpage has the following information:

California state law does not mirror the federal law when it comes to taxing non-U.S. citizens; the state of California does not recognize the federal level tax treaty. California income is taxable and subject to withholding for state purposes, irrespective of a federal exemption. California does not distinguish among U.S. citizens, U.S. residents, or nonresident aliens with respect to California state income tax withholding.

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lmm25_08Author

Level 2

Dear David,

Thanks for your reply! So, my interpretation was correct, and I didn't need to file, right? To give a bit more info, my state income tax (box17 of w2 form was around $440).

Thanks!

JotikaT2

Employee Tax Expert

You are correct.

Box 16 of your W-2 would have been the total California wages.

Box 17 of your W-2 would have been the total California income taxes withheld.

As long as your income is below the amounts listed below for your filing status, you would not have been required to file a California return in 2015.

2015 Filing requirements