Why do I have to wait for a California adjustment form

[MaryK4]

Unfortunately, if a required form has not been approved for the state or IRS, you will not be able to file.  TurboTax will email as soon as it is ready.  The Adjustment form is used by many taxpayers so it should be ready very soon.

[mesquitebean]

If you are awaiting one of the following CA adjustment forms, the projected availability date is 2/06/2020. [Old information; see the ADDENDUM below]

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UPDATE:     ADDENDUM 1/28/2020:

According to the table, the projected availability date of the 2 forms below has been changed.   The table now shows the new date for both efiling and printing of those CA adjustment forms is 1/30/2020.

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Schedule CA (540), California Adjustments -- Residents

or

Schedule CA (540NR), California Adjustments -- Nonresidents or Part-Year Residents

The dates are subject to change.  You can monitor availability by using the following table:

State Forms Availability Table:
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/forms/help/state-forms-availability-table-for-turbotax-individual-...

[codered350]

Thank you. Also why is it necessary for me to file said form? UEI benefits maybe? 

[mesquitebean]

I'm a fellow user and can't speak much specifically about California's 540 Schedule CA (Adjustments), but many states have such adjustment forms.   The state taxable income is not always the same as the Federal amount.    The adjustment schedule is used to adjust the Federal AGI and some Federal deductions on the California return according to California law.    Some people will have "additions and subtractions" they can make to the Federal figures on the state return, which may increase or lower their taxable CA income, thus affecting their state refund or state tax due.

The 540 Schedule CA (or 540NR Schedule CA, etc.) instructions and viewable forms should normally be on the CA state tax website.   The specific ones would depend on whether you are are a resident of CA, non-resident,  or part-year resident.   However, it looks like the 2019 form is not yet available on the CA website.   If you want to see what one looks like, it does let me pull up the 2018 Schedule CA and instructions there.

https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/index.html

[mesquitebean]

@codered350 and @avila85 

The projected date for the CA adjustment form has changed from what I reported in my original answer a few days ago.   The California state forms table is now showing it is scheduled for 1/30/2020.    Dates in that table are subject to change in either direction.

State Forms Availability Table:
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/forms/help/state-forms-availability-table-for-turbotax-individual-...

[bj111778]

What about the instructions? The California Tax website says they are not available.

[mesquitebean]

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@ bj111778 wrote:

What about the instructions? The California Tax website says they are not available.

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Is one of these what you are referring to?   I found these at the CA FTB website.   It looks like you can be emailed the instructions.   Which one to get depends on whether you are a resident, non-resident, or part-year resident.

2019, 540, Instructions for 540 Schedule CA, California Adjustments - Residents

https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/Search/Home/FormRequest/3779

2019, 540, Instructions for 540-NR Schedule CA, California Adjustments - Nonresidents and Part-Year Residents

https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/Search/Home/FormRequest/3796

There are also some instructions (but less detailed) in the downloadable CA personal tax booklet (either 540 booklet or 540NR booklet), which has line-by-line instructions for the CA state return.