Why does the is the california return 540 in turbo tax different from the one on the state's website

It depends.

 

I recommend reviewing the years on the tax forms you are looking at as they forms may be from different years.  

 

The FTB does not have the 2020 Form 540 available online at this moment as they indicate they are making changes to the form.  

 

Link to FTB Form 540 for California

 

Please note California does have different versions of the 540 Form.  They have the regular 540, a 540 2EZ, and a 540 NR (nonresident tax filing).

 

Please see the link below for more information on the differences between the forms depending upon your specific circumstances.

 

What form to file

The printed CA 540 is a 2020 version. The version you can view and is  sent electronically does not have line 22 and is rejected by the state.