Tax Center · IRS and California
Tax Center
The official links, in the order you actually need them. Track a refund, make a payment, find a form, see what is due next. Every link goes straight to the IRS or the Franchise Tax Board and was checked when this page was built.
Coming up
Every deadline in the next twelve months that applies to you, recalculated each day. When a date falls on a weekend or a federal holiday it moves to the next business day, the same way the IRS moves it.
Federal is the IRS; California is the Franchise Tax Board. Not yet confirmed means the date follows the standing rules but the IRS has not yet published that year's official calendar - confirmed through 2026.
Track a refund
Both agencies update these daily. You need your Social Security number, filing status, and the exact refund amount from the return.
Pay, or set up a payment plan
Pay directly from a bank account at no charge. Card payments go through a processor that adds a fee.
- IRS Direct Pay↗One-off federal payments from a bank account: balance due, estimates, extensions.
- EFTPS↗The federal system for business payments - payroll deposits, corporate estimates. Enrollment takes about a week, so set it up before you need it.
- IRS payment options and plans↗Every federal payment method in one place, including installment agreements if you cannot pay in full.
- FTB Web Pay↗California payments for individuals and businesses, including estimates and the LLC annual tax.
Your IRS and FTB accounts
Set these up once. They show what the agencies have on file for you, which is where most notice questions get answered.
- IRS Online Account↗Balances, payment history, notices, and copies of what the IRS has received from you.
- Get a tax transcript↗Free line-by-line summaries of past returns and wage records. Lenders ask for these.
- Identity Protection PIN↗A six-digit code that stops anyone else filing a return in your name. Worth doing.
- MyFTB↗California's equivalent: balances, payments, notices, and estimated-payment history.
Forms you will actually need
The handful of forms that come up every year, straight from the agency. Everything else is in the two full libraries at the end.
- Form W-9↗What a customer asks you for before they pay you. Fill it once, keep a signed PDF.
- Form W-4↗Sets your paycheck withholding. Redo it after a raise, a marriage, or a side business.
- Form 1040-ES↗Federal estimated payment vouchers and the 2026 rate schedules.
- Form 4868↗Six more months to file your personal return. Not more time to pay.
- Form 7004↗The extension for business returns: partnerships, S corporations, C corporations.
- Form 2848↗Power of attorney. Lets us speak to the IRS for you.
- Form 8822 / 8822-B↗Tell the IRS you moved. 8822-B is the business version and also updates the responsible party.
- Form SS-4↗The paper EIN application. Online is faster - see the business section below.
- FTB 540-ES↗California estimated payment vouchers for 2026.
- FTB 3522↗The $800 LLC annual tax voucher.
- FTB 3536↗The LLC fee estimate, for LLCs with California income of $250,000 or more.
- FTB 3519↗Pay California tax with your extension. The extension itself is automatic.
- IRS forms and publications↗The full federal library, searchable.
- FTB forms↗The full California library, by year.
Start or run a California business
The registrations and lookups that come up when a business starts, hires, or sells.
- Apply for an EIN online↗Free, immediate, and directly from the IRS. Anyone charging for this is reselling a free service.
- California bizfile↗The Secretary of State portal: form an LLC or corporation, file the Statement of Information, check a name.
- EDD e-Services for Business↗Register as a California employer and file state payroll taxes.
- CDTFA sales tax rate lookup↗The sales tax rate for any California address. Rates vary by city and district.
- Pass-through entity elective tax↗California's election to pay state tax at the entity level. The June 15 prepayment decides it.
Tools that give you a number
Ours run privately in your browser. The IRS ones are the official calculators.
- S-Corp Election ScreenerIs an S-corp worth a conversation? Two inputs, one honest answer.
- Tax planning and preparation toolsThe Entity Clarity Calculator, the Tax Clarity Toolkit, and the planning finder.
- IRS Tax Withholding Estimator↗Checks whether your paycheck withholding will cover the year. Run it after any income change.
- IRS Interactive Tax Assistant↗Answers specific yes-or-no questions: is this deductible, do I have to file, is this taxable.
Is this real?
The IRS and FTB do not call, text, or email demanding immediate payment. Check before you act on anything urgent.
2026 numbers worth knowing
Each figure links to the IRS or FTB page it came from. These are the 2026 amounts; earlier years differ.
Federal income tax brackets
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 to $12,400 | 10% |
| $12,400 to $50,400 | 12% |
| $50,400 to $105,700 | 22% |
| $105,700 to $201,775 | 24% |
| $201,775 to $256,225 | 32% |
| $256,225 to $640,600 | 35% |
| Over $640,600 | 37% |
Marginal rates: only the income inside each band is taxed at that band's rate. Standard deduction: $16,100 single, or married filing separately; $32,200 married filing jointly; $24,150 head of household. Form 1040-ES
Other 2026 figures
- Self-employment tax
- 15.3% on 92.35% of net profit Form 1040-ES
- Social Security wage base
- $184,500 Publication 15
- Business mileage rate
- 76 cents per mile IRS mileage rates
- 401(k) employee deferral
- $24,500 (+$8,000 catch-up at 50; $11,250 at 60 to 63) IRS announcement
- IRA contribution
- $7,500 IRS announcement
- California LLC annual tax
- $800, due the 15th day of the 4th month FTB
- California estimate schedule
- 30% April, 40% June, 0% September, 30% January FTB
How long do I keep this?
Pick the document. The answer is the IRS rule, from its own guidance.
3 years
Three years from the date you filed, or two years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later. This is the general rule.
Source: IRS, how long should I keep records. California's rules can run longer; when in doubt, keep it.
The links handle the paperwork. The plan handles the tax.
Everything above is about filing and paying what is already owed. Deciding what you owe in the first place happens during the year. Book a discovery call and we will tell you honestly whether planning would change your numbers.
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