© GetHuman Inc.

California Franchise Tax Board Customer Service

Phone Number & Getting a Rep

California Franchise Tax Board Customer Service number

800-852-5711
Toll-free·Calls Customer Service· See main phone number & contact info
Q:

How do I talk to a human at this California Franchise Tax Board number?

A:Press 1 (for Personal Income Tax), then 6 (for Any Other Information), then 2 (for General Tax Questions)
Q:

Does this phone number work 24/7?

A:No. Hours for this phone number are Mon-Fri 8am-5pm PST. The least busy day is Saturday, and the most busy day is Thursday. See below for more and to learn where this data comes from.
Q:

How long will I have to wait to speak to California Franchise Tax Board Customer Service?

A:The average hold time is 52 minutes. The longest hold times are on Friday, and the shortest are on Wednesday.

All California Franchise Tax Board customer service contact information

This is the #1 most popular California Franchise Tax Board phone number out of 5. Click above to go back to the main customer service number and other contact information, including California Franchise Tax Board email addresses, twitter handles, and live chat options.

More California Franchise Tax Board Customer Phone Numbers

Corporate Offices

916-845-4300
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm PST · Wait on the line for the next representative. · For inquiries regarding the Middle-Class Tax Refund payment, call 800-542-9332. If calling from an elected official's office, press 1. For classified accounts or your account, press 2. If calling on behalf of a client, press 3. For all other callers, press 4.

Taxpayer Services

916-845-6500
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm PST · Use prompts 1-6-2 for individual taxpayer questions · Please remain on the line, and your call will be answered in the order it was received.

Collection Resolution

916-845-7044
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm PST · Use prompts 1-4-0 · Inquiries regarding the Middle-Class Tax Refund payment, call 800-542-9332, or remain on the line and choose option 5. For employers who receive tax notices, press 1. For tax professionals and financial institutions, press 2. For individual taxpayers, press 3. For web self-serve options and how to register, press 4. For Middle-Class Tax Refund inquiries, press 5.

Automated Assistance Line

800-338-0505
Toll-free · 24 hours, 7 days · Do not respond to prompts · Please remain on the line, and your call will be answered in the order it was received.

How do I get through the phone menu to a real live person?

GetHuman researchers routinely call this California Franchise Tax Board phone number to document the phone system.
Here is our latest tip for weaving through the phone menu to get to a real person the fastest:  Press 1 (for Personal Income Tax), then 6 (for Any Other Information), then 2 (for General Tax Questions)
Here is how our research team describes the way the California Franchise Tax Board phone system greets you:  Please remain on the line, and your call will be answered in the order it was received.
Below are some clips we've found from California Franchise Tax Board's phone menus and tips that help give an idea of what you will encounter when you call. We've highlighted why they are important as well:

Heard when the phone system first answers

"Welcome to the franchise tax board's automated taxpayer assistance line. Your call is important. Please stay on the line, and your call will be answered in the order it was received. Our representative will be able to assist you more efficiently if you have your Social Security number or account number and billing notice in hand. Did you know most individual taxpayers are able to register real time for a MyFTB account? Doing this today could eliminate the need to wait on hold. For more information, visit f t b dot c a dot g o v and search If you have a balance owing from your current income tax return, you can't set up a payment plan until your return is processed and you receive a bill. However, you can still make payments while you are waiting. Go to f d b dot v a dot g o v and select make a payment on our home page. Or remain on the line and select option four to speak with the middle class tax refund team when prompted. If Money Network has you to contact Franchise Tax Board, remain on the line and select option one, personal income tax when prompted. If you received a form ten ninety nine g from us, it is not a bill nor is it a notification of an additional refund. We sent this to you because you either received an in tax refund, credit, or offset of ten dollars or more from your California tax return. You must include this amount on your federal income tax return for the tax year you receive the payment or credit if you itemize your on your federal income tax return for the year indicated on box three. For more information, visit FTB dot c a dot g o v and search for ten ninety nine g or stay on the line to speak with one of our representatives. For personal income tax, press one. For business entity information, press two."
Excerpt from a call with California Franchise Tax Board
Monday, January 8, 2024 9:00 PM

They may ask you to enter information with the dial pad

"Welcome to the franchise tax boards automated tax pay assistance line. Your call is important. Please stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order it was received. Our representatives will be able to assist you more efficiently if you have your Social Security number or account number and billing notice in hand. San Diego County taxpayers did not mark disaster on their return may have received penalty notices. Taxpayers may have also received notices due to timing of peak season notices and posting of payments. If you have received a notice and feel it is inaccurate, please check my FTB for current account status. Our website related to the San Diego disaster relief has been recently updated with additional information. Please visit w w w dot f t b dot c a dot g o v and search for San Diego disaster relief. Did you know most individual attack taxpayers are able to register real time for a MyFTV account? Doing this today could eliminate the need to wait on hold. For more information, visit f t d dot c a dot g o v and search create a MyFTV account. Or remain on the line and select option four to speak with the middle class tax refund team when prompted. If Money Network has advised you to contact Franchise Tax Board, remain on the line and select option one, personal income tax when prompted. For personal income tax, press one.
For business entity information obtaining taxpayer account information is the privilege of the individual taxpayer or their authorized representative. Please enter your nine digit Social Security number."
Excerpt from a call with California Franchise Tax Board
Tuesday, November 5, 2024 8:21 PM

What are the hours and when should I call?

California Franchise Tax Board operates the call center for this 800-852-5711 phone number Mon-Fri 8am-5pm PST.  The short answer is that you should call on a Friday. This observation and the following section are based on analysis of a sample set of 641 calls made in the last 90 days using our free, web-based phone (see above).
An important note: busy times vs hold times vs best time to call
When we refer to busy or less busy times, we are talking about the volume of calls. The busiest times are when the most people are calling this California Franchise Tax Board phone number (least busy times have fewer people calling). This high call volume does not necessarily mean that you will have a long hold time when you call. Companies like California Franchise Tax Board staff their call centers differently based on the time of day and day of the week, so you may experience a shorter wait on hold at the busiest of times. When we refer to the best time to call, we are referring to the optimal combination of lower call volume and shorter wait times.

The least busy time to call

The least busy day to call California Franchise Tax Board is Saturday. The most busy day to call California Franchise Tax Board is Thursday.  Again, this is based on a sample of 641 calls made with our AI-powered, web-based phone in the last 90 days.
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Busiest
Fri

The shortest wait on hold

We measured the shortest hold times to be on Wednesday. The longest wait in the queue on average occurs on Friday. 

The best time to call

In summation, the best day to call California Franchise Tax Board is Friday.  

Why call this California Franchise Tax Board number?

Below is a sample of recent calls to California Franchise Tax Board, and their purpose. Are any of these similar to the reason you are trying to call?
LLC suspension assistance: I received an LLC suspension notice and need assistance.
Taken from a call on Thursday, March 13, 2025 5:56 PM

Calling this California Franchise Tax Board Customer Number

2025-05-14T00:00:00.000Z

Calling the California Franchise Tax Board offers some benefits, but you're limited in what you can do with this site unless you're willing to provide sensitive personal information. And given the nature of what the California Franchise Tax Board does, it's probably better if this chokepoint is in place. 

When I called, the automated system gave me a complete picture about how taxes would work in California. The system told me that if I expected to get a tax refund or at least didn't estimate having to pay in taxes, I would automatically be eligible to submit my taxes in October and not April. However, if I expected to pay a non-zero sum, I would need to submit a form to earn approval to submit my returns late.

If I did need to set up a payment plan to take care of past tax debts, I would be able to do so, but I would have to wait until I had actually gotten my first bill before I could set up a payment plan. After getting through a few more menus, I was finally able to get to the spot where I could get help with my situation, and I selected to try to get information about filing my taxes as a business entity.

At this point, I hit the chokepoint:  the system wouldn't allow me to proceed unless I could provide my Social Security number or my tax identification number. There isn't a workaround if you refuse to enter this information; it's simply not possible to proceed any further without giving this information.

Given that the tax board is dealing with the most sensitive information possible, it's absolutely vital that it keeps this information well protected against potential threats. Making sure to set up a chokepoint that keeps people from being able to get anywhere near sensitive information without providing personal data helps ensure that only people who are supposed to be using this number do.

Additionally, such protection is better for the customer because it means that they don't have to waste time waiting behind people who are simply looking for information. Dealing with the tax board in any situation is a stressful situation, and this can be a key feature to limit frustrations. By lowering the amount of time someone actually has to be on the phone, the tax board can help customers stay relaxed so that they can think clearly when talking to a tax professional

Based on this phone call, I think I would use this number if needed to get information. The tax board does a thorough job and provides much of the information that people need before they even get a chance to speak to a representative. If there are further questions, the taxpayer can get real assistance as long as they call during normal business hours. If you have time to make that call, it seems the results are worth it.

Adam has been tirelessly trying to help customers find the best tips and tricks to get through phone trees and writing many guides for prickly customer service problems. He's been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Inside Edition and Bloomberg.

Call with our super-powered phone

  • Click to call- even from your desktop
  • We dial and get a human for you
  • AI-powered suggestions of what to say
  • Keep a transcript and other stats
  • Free, unintrusive: no account needed
Was this page helpful?YesNeeds work
Sharing is what powers GetHuman's free customer service contact information and tools. You can help!