Betty T. Yee, who is both chairwoman of the board and the California state controller, said residents will have until May 17. She said that typically residents have four years to claim a refund. Returns for the 2016 tax year are filed in 2017, so residents would have had until April 15 to claim refunds.
This year they will get extra time in accordance with a recent announcement by the federal government. The Internal Revenue Service said it would allow federal filers until May 17 to claim refunds on their returns from the 2017 tax year, which would have been filed in 2018. The IRS has a three-year statute of limitations.
The May 17 date, extended from the typical April 15 due date for returns, also reflects extended time that both federal and state filers have to submit tax returns for the 2020 tax years. The IRS and California gave the extensions as a way to help taxpayers coping with the coronavirus pandemic.
--Editing by Robert Rudinger.
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