How long it takes to process personal returns depends on how the California Franchise Tax Board or FTB receives them. Your actual experience may be different since the processing time is also affected by time of year, quality of the data they receive, business priorities, investigations, or other special circumstances. The processing below are based on averages.

Processing begins when the FTB receives the return or payment and ends when they post the transaction to your account.

Processing current tax returns takes 5 – 10 days if e-filed. It takes one month if paper filed.

Prior year original return takes 4 months to process. Amended returns take 6 months.

- We are CPAs, tax accountants, tax preparers, business managers and consultants based in Torrance, CA near Los Angeles, serving the entire U.S. See us at Google+, Yelp, Google Brand, Yelp. Call us at (424) 278-4838 or e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..