2007 CalFile - Important Information

This information is specific to the 2007 ReadyReturn Program. We will update it for 2008 in January.

Items You Need	Complete your California return faster by having the following items available before you begin CalFile: The last name you used when you filed your 2006 income tax return. For more information, see our Frequently Asked Questions. All income and tax statements you received for 2007, such as Forms W-2, W-2G, 1099-G, 1099-INT, and 1099-R. Your estimated tax payment amounts, if any. Care provider information, if claiming the Child and Dependent Care Expenses Credit. Use tax information, if reporting California use tax. Your bank account information to get your refund by direct deposit or to pay your balance due electronically. We also recommend you have your completed 2007 federal tax return.
Time Limit and Total Time	You have up to 20 minutes to complete each page within CalFile. For security purposes, if you take longer than 20 minutes we will log you out of CalFile and you will need to start your return over. Expect to spend 15 minutes to 2 hours completing your return.
Saving Your Return	You can save a copy of your final return in Portable Document Format (PDF). You cannot save your partially completed return in CalFile and come back to it later. When you log out of CalFile, we clear any information you entered for security purposes.
Navigation	You must use the navigation buttons on the bottom of each page to avoid unintentionally exiting CalFile and losing your data. "Continue" takes you forward one page. "Back" takes you to the page you just completed. "Skip" bypasses the part of your return you are working on and takes you to the next part of your return.
Progress Bar	The gray and blue boxes across the top of the pages show your progress through CalFile and let you know what you still need to complete on your return.
Making Changes	If you make an error before you continue to the next page, delete the wrong information, and enter the correct information, or use the update function if provided. If you find an error after you continue to another page, use the "Back" button at the bottom of each page, to get to the page that needs changing. Then use the "Continue" button located at the bottom of each page to return to the page you were on. If you find an error after you e-file your return, you will need to complete an Amended Individual Income Tax Return, Form 540X. CalFile does not permit you to make changes to a previously filed return.
Required Entry	An asterisk (*) indicates a required entry. If you have no entry for a required amount field, enter zero.
Rounding to Whole Dollars	Amounts under 50 cents: drop the cents. Amounts from 50 to 99 cents: increase to the next whole dollar. For example, $123.49 becomes $123 and $725.50 becomes $726.
Punctuation	You do not need punctuation marks. For example, omit: Dashes (-) in identification numbers Dollar signs ($) and commas (,) in monetary amounts Apostrophes (') and dashes in names Periods (.) in monetary amounts, abbreviations, and addresses
Exiting CalFile	You can exit CalFile at any time by clicking the "Log Out" link located at the bottom of each Web page. When you confirm that you want to exit, we will erase all of the information you entered. We recommend that you close your browser when you are done to ensure the highest level of security.
Getting Help	Get online help and instructions by clicking the question mark icon .
Increasing Text Size	Increase text size by choosing the Page or View menu in your Web browser and selecting Text Size.
FAQs	For more information, please read our Frequently Asked Questions.

CalFile has ended for this year. We will begin accepting 2008 California individual income tax returns via CalFile on January 2, 2009.

Important Information Before You Start CalFile