Credit Card Payments – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Any taxpayer who is not required to pay by electronic funds transfer and has a valid American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa card may pay by credit card.

You can use a credit card to make return payments, prepayments, billing payments, audit payments, decal renewals, and select license registrations and renewals. In some cases, you may be able to set up a payment plan to using a credit card.

We accept American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa.

To pay by credit card, you must have a valid American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa card. You will also need the period end date for your return or prepayment, or the letter ID and voucher number from your billing notice.

Credit card payments can be made:

• Online through CDTFA’s Online Services
• On our credit card vendor Fiserv’s secure payment website
• By telephone through our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) at 1-844-445-8221

If you are making a return payment, you are still required to file your return on time. If you mail in your return, indicate that you made your payment by credit card in the space provided on the return. For Consumer Use Tax Returns, enter your payment confirmation number.

Yes. A service fee of 2.3 percent of each transaction amount is charged by our credit card processing vendor, Fiserv, Inc. dba First Data Merchant Services LLC (Fiserv). This fee is retained by Fiserv and is not revenue to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA).

To pay by credit card, simply provide your payment information.

No. You can choose your payment method each time you file a return or make a prepayment. Credit card payments are offered for your convenience, but they are not required.

No. If you are required to pay your tax or fee by electronic funds transfer (EFT), you must use Automated Clearing House (ACH) Credit, ACH Debit or Fedwire. Credit card payments are not considered payment by EFT and cannot be used in this case.

If you are not required to pay by EFT, you may choose to pay your tax or fee by credit card.

No. The current due dates for your return and prepayment remain the same.

You may submit your payment through CDTFA’s Online Services, through our credit card vendor Fiserv’s secure website, or by calling 1-844-445-8221, on or before the tax or fee due date.

These payment options are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Payments made on the due date must be completed before midnight (Pacific time) to be considered on time.

You can find your due date using the links below:

• Sales and Use Tax (includes Prepaid Mobile Telephony Services (MTS) Surcharge, Motor Vehicle Fuel Pre-Collection, and Lumber Products Assessment)
• Special Taxes and Fees

If your credit card payment is made after the due date, it is considered late and subject to the same penalty and interest charges as late payments made by check, cashier’s check, money order, or other methods.

Payments completed on the due date before midnight (Pacific time) are considered on time.

If you make your credit card payment on a weekend or holiday, the effective date of the payment will be the current date. For example, if you make a payment on Sunday, the effective payment date will be Sunday.

Prepayment Voucher: No. Once you pay your prepayment by credit card, you do not need to mail a paper prepayment voucher. Your filing requirement for the prepayment period is satisfied.

Returns: Yes. You must still file your tax or fee return. Paying by credit card does not relieve you of the obligation to file the return.

• If you file online, you do not need to submit a paper return.
• If you are exempt from filing online, your paper return must be mailed and postmarked on or before the due date to be considered on time.

Additional Notes:

• Late filing penalty: A 10 percent penalty applies if your return is filed late, even if your tax payment is made by the due date. This applies to yearly, fiscal yearly, monthly or quarterly tax or fee returns, but not to the prepayment periods. See exception below for Hazardous Waste Generation and Handling Fee prepayments.

• Hazardous Waste Generation and Handling Fee Accounts: For payments, including prepayments and returns due on or after November 30, 2024, escalating penalties from 10 percent up to 100 percent will apply if you do not file your return or pay the generation and handling fee on time, including prepayments. See our Hazardous Substances (Waste) Fee Guide for information on the penalty schedule.
• Alcohol or IFTA accounts: There is a penalty of $50 or 10% of the tax due, whichever is greater, for a late return, even if the payment is made by the due date.
• Sales and Use Tax accounts: If you are filing a paper return, mark the appropriate box on your return form to indicate that you made your payment by credit card.

Yes. You have two options to pay amounts due by credit card when filing your return online.

• Through CDTFA’s Online Services: After filing your return, select Make a Payment on the confirmation page, and choose the option to pay by credit card, then enter your payment information. You are redirected to our credit card vendor, Fiserv, to provide your credit card details (name, address, card number and expiration date). After entering your card information, you will be directed back to CDTFA’s Online Services to review and submit your payment.
• Directly through Fiserv: You can pay online through Fiserv or by telephone at 1-844-445-8221. You must still file your return separately.

Yes. You can pay delinquent tax or fee notices, statements of account, or demand for immediate payment notices that include tax, fee, penalty and/or interest with a credit card.

You can log in to your Online Services account using your username and password. Select the account type you made the payment for, then under I Want To, choose View Prior Payments. A list of payments posted to your account will be displayed.

If you cannot access Online Services, you may contact our Customer Service Center at 1-800-400-7115 (TTY:711), Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific time, except state holidays.

Please keep your confirmation number each time you make a payment. Payments made on the due date must be completed before midnight (Pacific time) to be considered on time.

Online: After submitting your payment online, print a copy of your confirmation. This receipt will show the date, time, and confirmation number of your payment.

By Phone: If you pay by phone, you will receive a verbal confirmation number. Please write this down for your records. To verify your payment was made on time, you may contact our Customer Service Center at 1-800-400-7115 (TTY:711), Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific time, except state holidays. You will need the confirmation number, payment amount, and your account number to validate when the payment was made.

It can take up to five business days for your payment to appear in our system. The effective date of your payment is the day the transaction is completed. If your transaction is completed before midnight (Pacific time) on any day, that day will be considered the effective payment date.

This is the nine-digit number issued to you by CDTFA. If your account number is less than nine digits, you will need to add a leading zero when entering your account number. For example:

Some CDTFA tax and fee programs require certain filers to make payments before filing their return. These payments are called prepayments. If you are required to make prepayments, CDTFA will notify you directly.

• Prepayment 1: The first payment due before the return is filed. Some programs only require prepayment 1.
• Prepayment 2: The second payment due before the return is filed. Only certain programs require both prepayment 1 and prepayment 2.
• Return Payment: The final payment is due when you file your return. You will be allowed to deduct any prepayments from the amount determined to be due on the return. The difference is the return payment. Prepayments apply to part of your tax or fee obligation before filing, and the return payment completes the total amount due when you file your return.

Enter the last day of the reporting period for which you are reporting tax or fees. To see your reporting periods, log into Online Services with your username and password. Under the Accounts tab, select your account type, then select View Periods. A list of all periods and their due dates appears under the Period column. You can also view due dates directly by visiting these links:

• Sales and Use Tax (includes Prepaid Mobile Telephony Services (MTS) Surcharge, Motor Vehicle Fuel Pre-Collection, and Lumber Products Assessment)
• Special Taxes and Fees

The table below shows an example of how you enter your reporting period:

Normally, only penalty, not interest, applies to a late prepayment. For this reason, the system does not accept interest payments on prepayments.