California Revenue And Taxation Code Section 19271
(a) (1) For purposes of this article: (A) Child support delinquency means a delinquency defined in subdivision (c) of Section 17500 of the Family Code. (B) Earnings may include the items described in Section 5206 of the Family Code. (2) At least 20 days prior to the date that the Franchise Tax Board commences collection action under this article, the Franchise Tax Board shall mail notice of the amount due to the obligated parent at the last known address and advise the obligated parent that failure to pay will result in collection action. If the obligated parent disagrees with the amount due, the obligated parent shall be instructed to contact the local child support agency to resolve the disagreement. (b) (1) (A) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (B), when a delinquency is transferred to the Franchise Tax Board pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 17500 of the Family Code, the amount of the child support delinquency shall be collected by the Franchise Tax Board in any manner authorized under the law for collection of a delinquent personal income tax liability. Notwithstanding Sections 5208 and 5246 of the Family Code, the issuance of an order and levy under Article 4 (commencing with Section 706.070) of Chapter 5 of Division 2 of Title 9 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure in the manner provided for earnings withholding orders for taxes is hereby authorized until the California Child Support Automation System is operational in all 58 California counties. When the California Child Support Automation System is operational in all 58 counties, any levy or other withholding of earnings of an employee by the Franchise Tax Board to collect an amount pursuant to this section shall be made in accordance with Sections 5208 and 5246 of the Family Code. Any other law providing for the collection of a delinquent personal income tax liability shall apply to any child support delinquency transferred to the Franchise Tax Board in the same manner and with the same force and effect and to the full extent as if the language of those laws had been incorporated in full into this article, except to the extent that any provision is either inconsistent with a provision of this article or is not relevant to this article. (B) When a delinquency is transferred to the Franchise Tax Board, or at any time thereafter, if the obligated parent owes a delinquent personal income tax liability, the Franchise Tax Board shall not engage in, or shall cease, any involuntary collection action to collect the delinquent personal income tax liability, until the child support delinquency is paid in full. At any time, however, the Franchise Tax Board may mail any other notice to the taxpayer for voluntary payment of the delinquent personal income tax liability if the Franchise Tax Board determines that collection of the delinquent personal income tax liability will not jeopardize collection of the child support delinquency. However, the Franchise Tax Board may engage in the collection of a delinquent personal income tax liability if the obligor has entered into a payment agreement for the child support delinquency and is in compliance with that agreement, and the Franchise Tax Board determines that collection of the delinquent personal income tax liability would not jeopardize payments under the child support payment agreement. (C) For purposes of subparagraph (B): (i) Involuntary collection action includes those actions authorized by Section 18670, 18670.5, 18671, or 19264, by Article 3 (commencing with Section 19231), or by Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 706.010) of Division 2 of Title 9 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure. (ii) Delinquent personal income tax liability means any taxes, additions to tax, penalties, interest, fees, or other related amounts due and payable under Part 10 (commencing with Section 17001) or this part. (iii) Voluntary payment means any payment made by obligated parents in response to any notice for voluntary payment mailed by the Franchise Tax Board. (2) Any compensation, fee, commission, expense, or any other fee for service incurred by the Franchise Tax Board in the collection of a child support delinquency authorized under this article shall not be an obligation of, or collected from, the obligated parent. A transferred child support delinquency shall be final and due and payable to the State of California upon written notice to the obligated parent by the Franchise Tax Board. (3) For purposes of administering this article: (A) This chapter and Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 19501) shall apply, except as otherwise provided by this article. (B) Any services, information, or enforcement remedies available to a local child support agency or the Title IV-D agency in collecting child support delinquencies or locating absent or noncustodial parents shall be available to the Franchise Tax Board for purposes of collecting child support delinquencies under this article, including, but not limited to, any information that may be disclosed by the Franchise Tax Board to the California Parent Locator Service under Section 19548. However, in no event shall the Franchise Tax Board take any additional enforcement remedies if a court has ordered an obligor to make scheduled payments on a child support arrearages obligation and the parent is in compliance with that order, unless the Franchise Tax Board is specifically authorized to take an enforcement action to collect a child support delinquency by another provision of law. (C) A request by the Franchise Tax Board for information from a financial institution shall be treated in the same manner and to the same extent as a request for information from a local child support agency referring to a support order pursuant to Section 17400 of the Family Code for purposes of Chapter 20 (commencing with Section 7460) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code (relating to governmental access to financial records), notwithstanding any other provision of law which is inconsistent or contrary to this paragraph. (D) The amount to be withheld in an order and levy to collect child support delinquencies under Article 4 (commencing with Section 706.070) of Chapter 5 of Division 2 of Title 9 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure is the amount required to be withheld pursuant to an earnings withholding order for support under Section 706.052 of the Code of Civil Procedure. (E) Nothing in this article shall be construed to modify the tax intercept provisions of Article 8 (commencing with Section 708.710) of Chapter 6 of Division 2 of Title 9 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure. (c) Interest on the delinquency shall be computed pursuant to Section 685.010 of the Code of Civil Procedure. (d) (1) In no event shall a collection under this article be construed to be a payment of income taxes imposed under this part. (2) In the event an obligated parent overpays a liability imposed under this part, the overpayment shall not be credited against any delinquency collected pursuant to this article. In the event an overpayment of a liability imposed under this part is offset and distributed to a local child support agency pursuant to Sections 12419.3 and 12419.5 of the Government Code or Section 708.740 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and thereby reduces the amount of the referred delinquency, the local child support agency shall immediately notify the Franchise Tax Board of that reduction, unless the Franchise Tax Board directs otherwise. (e) (1) The Franchise Tax Board shall administer this article, in conjunction with regulations adopted by the Department of Child Support Services in consultation with the Franchise Tax Board, including those set forth in Section 17306 of the Family Code. (2) The Franchise Tax Board may transfer to or allow a local child support agency to retain a child support delinquency for a specified purpose for collection where the Franchise Tax Board determines, pursuant to regulations established by the Department of Child Support Services, that the transfer or retention of the delinquency for the purpose so specified will enhance the collectibility of the delinquency. The Franchise Tax Board, with the concurrence of the Department of Child Support Services, shall establish a process whereby a local child support agency may request and shall be allowed to withdraw, rescind, or otherwise recall the transfer of an account that has been transferred to the Franchise Tax Board. (3) If an obligor is disabled, meets the SSI resource test, and is receiving Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payments (SSI/SSP), or, but for excess income as described in Section 416.1100 et seq. of Part 416 of Title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations, would be eligible to receive as Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payments (SSI/SSP), pursuant to Section 12200 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and the obligor has supplied the local child support agency with proof of his or her eligibility for, and, if applicable, receipt of, SSI/SSP or Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, then the child support delinquency shall not be referred to the Franchise Tax Board for collection, and if referred, shall be withdrawn, rescinded, or otherwise recalled from the Franchise Tax Board by the local child support agency. The Franchise Tax Board shall not take any collection action, or if the agency has already taken collection action, shall cease collection actions in the case of a disabled obligor when the delinquency is withdrawn, rescinded, or otherwise recalled by the local child support agency in accordance with the process established as described in paragraph (2). (f) Except as otherwise provided in this article, any child support delinquency transferred to the Franchise Tax Board pursuant to this article shall be treated as a child support delinquency for all other purposes, and any collection action by the local child support agency or the Franchise Tax Board with respect to any delinquency referred pursuant to this article shall have the same priority against attachment, execution, assignment, or other collection action as is provided by any other provision of state law. (g) Except as otherwise specifically provided in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b), the child support collection activities authorized by this article shall not interfere with the primary mission of the Franchise Tax Board to fairly and efficiently administer the Revenue and Taxation Code for which it is responsible. (h) Information disclosed to the Franchise Tax Board shall be considered information that may be disclosed by the Franchise Tax Board under the authority of Section 19548 and may be disseminated by the Franchise Tax Board accordingly for the purposes specified in Sections 17505 and 17506 of the Family Code (in accordance with, and to the extent permitted by, Section 17514 of the Family Code and any other state or federal law). (i) A local child support agency may not apply to the Department of Child Support Services for an exemption from the transfer of responsibilities and authorities to the Franchise Tax Board under the Family Code or participation under Section 19271.6. (j) Except in those cases meeting the specified circumstances described in the regulations or in accordance with the processes prescribed in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (e), a local child support agency shall not request or be allowed to retain, withdraw, rescind, or otherwise recall the transfer of a child support delinquency transferred to the Franchise Tax Board.