California FTB Form 856: “Get Your Money! File Your Taxes!” Explained

Form 856, titled “Get Your Money! File Your Taxes!”, isn’t a tax return or a schedule you attach to anything. It’s an outreach flyer published by the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to remind Californians that filing a state tax return could put real money back in their pockets, even if they don’t think they owe anything or normally skip filing because their income is low.

The FTB distributes this one-page document to libraries, community centers, nonprofit organizations, tax clinics, and employers so it can reach people who might otherwise never see a reminder about tax season. Its main message is simple: many Californians qualify for the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC), the Young Child Tax Credit, or the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, but they never claim these credits because they assume they don’t need to file a return at all.

Who Should Pay Attention to This Form

Form 856 is aimed at working individuals and families with modest incomes, part-time workers, gig workers, and anyone who had little or no tax withheld during the year. If you earned income in California, even a small amount, and haven’t filed a return because you assumed you wouldn’t get anything back, this flyer exists specifically to correct that assumption. It’s also useful for community volunteers, caseworkers, and outreach staff who want a simple, official document to hand out or post that explains why filing matters.

Unlike forms tied to specific business credits or corporate filings, this one has no income thresholds, deadlines, or calculations printed on it. It’s purely informational and points readers toward the credits and free filing resources available to them.

When It’s Used

Form 856 typically circulates during tax season, from January through the April filing deadline, though outreach organizations sometimes use it earlier to encourage people to gather documents ahead of time. There’s no specific date by which you need to “use” the form itself, since it’s not something you submit to the FTB. Instead, it functions as a nudge: read it, recognize whether you qualify for a refund or credit, and then go file your actual state and federal returns before the deadline.

How to Get and Use It

Since Form 856 has no fillable fields, there’s nothing to type into a PDF form. It’s meant to be printed and read, or handed out as a physical flyer at community events, tax preparation sites, or workplaces. Organizations that want physical copies for distribution can print directly from the FTB’s official PDF and make as many copies as needed for outreach purposes.

After reading through it, the next step is checking your eligibility for CalEITC and related credits using the FTB’s online tools, or visiting a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site for free help preparing your return. If your income qualifies, you may be eligible for free tax preparation software as well.

People who split time between states or deal with credits tied to specific industries often ask how state-level incentives compare. For readers curious about other state programs, it’s worth comparing how different states structure their credits — for example, New York offers targeted incentives like the Commercial Security Credit for businesses investing in security upgrades, or the Newspaper and Broadcast Media Jobs Credit for employers in the media sector. California’s approach with Form 856 is different in spirit — it’s not a business incentive, it’s a direct appeal to individual filers who might be leaving money on the table.

If you work in fields tied to digital production or media, you might also come across niche credits like New York’s Empire State Digital Gaming Media Production Credit, which shows how differently states can approach tax relief depending on their economic priorities.

For most people who come across Form 856, the takeaway is straightforward: check your eligibility for CalEITC and similar credits, gather your income documents, and file a return even if you think you don’t have to. The flyer itself doesn’t require any signature or submission — its only job is to get you to take that next step before the filing deadline passes.