FTB 854TG: Tagalog Tax Filing Awareness Flyer Explained (“Kuhanin Ang Iyong Pera!”)

Form 854TG isn’t a tax return or a schedule you attach to a filing. It’s an outreach flyer published by the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) entirely in Tagalog, titled “Kuhanin Ang Iyong Pera! Mag-File Ng Iyong Mga Buwis!” — which translates to “Get Your Money! File Your Taxes!” The FTB produces materials like this to reach California’s large Filipino-speaking community and make sure people know they may be owed money through state tax refunds and credits, even if they don’t normally think they need to file.

The purpose behind 854TG is straightforward: many low-to-moderate income workers assume that if they didn’t earn much, or if they’re not required to file a federal return, there’s nothing to gain from filing a California state return either. That assumption is often wrong. The flyer is designed to correct it by pointing readers toward programs such as the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) and the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC), both of which can put real cash back in a household’s pocket, but only if a return is actually filed.

Who Needs This Form

Technically, no one “needs” Form 854TG the way they need a W-2 or a 1099. It’s not a form you fill out and submit. Instead, it’s aimed at:

• Tagalog-speaking residents of California who may be eligible for state tax credits but haven’t filed because of language barriers or the belief that filing isn’t worth the effort.
• Community organizations, churches, and outreach workers who distribute FTB materials during tax season to encourage participation in free filing programs.
• Anyone helping a Filipino-speaking family member or neighbor understand that filing a California return could result in a refund, not a bill.

If you fall into any of these categories, the document is meant to be read and shared, not completed. There are no fields to fill in because there’s nothing to submit back to the FTB.

When It Gets Used

The FTB typically distributes flyers like 854TG in the months leading up to the April filing deadline, when outreach campaigns push hardest to reach underserved communities. Nonprofits, tax assistance clinics, and community centers often hand these out alongside information about VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites, where people can get help filing for free.

Since it’s a static PDF with no fillable fields, you print it, read it, or pass it along to someone who might benefit from the information. There’s no deadline attached to the document itself — it’s evergreen messaging that gets reused each filing season.

How to Get and Use It

The official PDF is hosted directly on the FTB’s website and can be downloaded and printed at no cost. Because it isn’t a fillable form, there’s no software requirement beyond a basic PDF reader, and no signature or submission process involved. Print a copy for a community bulletin board, include it in outreach packets, or simply read through it to understand what credits might apply to your own situation.

If the flyer nudges you toward actually filing a California return, keep in mind that state filing works alongside — not instead of — your federal obligations. Readers dealing with more complex situations, such as pass-through business income, may want to look at how other states handle similar credits; for example, our breakdown of Form IT-653 for New York’s pass-through entity tax credit shows how state-level credits can differ significantly from California’s approach.

People who work for or interact with the FTB in a professional capacity might also find it useful to review FTB Form 7801M on careers with the Franchise Tax Board, which gives a sense of how the agency structures its public-facing programs, including outreach efforts like this one. And if you’re curious how other states use targeted tax incentives to support specific communities or industries, Form IT-654 covering New York’s theatrical production tax credit is a good example of a narrowly targeted credit working the same way CalEITC does for individual filers.

Bottom line: Form 854TG won’t help you file a return on its own, but it’s a reminder — in a language many Californians read comfortably — that filing state taxes can mean money back, not just money owed.