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Comment by CalRobert | Hacker News Reader

Meanwhile, California makes it pretty easy to file your state taxes for free, with no intermediary https://www.ftb.ca.gov/online/calfile/index.asp

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I am the developer in charge of this, thanks for promoting it.

Thanks for your work, I'm a big fan of Calfile for the years when I'm eligible to use it. Out of curiosity are there any plans to support returns with capital gains?

Thank you for using it, unfortunately no. I don't qualify to use it myself either.

Perhaps you can expand it so that most software developers can use it? The fact that capital gains are excluded from the e-file is really frustrating when the majority of us have RSUs/ESPPs.

I WISH it was up to me, lots and lots of bureaucracy!

Every voice counts! Bring it up with your manager and help push the message up the chain!

Thank you for fighting the good fight!

Thank you very much! I feel like all states (and the feds) owe it to their people to make free, transparent, online tax filing available.

Really, though, I remember when I was in college and grumbling about having to pay for turbotax only because of state, and then finding out this existed. Made my week!

Is this full time work e.g. do they keep a team to develop and maintain it year round?

It is only me on Dev side of it, and I say around %60 of my time is spent on this app. we do maintain it year around and add features to it.

I am in the process of a complete rewrite of it, to make it more accessible(law mandated), and adding some extra features.

I hope someday they let you (as in, pay you for your time, not just give the OK) write a bit about that process. Always interested in hearing not just about the software engineering process and stack, but any specific factors or issues when making and iterating on such public-facing software.

+1 to CA FTB. My federal tax return was 30 Pages long. I decided to use TurboTax small business to keep it in check - I had a promotion that gave it to me for free ($119 value) but it was extra for state efile ($59.) I went to the franchise tax board website and filed state for free using my federal 1040 in about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in Wyoming, Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Nevada, Florida, & Alaska there are no state income taxes which is even simpler.

Unfortunately it's useless to almost all software developers/engineers in the state because they don't include capital gains.

There's a pretty huge list of disqualifying things actually, though capital gains (even $1) is probably the biggest restriction. I wonder why they can't handle this - its not that obscure.

https://www.ftb.ca.gov/online/calfile/qualifications2018.sht...

Probably because they got lobbied by tax preparation software companies to exclude it.

My capital gains have no difference in treatment between CA and federal. It's just one line on the form. It's ridiculous I can't use CA electronic filing because of this.

Illinois does too on the state Department of Revenue's website! Hooray for state government!

Illinois made me file in paper this year because I am an out of state student. Next I can file electronically.

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