Do I need to report my federal tax refund as income on my California state tax return?

No, you do not need to report your federal tax refund as income on your California state tax return. California follows the federal tax law, which treats tax refunds as a return of previously paid taxes and not as income. Therefore, your federal tax refund is not taxable on your California state tax return. However, it is important to note that if you received a state tax refund in a previous year and itemized deductions on your federal return, you may be required to report a portion of that refund as income on your federal tax return. This is known as the state tax refund deduction recovery. For more information, you can refer to the specific guidelines provided by the California Franchise Tax Board.