California tries collecting taxes from family who moved to Florida in 2021

According to documents posted online by a family who formerly lived in California, the Golden State is trying to collect income taxes years after the family moved to Florida.

The documents, sent on Jan. 6, 2026, asked for receipts, invoices, canceled checks and other documentation showing that the family moved from California to Florida nearly four years ago. The California Franchise Tax Board, which sent the letter, also asked the family for a “narrative of the circumstances” surrounding the family’s move out of state.

Hari Raghavan, who with his wife, Mitali Gala, was the subject of the investigation by the California Franchise Tax Board, said he and Gala moved from California to Florida in 2021. They tried to sell the home they owned in California when they moved, but weren’t able to do so immediately, Raghavan told The Center Square.

“That spilled into 2022, but it was by no definition a primary residence anymore," Raghavan said about the California home. "We moved to Florida to establish residency in 2021.”

The Jan. 6 letter didn’t tell Raghavan and Gala how much they owe to the state of California in personal income taxes, Raghavan told The Center Square.

Raghavan first posted about his and Gala's experience on X, formerly Twitter.

In an emailed statement to The Center Square, the Franchise Tax Board said individual tax records are confidential and information about one individual or family’s tax records can’t be shared. Investigations that determine if someone owes taxes can be lengthy, officials said.

“FTB’s audit program serves as the compliance mechanism for administering California’s tax code,” Andrew LePage, an official with the Franchise Tax Board, wrote to The Center Square via email. “A residency audit determines if an individual is a resident, non-resident, or part-year resident for tax purposes. Residency audits take about 18 - 24 months to complete, depending on a wide range of variables.”

Those who live in and receive income in California for at least nine months out of the year owe personal income taxes to the state, LePage told The Center Square via email. Officials also told The Center Square that the board doesn’t share its criteria for when to conduct a residency audit.

Officials with the Franchise Tax Board would not make anyone from the agency available for an interview with The Center Square.

Moving forward, Raghavan and Gala are assembling a response with their accountant, Raghavan said.

While he believes in everyone paying their fair share of taxes, he’s found much of the experience with the agency off-putting, Raghavan told The Center Square.

“My issue is with how they go about it,” Raghavan said. “I can’t truly say they have been unreasonable with us, with one exception. I can’t believe they would ask someone for their moving inventory list. Who maintains that?”

California legislators who sit on tax-related committees were unavailable to comment.

Multiple other people who commented on Raghavan’s post on X said they had similar experiences with the California Franchise Tax Board. They didn’t respond Monday to requests for further comment from The Center Square.