(a) Whenever any person pays to any state agency pursuant to law an amount covering taxes, penalties, interest, license, or other fees, or any other payment, and it is subsequently determined by the state agency responsible for the collection thereof that this amount includes an overpayment of ten dollars ($10) or less of the amount due the state pursuant to the assessment, levy, or charge to which the payment is applicable, the amount of the overpayment may be disposed of in either of the following ways:
(1) The state agency responsible for the collection to which the overpayment relates may apply the amount of the overpayment as a payment by the person on any other taxes, penalties, interest, license, or other fees, or any other amount due the state from that person if the state agency is responsible by law for the collection to which the overpayment is to be applied as a payment.
(2) Upon written request of the state agency responsible for the collection to which the overpayment relates, the amount of the overpayment shall, on order of the Controller, be deposited as revenue in the fund in the State Treasury into which the collection, exclusive of overpayments, is required by law to be deposited.
(b) The Department of General Services may adopt rules and regulations to permit state agencies to retain these overpayments where a demand for refund permitted by law is not made within six months after the refund becomes due, and the retained overpayments shall belong to the state.
(c) Except as provided in subdivision (b), this section shall not affect the right of any person making overpayment of any amount to the state to make a claim for refund of the overpayment, nor the authority of any state agency or official to make payment of any amount so claimed, if otherwise authorized by law.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 31, Sec. 138. (SB 836) Effective June 27, 2016.)