(a) An employer shall notify all employees that they may be eligible for the federal and the California EITC within one week before or after, or at the same time, that the employer provides an annual wage summary, including, but not limited to, a Form W-2 or a Form 1099, to any employee.
(b) The state departments and agencies that serve those who may qualify for the federal and the California EITC, as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 19852, shall notify their program recipients that they may be eligible for the federal and the California EITC, at least once a year during the months of January through April, or alternatively, shall provide this annual notification during a regularly scheduled contact with a recipient by telephone, mail, or electronic communication, or by an in-person communication. State departments or agencies that do not directly communicate with persons or households with persons who may qualify for the federal and the California EITC may communicate indirectly through agencies, districts, or regulated entities that serve eligible persons or households with eligible persons. Departments, agencies, and programs are encouraged to develop the most effective method to provide notice to recipients of federal and California EITC eligibility, as long as the notice contains substantially the same language as the notice described in Section 19854.
(c) The employer shall provide the notification required by subdivision (a) by handing directly to the employee or mailing to the employee’s last known address either of the following:
(1) Instructions on how to obtain any notices available from the Internal Revenue Service and the Franchise Tax Board for this purpose, including, but not limited to, the IRS Notice 797 and information on the California EITC at the Web site www.ftb.ca.gov.
(2) Any notice created by the employer, as long as it contains substantially the same language as the notice described in paragraph (1) or in Section 19854.
(d) The employer shall not satisfy the notification required by subdivision (a) by posting a notice on an employee bulletin board or sending it through office mail. However, these methods of notification are encouraged to help inform all employees of the federal and the California EITC.
(e) The amendments made to this section by the act adding this subdivision shall apply to notices furnished on or after the effective date of that act.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 294, Sec. 3. (AB 1847) Effective January 1, 2017.)