Paperwork & Money
California paperwork, organized by task.
Start with the paper in your hand: an office notice, fee, permit, bill, car form, benefit, complaint, or local map. Find the public office, current agency page, and local check that fit the task.
Start here
Common paperwork tasks
- Interactive task finder
Find the right local office
The address and the task decide which public office handles the work. Match permits, taxes, court papers, utilities, and local services to the right office.Find the right office - Interactive task finder
California work benefits and leave
Unemployment, Disability Insurance, Paid Family Leave, workers' compensation, and job-protected leave cover different situations. Start with why work stopped.Compare work benefits - Interactive task finder
Rent board, court, and legal aid
A rent board, a court, and legal aid do different jobs. Know which one your problem needs before you spend the afternoon.Find rent help - Official-service guide
Alerts, smoke, roads, and power check
A calm first stop when conditions turn: alerts, smoke, roads, and power, all from official sources.Open emergency links
58 tasks shown
Page topNo tasks match that wording. Try a shorter term or use the site search above.
22 tasks
Start here
Find the right public office for everyday paperwork.
- Interactive task finder
Find the right local office
The address and the task decide which public office handles the work. Match permits, taxes, court papers, utilities, and local services to the right office.Find the right office - Interactive task finder
Consumer complaints and money disputes
Contractor trouble, auto repairs, insurance, charges, and scams go to different offices. Start with what happened and the result you need.Find the complaint office - Checklist
Contractor license, contract, and complaint check
Check the papers before hiring or after work goes wrong. Use the same path when a payment or mechanics-lien notice arrives.Check contractor papers - Checklist
Refund, charge dispute, and small claims check
Separate the money-back paths. A seller request, card dispute, agency complaint, and small claims case do different jobs.Choose a money-back path - Interactive task finder
Scam, identity theft, and fraud reports
The first minutes after a scam matter. Pick the path that fits: danger now, identity misuse, money sent, or an impersonator.Choose a recovery path - Checklist
Identity theft, credit freeze, and recovery check
When someone uses your name, order matters. This is the first-day sequence for accounts, credit, and government records.Start identity recovery - Checklist
Scam payment recovery and report check
Use this in the first hour after money leaves. Every payment type has a different recall window, and some close fast.Start payment recovery - Interactive task finder
Food, health coverage, and household help
Food help, health coverage, cash aid, care at home, and utility help use different programs. Start with the need in front of you.Find household help - Checklist
Food help, CalFresh, and WIC check
A first-step check when food is needed now or you are applying for CalFresh or WIC.Check food help steps - Checklist
Medi-Cal and Covered California check
A first-step check for applying, renewing, replacing lost coverage, or using special enrollment.Check health coverage steps - Checklist
Cash aid and in-home support check
A first-step check for CalWORKs, county General Assistance, an urgent cash need, or IHSS care at home.Check cash and care steps - Checklist
EBT card, stolen benefits, and notice check
A first-step check for a missing EBT card, unfamiliar transactions, stolen benefits, or a county benefit notice.Check EBT and notice steps - Interactive task finder
ID, vital records, and address changes
A driver's license, birth certificate, name change, and address update go to different offices. Start with the document you need.Find record help - Checklist
DMV ID, REAL ID, and address-change check
A DMV visit goes better with the right papers in hand. Run this document check before you book the appointment.Check DMV identity steps - Checklist
Vital records and court name-change check
A first-step check for a California birth, death, or marriage record or a court name-change order.Check record and name steps - Interactive task finder
School, child care, and student paperwork
Enrollment, records, special education, child care, and work permits each have their own process. Start with the school or care task in front of you.Find school links - Checklist
School enrollment, transfer, and records check
A first-step check for finding the district, enrolling, transferring, or requesting a student's records.Check enrollment steps - Checklist
Special education assessment and IEP check
A paper-trail check for requesting an assessment, reading an IEP, getting records, or choosing a dispute path.Check IEP assessment steps - Checklist
Child care license, cost help, and complaint check
A first-step check for finding care, reviewing a license, seeking help with cost, or reporting a safety concern.Check child care steps - Interactive task finder
California business paperwork
A California business can need state registration, tax permits, local licenses, zoning, and professional approval. Start with the kind of work and its address.Find business links - Checklist
Business entity, seller's permit, and local license check
Put the setup papers in order. The business structure, tax ID, seller's permit, and local approvals are separate jobs.Check setup papers - Checklist
Regulated business license and permit check
Check the work and the address before signing a lease or taking money. Regulated trades carry extra rules.Check regulated work
4 tasks
Home costs
Property tax, closing costs, Mello-Roos, and surprise bills.
- Calculator
Prop 13 tax reset estimator
Estimate the reassessment gap that can become one or two supplemental bills after a purchase or completed project.Estimate tax reset - Calculator
Documentary transfer tax estimator
Estimate documentary transfer tax after you find the official county and city rates for the property.Estimate transfer tax - Checklist
Mello-Roos tax check
A plain checklist for spotting Mello-Roos, CFDs, parcel taxes, and other add-on lines before you buy.Check special taxes - Checklist
Property tax bill and appeal check
A confusing tax notice usually has one right office behind it. Find it here before a filing deadline passes.Sort the tax paper
3 tasks
Renting
Rent increases, deposits, notices, repairs, and local help.
- Interactive task finder
Rent board, court, and legal aid
A rent board, a court, and legal aid do different jobs. Know which one your problem needs before you spend the afternoon.Find rent help - Interactive task finder
Move-out deposit record check
The inspection, photograph, deduction, and 21-day rules that shape a California move-out deposit.Build deposit record - Checklist
Rent, deposit, and notice check
The statewide rent cap, notice periods, deposit limits, and line between a landlord notice and a court case.Check rent steps
8 tasks
Work
Pay, breaks, worker status, job benefits, and injury routes.
- Checklist
Paycheck, sick leave, and final pay check
How to read a California pay stub, check sick leave, and know when final wages are due.Check pay steps - Checklist
Breaks, overtime, and off-clock work check
What to check when a shift skipped lunch, missed breaks, ran long, or included work off the clock.Check break steps - Checklist
Employee or independent contractor check
How California's ABC test looks past a 1099 and checks the real working relationship.Check worker status - Interactive task finder
California work benefits and leave
Unemployment, Disability Insurance, Paid Family Leave, workers' compensation, and job-protected leave cover different situations. Start with why work stopped.Compare work benefits - Checklist
Unemployment after job loss or reduced hours
A filing and record check after a layoff, firing, quit, or cut in work hours.Check unemployment steps - Checklist
Disability Insurance for your own health
Who California Disability Insurance covers, what it pays, and when the claim must be filed.Check disability steps - Checklist
Paid Family Leave for care or bonding
A filing check for family care, bonding with a new child, or a qualifying military family event.Check family leave steps - Checklist
Workers' compensation after a work injury
A first-step check for reporting a job injury, filing DWC 1, getting care, and reading claim notices.Check work injury steps
3 tasks
Home projects
ADUs, solar, water, wells, sewer, septic, and permit checks.
- Checklist
California ADU permit check
What to check before a garage, backyard, or spare room becomes a small second home.Check ADU steps - Checklist
Water, sewer, septic, and well check
A plain first pass for finding who serves the address and what to ask before you buy or build.Check water and septic - Checklist
Solar, battery, and panel check
What to ask before you sign for roof solar, a home battery, or panel work.Check solar steps
8 tasks
Cars and tickets
DMV fees, smog, titles, tickets, tolls, and car problems.
- Checklist
Auto repair estimate, invoice, and complaint check
A record check for an unexpected repair bill, work you did not approve, a smog-shop problem, or an unfinished repair.Check repair records - Official-service guide
DMV fee calculators
DMV uses separate calculators for purchases, transfers, renewals, and vehicles brought into California. Match the calculator to the transaction.Choose DMV calculator - Checklist
Vehicle sale, title, and smog check
Put a private sale or an out-of-state move in order. Title first, then smog, then the DMV clock.Check car steps - Interactive task finder
Used car sales, repairs, and money problems
The next step depends on whether the problem is the sale, title, repair, warranty, recall, loan, or payment. Start with what went wrong.Sort a car problem - Checklist
Vehicle warranty, recall, and lemon-law check
Separate a safety recall from a warranty repair or Lemon Law claim. Then build the repair record each process needs.Check warranty and recall - Interactive task finder
Traffic tickets, parking citations, and toll notices
A traffic ticket, camera notice, parking citation, and toll notice use different review and payment systems. Start with the agency named on the paper.Sort the notice - Checklist
Traffic ticket and court deadline check
Read the court and appearance date first. Then compare payment, traffic school, fine help, and ways to contest the ticket.Check traffic case - Checklist
Parking citation and toll notice check
Find the issuing agency and save the notice date. Use the parking review path or the toll operator named on the paper.Check parking or toll
3 tasks
Outdoors
Parks, passes, campfires, fishing, tide pools, and trip checks.
- Official-service guide
State park passes and reservations
Day use, camping, passes, and reservations are separate. Start with the park and the kind of visit.Choose park path - Official-service guide
Campfires and fire restrictions
A permit and permission are separate checks. Use the permit page, current local order, and posted rules before lighting anything.Check fire rules - Official-service guide
Fishing license, MPA, and tide pool check
Before you fish or forage the coast, run the short check: license, protected areas, and current limits.Check fishing path
2 tasks
Emergency and utilities
Alerts, smoke, roads, power shutoffs, outages, and bill help.
- Official-service guide
Alerts, smoke, roads, and power check
A calm first stop when conditions turn: alerts, smoke, roads, and power, all from official sources.Open emergency links - Interactive task finder
Utility bills, shutoffs, and outages
A bill problem, shutoff notice, outage, and gas smell need different responses. Start with the urgent problem in front of you.Find utility help
5 tasks
Home risk checks
Wildfire, insurance, coast, earthquake, and retrofit checks.
- Checklist
Wildfire home and insurance check
What the fire maps say about your parcel, and the proof insurers respect. Work the checks in order.Check home fire steps - Checklist
Home insurance fallback check
When coverage gets hard to find, there is still a path. Walk it in order, from new quotes to the FAIR Plan.Check insurance options - Checklist
Home insurance claim record check
A clean paper trail for a home claim that is late, underpaid, disputed, or denied.Build the claim record - Checklist
Coast and earthquake parcel map check
A quick way to see which map questions to ask before you buy or build near the coast or in a quake zone.Check map layers - Checklist
Earthquake retrofit home check
Older houses have known weak points. Check the short list, from crawl space to water heater, and keep the proof for the insurer.Check retrofit steps
Source rule
Use these tools to sort the task and find the public office or current agency page. A tool cannot decide your rights or tell you what to file. For a deadline, court case, tax question, insurance claim, or permit decision, use the official source or qualified professional named on the page.