ARTICLE 1. Refunds on Certain Sales [8101. - 8109.]

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC 1.
in effect

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8101. Section 8101.

The following persons who have paid a tax for motor vehicle fuel, either directly or to the vendor from whom it was purchased, or indirectly by the adding of the amount of the tax to the price of the fuel, shall, except as otherwise provided in this part, be reimbursed and repaid the amount of the tax: (a) Any person who buys and uses the motor vehicle fuel for purposes other than operating motor vehicles upon the public highways of the state, except vehicles subject to identification under Division 16.5 (commencing with Section 38000) of the Vehicle Code, which are used for recreational purposes or are rented or leased for recreational purposes, and, on and after July 1, 1974, except motor vehicles subject to registration under Division 3 (commencing with Section 4000) of the Vehicle Code while engaged in off-highway recreational use. (b) Any person who exports the motor vehicle fuel for use outside of this state. Motor vehicle fuel carried from this state in the fuel tank of a motor vehicle or aircraft is not deemed to be exported from this state unless the motor vehicle fuel becomes subject to tax as an “import” under the laws of the destination state. (c) Any person who sells the motor vehicle fuel to the Armed Forces of the United States for use in ships or aircraft or for use outside this state, under circumstances that would have entitled him or her to an exemption from the payment of the tax under Section 7401 had he or she been the supplier of this fuel. (d) Any person who buys and uses the motor vehicle fuel in any construction equipment which is exempt from vehicle registration pursuant to the Vehicle Code, while operated within the confines and limits of a construction project. (e) Any supplier who sells motor vehicle fuel which is sold to any consulate officer or consulate employee under circumstances which would have entitled the supplier to an exemption under paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 7401 if the supplier had sold the motor vehicle fuel directly to the consulate officer or consulate employee. (f) Any supplier who removes motor vehicle fuel at a rack and pays tax on that removal or who purchases tax-paid motor vehicle fuel outside the bulk transfer/terminal system and then delivers the tax-paid motor vehicle fuel to another approved terminal from which that supplier subsequently removes the tax-paid motor vehicle fuel at the terminal rack, but only to the extent that the supplier can show that tax on the same amount of motor vehicle fuel has been paid more than one time by the same supplier. (g) Any supplier who purchases tax-paid motor vehicle fuel in the bulk transfer/terminal system and subsequently removes the tax-paid motor vehicle fuel at the terminal rack, but only to the extent that the supplier can show that tax on the same amount of motor vehicle fuel has been paid more than one time by the same supplier. This subdivision applies only to those purchases made on or after January 1, 2002. (h) Any person who buys and uses tax-paid motor vehicle fuel for the purpose of producing a blended fuel that will be used to operate motor vehicles upon the public highways of the state that is taxed under Part 3 (commencing with Section 8601) of Division 2. To be eligible, a person must show that the applicable California fuel tax has been paid and must submit or have submitted the refund application request on or after January 1, 2011.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8101.1. Section 8101.1.

For the purposes of subdivision (a) of Section 8101, the tax shall be refunded to any person with respect to fuel used in the operation of a motor vehicle on any highway which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Agriculture and with respect to the use of such highway such person pays, or contributes to, the cost of construction or maintenance thereof pursuant to an agreement with or permission of, the United States Department of Agriculture.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8101.6. Section 8101.6.

(a) No refund of any tax shall be granted on motor vehicle fuel used in propelling passenger carrying vehicles, except six cents ($0.06) of the tax imposed upon each gallon of motor vehicle fuel used in propelling passenger carrying vehicles used for the transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit of the following: (1) Any transit district, transit authority, or city owning and operating a local transit system itself or through a wholly owned nonprofit corporation. (2) Any private entity providing transportation services for the transportation of people under contract or agreement, except general franchise agreements, with a public agency authorized to provide public transportation services, including, but not limited to, any nonprofit corporation designated as a consolidated transportation service agency pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 15975 of the Government Code, which provides door-to-door transportation services under contract or agreement with a transit district, transit authority, or public agency authorized to provide transportation services, but only for fuels consumed while providing services under those contracts or agreements entered into subsequent to the effective date of this act. (3) Any passenger stage corporation subject to the jurisdiction of the Public Utilities Commission when the motor vehicles of such passenger stage corporation are exclusively operated in urban or suburban areas or between cities in close proximity; provided, however, that the exemption is not extended to any line or lines operated by such passenger stage corporation which shall exceed 50 miles of one-way route mileage. (4) Any common carrier of passengers operating exclusively on any line or lines within the limits of a single city between fixed termini or over a regular route, 98 percent of whose operations, as measured by total route mileage operated, are exclusively within the limits of a single city, and who by reason thereof is not a passenger stage corporation subject to the jurisdiction of the Public Utilities Commission. (b) The exemption provided for in subdivision (a) shall not be applicable to motor vehicle fuel used by a charter-party carrier of passengers. The term “charter-party carrier of passengers” has the same meaning as that specified in Section 5360 of the Public Utilities Code and shall further include those transportation services described in subdivisions (a) and (e) of Section 5353 of the Public Utilities Code, if such transportation service is rendered as contract carriage and not as common carriage of passengers. (c) There are in the State of California many private entities providing public transportation services for the transportation of people in vehicles other than buses under contract or agreement with local government, transit districts or local bus transit operators. It is the purpose of this section to provide relief from the payment of fuel tax for gasoline fuel for those private entities only for fuels consumed while providing these services.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8101.7. Section 8101.7.

No refund of any tax shall be granted which is attributable to the distribution of motor vehicle fuel for use or used in propelling a vessel in the state, except any tax which is attributable to the distribution of motor vehicle fuel for use or used in propelling a vessel operated by its owner on waters located on private property owned or controlled by him.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8102. Section 8102.

(a) The claimant of a refund shall present to the Controller a claim supported by the original invoice showing the purchase or other evidence of each purchase that is satisfactory to the Controller. The claim shall state the total amount of the fuel purchased by the claimant and the manner and the equipment in which the claimant has used the fuel. The claim shall state the total amount of motor vehicle fuel covered by the claim and if the motor vehicle fuel was exported, a statement that the claimant has proof of exportation. The claim shall state that the amounts claimed have not been previously refunded to the claimant and that there are no other claims outstanding for the amounts included in the current claim for refund. The claim shall not be under oath but shall contain, or be accompanied by, a written declaration that it is made under the penalties of perjury. If no original invoice was created, electronic invoicing shall be accepted as reflected by a computerized facsimile when accompanied by an original copy of the bill of lading or fuel manifest that can be directly tied to the electronic invoice. (b) Each claim for refund under this section shall be made on a form prescribed by the Controller and shall be filed for a calendar year, except for claims relating to exportation of fuel. If, at the close of any of the first three quarters of the calendar year, more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) is refundable under this section with respect to any motor vehicle fuel used, sold, or exported during that quarter or any prior quarter during the calendar year, and for which no other claim has been filed, a claim may be filed for the quarterly period. To facilitate the administration of this section, the Controller may require the filing of claims for refund for other than yearly periods. Export claims may be filed at any time.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8103. Section 8103.

The Controller, upon the presentation of the properly completed claim and the invoice or other evidence of each purchase that is satisfactory to the Controller, shall cause to be paid to the claimant from the taxes collected under this part an amount equal to the taxes collected on the motor vehicle fuel in respect to which the refund is claimed.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8103.5. Section 8103.5.

Any person who wilfully makes or subscribes to a claim for refund under this article which he does not believe to be true and correct as to every material matter, shall be guilty of a felony, and upon conviction thereof shall be subject to the penalties prescribed for perjury by the Penal Code.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8104. Section 8104.

In order to establish the validity of any claim the Controller may, upon demand, examine the books and records of the claimant for that purpose. The failure of the claimant to accede to that demand constitutes a waiver of all right to the refund claimed on account of the transactions questioned. The examination may be made either through employees of the office of the Controller or of the office of the board. Supporting evidence of all purchases included in a claim for refund shall be maintained by the claimant for inspection by the Controller or the office of the board for four years after the date of refund.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8104.5. Section 8104.5.

If any person does not use motor vehicle fuel as provided in subdivision (a) of Section 8101 within the time required for filing an application for a refund, he may within that time file a written request with the Controller for an extension of time within which to apply for a refund. The request shall state the amount of fuel involved, the date of its purchase, and the manner and the equipment in which the fuel is intended to be used. Thereupon the Controller may extend the time within which an application for refund may be filed.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8105. Section 8105.

All applications for refund provided under this article shall be filed within three years from the date of the purchase of the motor vehicle fuel or, if the tax was not invoiced at the time of the purchase of the motor vehicle fuel, the application for refund shall be filed within six months after the receipt of an invoice for the tax, whichever period expires later. Any application filed after the time prescribed shall not be considered for any purpose by the Controller, the Treasurer, or the state.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8106. Section 8106.

In lieu of the collection and refund of the tax on tax-paid motor vehicle fuel exported, removed, sold, or used by a supplier in a manner that would entitle the supplier to claim a refund under Section 8101, credit may be given the supplier upon the supplier’s tax return, and the determination of the amount of tax shall be determined in accordance with any rules and regulations the board may prescribe.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8108. Section 8108.

If any claim for refund of tax is paid more than 20 calendar days from the date upon which the claim was received by the Controller, interest shall be computed, allowed, and paid upon that refund of tax at the Pooled Money Investment Account’s Annual Yield Rate in effect on the date prior to the date that the interest on the refund of tax begins to accrue. Interest on the refund of tax shall begin to accrue on the 21st calendar day after the date that a properly completed claim for refund is received by the Controller. The interest shall accrue through the date the Controller refunds the tax. No interest shall be granted on credits taken on tax returns.

Cal. Revenue and Taxation Code - RTC § 8109. Section 8109.

(a) A refund filed pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 8101 shall be paid to the claimant within 20 calendar days of the receipt of a claim for refund by the Controller. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the claim for refund shall be submitted on a properly completed form or in substantially similar format, as prescribed by the Controller.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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