Tax season is well under way and Californians have seen their fair share of confusion waiting on guidance from tax officials — and it’s not over yet.

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What we know: Both the state tax board, and later the Internal Revenue Service, said the California inflation relief — also known as the Middle Class Tax Refund — is not taxable income and should not be reported on 2022 tax returns. The IRS guidance came Friday, weeks after taxpayers could start filing.

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Here’s where it gets tricky: What if you claimed it as income before guidance came out?

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Reader Susan Gilbert asked our service journalism team what people who already filed their taxes should do.

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Do they “amend [the] return, or will the IRS remove it from taxable income?”

We reached out to the California Franchise Tax Board and the IRS. Here’s what they said:

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What if I claimed my Middle Class Tax Refund on my state return?

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If you think you filed incorrectly, tax board spokesman Andrew LePage said taxpayers can file an amended return, to “make changes or corrections to income.”

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Claudia Stanley, a certified public accountant from Fresno, gave similar advice in a previous Bee story.

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Stanley said you can file a superseding or amended return to update your information. A superseding return is submitted within the filing period, according to the IRS, and an amended return is filed after tax season ends.

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What if I claimed my Middle Class Tax Refund on my federal return?

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LePage said the IRS informed the tax board that it was “looking into how it will handle these returns” and “asks that no action be taken” until guidance is given.

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The Bee then contacted the IRS, which referred us to its February news release that does not include the answer on next steps taxpayers should take to correct their returns.

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“The IRS appreciates the patience of taxpayers, tax professionals, software companies and state tax administrators as the IRS and Treasury worked to resolve this unique and complex situation,” the IRS wrote in the statement.

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The statement, last updated Tuesday, followed national media coverage and pressure for answers from U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley on whether or not Californians need to claim the refund as income.

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In short: Don’t do anything until you get the green light from the IRS.

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What do I do with the 1099-MISC form I was sent?

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Gilbert is one of roughly 16 million people who received inflation relief payments of up to $1,050. If your payment of $600 or more came with a 1099-MISC form, you probably thought you should use it. Don’t.

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Do not file the form — but don’t throw it away either, LePage said.

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Before the IRS decided that the payments were not taxable, 1099 forms were coupled with refunds so residents could report their inflation dollars. LePage said California taxpayers should keep their 1099 form as a record that received their inflation relief payment.

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