Form 590 C2 (REV. 2002)
59002103
File this form with your withholding agent.
(Please type or print)
Withholding Exemption Certificate
(This form can only be used to certify exemption from nonresident withholding under California
R&TC Section 18662. This form cannot be used for exemption from wage withholding.)
YEAR
20

CALIFORNIA FORM
590
Note:
Failure to furnish your
identification number will
make this certificate void.
I certify that for the reasons checked below, the entity or individual named on this form is exempt from the California income tax
withholding requirement on payment(s) made to the entity or individual. Read the following carefully and check the box that applies
to the vendor/payee:
Individuals — Certification of Residency:
I am a resident of California and I reside at the address shown above. If I become a nonresident at any time, I will promptly
inform the withholding agent. See instructions for Form 590, General Information D, for the definition of a resident.
Corporations:
The above-named corporation has a permanent place of business in California at the address shown above or is qualified
through the California Secretary of State to do business in California. The corporation will withhold on payments of Califor-
nia source income to nonresidents when required. If this corporation ceases to have a permanent place of business in
California or ceases to be qualified to do business in California, I will promptly inform the withholding agent. See instruc-
tions for Form 590, General Information E, for the definition of permanent place of business.
Partnerships:
The above-named partnership has a permanent place of business in California at the address shown above or is registered
with the California Secretary of State, and is subject to the laws of California. The partnership will file a California tax return
and will withhold on foreign and domestic nonresident partners when required. If the partnership ceases to do any of the
above, I will promptly inform the withholding agent. Note: For withholding purposes, a Limited Liability Partnership is treated
like any other partnership.
Limited Liability Companies (LLC):
The above-named LLC has a permanent place of business in California at the address shown above or is registered with
the California Secretary of State, and is subject to the laws of California. The LLC will file a California tax return and will
withhold on foreign and domestic nonresident members when required. If the LLC ceases to do any of the above, I will
promptly inform the withholding agent.
Tax-Exempt Entities:
The above-named entity is exempt from tax under California or federal law. The tax-exempt entity will withhold on payments
of California source income to nonresidents when required. If this entity ceases to be exempt from tax, I will promptly inform
the withholding agent.
Insurance Companies, IRAs, or Qualified Pension/Profit Sharing Plans:
The above-named entity is an insurance company, IRA, or a federally qualified pension or profit-sharing plan.
California Irrevocable Trusts:
At least one trustee of the above-named irrevocable trust is a California resident. The trust will file a California fiduciary tax
return and will withhold on foreign and domestic nonresident beneficiaries when required. If the trustee becomes a nonresi-
dent at any time, I will promptly inform the withholding agent.
Estates — Certification of Residency of Deceased Person:
I am the executor of the above-named person’s estate. The decedent was a California resident at the time of death. The
estate will file a California fiduciary tax return and will withhold on foreign and domestic nonresident beneficiaries when
required.
CERTIFICATE: Please complete and sign below.
Under penalties of perjury, I hereby certify that the information provided herein is, to the best of my knowledge, true and correct. If
conditions change, I will promptly inform the withholding agent.
Vendor/Payee’s name and title (type or print) _____________________________________________________________________
Vendor/Payee’s signature ________________________________________________________ Date _____________________
For Privacy Act Notice, get form FTB 1131 (individuals only).
Withholding agent’s name
Vendor/Payee’s name Vendor/Payee’s Social security number
SOS. no. California corp. no. FEIN
Vendor/Payee’s address (number and street) APT no. Private Mailbox no. Vendor/Payee’s daytime telephone no.
()
City State ZIP Code
Print and Reset Form
Reset Form
Form 590 Instructions (REV. 2002)
Instructions for Form 590
Withholding Exemption Certificate
References in these instructions are to the California Revenue and Taxation Code (R&TC).
General Information
A Purpose
Use Form 590 to certify an exemption from
nonresident withholding. Complete and present
Form 590 to the withholding agent. The
withholding agent will then be relieved of the
withholding requirements if the agent relies in
good faith on a completed and signed Form 590
unless told by FTB that the Form 590 should not
be relied upon.
Important – This form cannot be used for
exemption from wage withholding. Any
questions regarding wage withholding should
be directed to the California Employment
Development Department.
Do not use Form 590 if you are a seller of
California real estate. Sellers of California real
estate should use Form 593-W, Real Estate
Withholding Exemption Certificate and Waiver
Request for Non-Individuals Sellers.
B Law
R&TC Section 18662 requires withholding of
income or franchise tax on payments of
California source income made to nonresidents
of this state.
Withholding is required on:
Payments to nonresidents for services
rendered in California;
Distributions of California source income made
to domestic nonresident partners and members
and allocations of California source income
made to foreign partners and members;
Payments to nonresidents for rents if the
payments are made in the course of the
withholding agent’s business;
Payments to nonresidents for royalties for
the right to use natural resources located in
California;
Distributions of California source income to
nonresident beneficiaries from an estate or
trust; and
Prizes and winnings received by nonresidents
for contests in California.
For more information on withholding and waiver
requests, get FTB Pub. 1017, Nonresident
Withholding Partnership Guidelines, and FTB
Pub. 1023, Nonresident Withholding Indepen-
dent Contractor, Rent and Royalty Guidelines. To
get a withholding publication see General
Information G.
C Who can Execute this Form
Form 590 can be executed by the entities listed
on this form.
Note: In a situation where payment is being
made for the services of a performing entity, this
form can only be completed by the performing
entity or the performing entity’s partnership or
corporation. It cannot be completed by the
performing entity’s agent or other third party.
Note: The grantor of a revocable/grantor trust
shall be treated as the vendor/payee for
withholding purposes. Therefore, if the vendor/
payee is a revocable/grantor trust and one or
more of the grantors is a nonresident, withhold-
ing is required. If all of the grantors of a
revocable/grantor trust are residents, no
withholding is required. Resident grantors can
check the box on Form 590 labeled “Individuals
— Certification of Residency.”
D Who is a Resident
A California resident is any individual who is in
California for other than a temporary or
transitory purpose or any individual domiciled in
California who is absent for a temporary or
transitory purpose.
An individual domiciled in California who is
absent from California for an uninterrupted
period of at least 546 consecutive days under an
employment-related contract is considered
outside California for other than a temporary or
transitory purpose.
Note: Return visits to California that do not total
more than 45 days during any taxable year
covered by the employment contract are
considered temporary.
This provision does not apply if an individual
has income from stocks, bonds, notes, or other
intangible personal property in excess of
$200,000 in any taxable year in which the
employment-related contract is in effect.
A spouse who is absent from California for an
uninterrupted period of at least 546 days to
accompany a spouse who is under an employ-
ment-related contract is considered outside of
California for other than a temporary or
transitory purpose.
Generally, an individual who comes to California
for a purpose which will extend over a long or
indefinite period will be considered a resident.
However, an individual who comes to perform a
particular contract of short duration will be
considered a nonresident. For assistance in
determining resident status, get FTB Pub. 1031,
Guidelines for Determining Resident Status, or
call the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) at
(800) 852-5711 or (916) 845-6500 (not toll-
free).
E What is a Permanent Place of
Business
A corporation has a permanent place of
business in California if it is organized and
existing under the laws of California or if it is a
foreign corporation qualified to transact
intrastate business by the California Secretary
of State. A corporation that has not qualified to
transact intrastate business (e.g., a corporation
engaged exclusively in interstate commerce) will
be considered as having a permanent place of
business in California only if it maintains a
permanent office in California that is perma-
nently staffed by its employees.
F Withholding Agent
Keep Form 590 for your records. Do not send
this form to the FTB unless it has been
specifically requested by the FTB.
Note: If the withholding agent has received
Form 594, Notice to Withhold Tax at Source,
only the performing entity can complete and
sign Form 590 as the vendor/payee. If the
performing entity completes and signs Form 590
indicating that he or she is not subject to
withholding, you must send a copy of Form 590
with Form 594 to the FTB.
For more information, contact the Nonresident
Withholding Section. See General Information G.
The vendor/payee must notify the withholding
agent if:
The individual vendor/payee becomes a
nonresident;
The corporation ceases to have a permanent
place of business in California or ceases to be
qualified to do business in California;
The partnership ceases to have a permanent
place of business in California;
The LLC ceases to have a permanent place of
business in California; or
The tax-exempt entity loses its tax-exempt
status.
The withholding agent must then withhold. Remit
the withholding using Form 592-A, Nonresident
Withholding Remittance Statement, and complete
Form 592, Nonresident Withholding Annual
Return, and Form 592-B, Nonresident Withhold-
ing Tax Statement. Get Instructions for
Forms 592, 592-A, and 592-B for due dates and
other withholding information.
G Where to get Publications,
Forms, and Additional
Information
You can download, view, and print FTB
Publications 1017, 1023, 1024, and nonresident
withholding forms, as well as other California
tax forms and publications not related to
nonresident withholding from our Website at:
www.ftb.ca.gov
You can also have nonresident withholding
forms faxed to you by calling (800) 998-3676.
To have publications or forms mailed to you or
to get additional nonresident withholding
information, please contact the Nonresident
Withholding Section.
NONRESIDENT WITHHOLDING SECTION
FRANCHISE TAX BOARD
PO BOX 651
SACRAMENTO CA 95812-0651
Telephone: (888) 792-4900
(916) 845-4900 (not toll-free)
FAX: (916) 845-9512 (24 hours a day, 7 days
a week)
Assistance for persons with disabilities:
We comply with the Americans with Disabilities
Act. Persons with hearing or speech impair-
ments: TTY/TDD (800) 822-6268.
Asistencia bilingüe en español
Para obtener servicios en español y asistencia
para completar su declaración de impuestos/
formularios, llame al número de teléfono
(anotado arriba) que le corresponde.