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. The route keeps the right public office and official source close by.
Start here
Common paperwork doors
- Official link
Local office router
California has layers, and the task picks the layer. Match the errand to the right counter, from city hall to a special district.Find the right office - Checklist
Work benefits first-stop check
Five benefit programs, five different doors. Sort out which one fits before you file anything.Check benefit paths - Official link
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 link
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
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22 tools
Start here
Find the right public office for everyday paperwork.
- Start Here
Local office router
California has layers, and the task picks the layer. Match the errand to the right counter, from city hall to a special district.Find the right office - Consumer Help
Consumer problem and complaint router
Complaints work better in the right lane. Pick the path that matches the problem, from contractor trouble to a charge dispute.Route a consumer problem - Contractor Problems
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 - Money Back
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 - Scams
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 - Identity Recovery
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 - Money Sent
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 - Household Help
Food, health coverage, and household help
Help exists, but it lives at different counters. This picks the right one, from food help to a utility shutoff.Find household help - Food Help
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 - Health Coverage
Medi-Cal and Covered California check
A first-step check for applying, renewing, replacing lost coverage, or using special enrollment.Check health coverage steps - Cash And Care
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 - EBT And Notices
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 - ID and Records
ID, vital records, and address changes
Different papers live at different offices. Name the document first, and the right counter follows.Find record help - DMV Identity
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 - Vital Records
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 - Schools and Kids
School, child care, and student paperwork
School paperwork has many front doors. Name the task first, from enrollment to a work permit, and start at the right one.Find school links - School Enrollment
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 - Special Education
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 - Child Care
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 - Small Business
Business paperwork router
Starting a business is a route, not a form. Pick the path that matches the work, and the permits fall in order.Find business links - Small Business
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 - Small Business
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 tools
Home costs
Property tax, closing costs, Mello-Roos, and surprise bills.
- Property Tax
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 - Homebuying
Documentary transfer tax estimator
Estimate documentary transfer tax after you find the official county and city rates for the property.Estimate transfer tax - Property Tax
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 - Property Tax
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 tools
Renting
Rent increases, deposits, notices, repairs, and local help.
- Renting
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 - Renting
Move-out deposit record check
The inspection, photograph, deduction, and 21-day rules that shape a California move-out deposit.Build deposit record - Renting
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 tools
Work
Pay, breaks, worker status, job benefits, and injury routes.
- Work
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 - Work
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 - Work
Employee or independent contractor check
How California's ABC test looks past a 1099 and checks the real working relationship.Check worker status - Work
Work benefits first-stop check
Five benefit programs, five different doors. Sort out which one fits before you file anything.Check benefit paths - Unemployment
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 - Disability Insurance
Disability Insurance for your own health
Who California Disability Insurance covers, what it pays, and when the claim must be filed.Check disability steps - Paid Family Leave
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 - Work Injury
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 tools
Home projects
ADUs, solar, water, wells, sewer, septic, and permit checks.
- ADUs
ADU first-stop check
What to check before a garage, backyard, or spare room becomes a small second home.Check ADU steps - Utilities
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 - Solar
Solar, battery, and panel check
What to ask before you sign for roof solar, a home battery, or panel work.Check solar steps
8 tools
Cars and tickets
DMV fees, smog, titles, tickets, tolls, and car problems.
- Auto Repair
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 - DMV
DMV fee calculators
DMV has a calculator for each situation. Pick your lane first, and the right form follows.Choose DMV calculator - DMV
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 - Car Problems
Used car problem router
Choose the part that went wrong: sale or title, repair paperwork, warranty or recall, or the loan and money side.Sort a car problem - Car Problems
Vehicle warranty, recall, and lemon-law check
Separate a safety recall from a warranty repair or Lemon Law claim. Then build the repair record the right path needs.Check warranty and recall - Driving
Ticket and driving-notice router
Start with the paper in front of you. Court ticket, camera notice, parking citation, and toll notice each have their own path.Find the ticket route - Driving
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 - Driving
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 tools
Outdoors
Parks, passes, campfires, fishing, tide pools, and trip checks.
- State Parks
State park passes and reservations
One park system, several counters. Pick the right State Parks path for the trip you are actually planning.Choose park path - Campfires
Campfires and fire restrictions
A quick path for checking campfire permits, fire restrictions, forest orders, and park rules before lighting anything.Check fire rules - Fishing
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 tools
Emergency and utilities
Alerts, smoke, roads, power shutoffs, outages, and bill help.
- Emergency
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 - Utilities
Utility bills, shutoffs, and outages
A utility problem has a safer first stop. Pick the path for the bill, the outage, or the smell of gas.Find utility help
5 tools
Home risk checks
Wildfire, insurance, coast, earthquake, and retrofit checks.
- Wildfire
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 - Insurance
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 - Insurance Claim
Home insurance claim record check
A clean paper trail for a home claim that is late, underpaid, disputed, or denied.Build the claim record - Parcel Maps
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 - Earthquake
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
These tools are maps, not decisions. They point you toward official sources, but they do not decide your rights, tell you what to file, or replace a county office, state agency, court self-help center, lawyer, tax pro, insurer, escrow officer, permit counter, or official calculator.