The FTB Business License Tax Application 2025 is the City of Santa Ana form that identifies a business, its owners and its activity, and reports the gross receipts used to calculate its business license tax. It is one of the documents behind a Santa Ana business license, and it is issued by the City of Santa Ana Finance Department through its Business Tax Office. On FillingPDF you can fill out the form online and download or print the completed PDF; the city publishes the original PDF, and the signed form goes back to the city, not to this site.
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What is FTB Business License Tax Application 2025 – Santa Ana, CA?
The FTB Business License Tax Application 2025 is the City of Santa Ana form on which a business gives its identity, owners, type of activity and occupancy details and reports its gross receipts, so the city can calculate the business license tax owed.
The form has two working parts. Step 1 is the application on the front: business name (DBA), location, tax identification numbers, ownership type, owner information, type of business with its Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code, a description of the business activity, occupancy status and a signed declaration under penalty of perjury. Step 2 is the report of gross receipts on the reverse side.
Licenses assessed on a gross receipts basis are issued for a fiscal year running from April 1 to March 31 and are payable in advance. The report is split into two schedules. Schedule 1 covers retail sales and services, commercial property rental, professional offices and administrative facilities. Schedule 2 covers manufacturing and processing, wholesale, gasoline and motor fuel sales, and utility company services.
Gross receipts, in the form's wording, are the total of all sales prices, the total charged for any act or service, and all fees, commissions or other receipts generated by the business, without any deduction.
The form is not a Certificate of Occupancy or a Home Occupation Permit, which the city handles separately through its Planning & Building Agency. It also notes that the City of Santa Ana does not permit or license short-term rentals.
Who needs to file FTB Business License Tax Application 2025 – Santa Ana, CA?
Businesses operating in the City of Santa Ana use this form to apply for a business license tax assessment. The gross receipts report on the reverse is written for sole proprietor, corporation, LLC, LP and general partnership businesses, and the ownership boxes also list independent contractors, trusts and LLPs.
The form asks you to check every type of business that applies, including retail, wholesale, service, manufacturing, professional office, rental property (commercial or residential), state licensed contractor, delivery vehicle with no fixed place of business in the city, vending machines, peddlers and solicitors, commercial cannabis business, and nonprofit organization exempt.
Who signs: the application lists owners, partners, members or corporate officers, and the person signing gives a title and prints a name. Use additional sheets if there are more owners than the form has room for.
Exclusions and related permits:
- The city does not permit or license short-term rentals.
- Businesses at a commercial location must obtain a Certificate of Occupancy.
- Businesses run from a home-based office must obtain a Home Occupation Permit.
- Both permits are reviewed separately by the Planning & Building Agency, and additional fees may apply.
When to file FTB Business License Tax Application 2025 – Santa Ana, CA
Return the completed application and gross receipts report by the date shown on the notification letter you receive from the city. The form says to sign and return both parts together with the registration charge by that date.
The license year is the city's fiscal year, April 1 to March 31, and the tax is payable in advance. For a business that started after April 1, 2022, the form explains that the first period runs from the business start date through March 31 of the following year. You then annualize that period's gross receipts for the next year: divide by the number of months in business in Santa Ana, counting any fraction of a month as a whole month, and multiply by twelve. After that, each year's tax is based on the preceding calendar year's gross receipts, January 1 to December 31.
After you file, the city sends a billing statement with a thirty-day grace period within 60 days. Tax deferral and installment payment plans are explained in the notification letter.
Documents you need
- A copy of your State Sales Tax Permit, attached where the form asks for the State Sales Tax Permit # (Attach Copy).
- Additional sheets listing every owner, partner, member or corporate officer when the form's owner block does not have enough room.
- The registration charge, submitted with the application and gross receipts report; the form prints the amount and the city's notification letter gives payment details.
- Gross receipts figures for the years in the reporting table, taken from your IRS Schedule C of Form 1040, Form 1120, Form 1120-S or Form 1065, depending on your business type.
How to fill out FTB Business License Tax Application 2025 – Santa Ana, CA
Enter business name and dates
Write the Business Name (DBA), the Corporation Name if applicable, the In-City Start Date and the End Date if applicable.
Add location and contact details
Enter the business location, city, state, ZIP, phone, fax and e-mail, plus a mailing address if different and an emergency phone. Do not use a Post Office box for business or residential addresses.
Enter tax numbers and ownership type
Enter the State Sales Tax Permit # and attach a copy, and the Federal Tax I.D. #. Check one ownership type: Sole Proprietor, Independent Contractor, Trust, LLC, General Partnership, LP, LLP or Corporation.
List owners and officers
In the Business Owner Information block, enter each owner, partner, member or corporate officer with title, Social Security No., home or corporate address, phone and Drivers License No. Use additional sheets as necessary.
Check business type and SIC code
Check all types of business that apply and enter the required Standard Industrial Classification Code (SIC). Fill in the counts the form asks for, such as persons, units, vehicles or State Licensed Contractor SLC # and class.
Answer the rental and sales questions
For residential rentals, enter the number of units and answer the ADU question. Answer YES or NO on tobacco product sales and distribution or supplying of marijuana.
Describe the business activity
On the Description of Business Activity line, describe what the business does and, where applicable, the items sold.
Complete the occupancy status
Check one status: Owner-Occupied, Tenant, Sub-Tenant, Owner-Lessor or Leaseholder-Lessor. Enter the name, phone and address of the property owner, leaseholder or property manager.
Sign and date the declaration
Sign, enter your Title, print your name and add the date under the declaration of penalty of perjury. Leave the Official Use Only box blank.
Report gross receipts in Step 2
On the reverse side, enter gross receipts for each year in the table under Schedule 1 or Schedule 2, as your business type requires. Report ($0.00) if there were none, and annualize the first period for businesses started after April 1, 2022.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check that every section is complete, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and prepare the package described under How to submit.
How to submit FTB Business License Tax Application 2025 – Santa Ana, CA
The form directs you to sign, date and mail in the completed application and gross receipts report, together with the registration charge, by the date on your notification letter.
- By mail: send the package to the City of Santa Ana Business Tax Office, 20 Civic Center Plaza, First Floor (M-15), P.O. Box 1964, Santa Ana, CA 92702. This is the office address printed in the form's header; the form prints no separate return address. Questions go to (714) 647-5447.
- Payment: include the registration charge with the application. If you pay by check and it is returned, the form states that you authorize the electronic debit of your account for the check amount plus a processing fee and any applicable sales tax. The form prints the charge and tax amounts; the notification letter explains deferral and installment plans.
- Addresses on the form: the city does not accept Post Office boxes as a business or residential address.
- Permits: for a Certificate of Occupancy or Home Occupation Permit, contact the Planning & Building Agency at (714) 647-5804 or visit www.santa-ana.org/certificate-of-occupancy-home-occupation-permit/.
The city says it cannot process an incomplete application. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Submitting an incomplete application; the city states it is unable to process one.
- Entering a Post Office box as the business or residential address, which the form says will not be accepted.
- Leaving out the description of business activities and, where applicable, the items sold; the form says this prevents delays.
- Skipping the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code, which the form marks as required.
- Not completing the gross receipts report on the reverse side; the form reminds you to complete the business license tax return.
- Subtracting deductions from gross receipts; the form defines them as reported without any deduction whatsoever.
- Leaving a dormant business blank instead of reporting ($0.00) in the table.
- Forgetting to annualize first-period gross receipts for a business that started after April 1, 2022.
- Omitting the State Sales Tax Permit copy when you list a permit number.
- Returning the forms after the date on the notification letter.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Santa Ana Business License Tax Application?
It is the City of Santa Ana form on which a business gives its details and reports gross receipts so the city can calculate its business license tax. The application is on the front (Step 1) and the gross receipts report is on the reverse (Step 2).
How do I get a Santa Ana business license?
Complete the application (Step 1) and the gross receipts report (Step 2), sign and date them, and mail both with the registration charge by the date on your notification letter. The city then sends a billing statement with a thirty-day grace period within 60 days.
Can I use a P.O. box on the application?
No. The form states that Post Office boxes will not be accepted for either business or residential addresses. Enter a street address for the business location and for owners' home or corporate addresses.
What counts as gross receipts on this form?
The total of all sales prices, all amounts charged for acts or services, and all fees, commissions or other receipts the business generates, without any deduction. Use IRS Schedule C, Form 1120, Form 1120-S or Form 1065 as the form directs.
What do I report if my business had no gross receipts?
Report ($0.00). The form says a registration/state charge and an annual basic tax amount apply; qualifying holding companies or pass-thru entities reporting zero have a separate minimum amount. The form prints the amounts.
Do I need a Certificate of Occupancy or Home Occupation Permit?
Businesses at a commercial location in Santa Ana must obtain a Certificate of Occupancy, and home-based businesses must obtain a Home Occupation Permit. Contact the Planning & Building Agency at (714) 647-5804; additional fees may apply.
Does Santa Ana license short-term rentals?
No. The form states that the City of Santa Ana does not permit nor license short-term rentals. The rental questions on the form cover commercial and residential rental property, including whether a unit has a permitted Accessory Dwelling Unit.
Can I fill out the Santa Ana business license application online?
You can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not submit the form; you mail it to the City of Santa Ana Business Tax Office.
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