California Rental Application 2012: Fill & Download for Free

At least seven states restrict the use of application fees, but most states do not on the grounds that a business owner has the right to set prices, and that the free market will regulate cost.The rental properties that tenants live in (with the exception of public housing) are owned by private individuals who purchased or paid to build the homes. We take on significant risks, wait years to fully recoup our investment, and we have many expenses and significant inconvenience. Whether a property is owned by one person or a corporation, it belongs to private citizens who have put up or borrowed money to own it.Everyone is entitled to housing, but not to my housing, which is why our government needs to step up and provide for those people who are unable to rent in a free market. We should be allowed to charge whatever we like, and rents and fees should not be regulated without good and sufficient reason. If it were common for property owners to get together and agree to charge $2,000 for an application, the law should and would intervene.That’s not what is happening, however. The average application fee is $30, which is less than it cost to verify a prospective tenant’s history and identity in fees for background checks and labor. We charge non-refundable fees because the process of reviewing the application takes time, and because we have to pay out money to screen for evictions, judgments, criminal record, credit, and identity. Landlords who receive many applications would lose significant sums of money without the fees. The fee also serves the purpose of reducing the number of applicants who either aren’t serious or know in advance that they will not qualify, so charging a small fee allows us to focus on those people who might actually become tenants.Even when the law doesn’t restrict the fees we can charge, the market does. Our profits are derived from rents, not application fees, and we will collect no rent at all if no one is willing to pay the fee needed to apply.These are the states that do restrict fees, but these do not correspond with the states that have the lowest average fees.California: As of 2012, the most you can charge for an application fee is $49.50 and it should not exceed the landlord’s actual out-of-pocket costsDelaware: Landlords can only charge the greater of one month’s rent or $50 for an application fee.Massachusetts: Landlords may NOT collect application fees from applicantsMinnesota: The landlord should not charge more than what the screening service charges any extra funds would be refunded back to the applicant.Virginia: A landlord can charge up to $50 for an application fee that is used to pay for screening services. The landlord may charge a separate application deposit that must be refunded within 20 days to any tenants denied the rental.Washington: The application fee must be the exact amount of the background check and the landlord must show a receipt to show the actual cost of that background check.Wisconsin: The landlord cannot charge more than $20 for an application fee and must give a copy of the background report to the tenant.Rental Application Fees (breakdown of all 50 States)

Unless you live in one of the seven states that regulate or limit non-refundable application fees, a landlord or property manager can charge as much as they like – and what you are describing is essentially an application fee.The background check can be extensive and could cost up $50, depending on the service used, but you have to remember that landlords also need to take the time to sit down and review this information. In my case we will run checks for evictions, judgments, criminal history, credit, and identity. We also require applicants to submit proof of income, proof of identity, and we contact former landlords and other references.This is a standard check for most larger agencies or landlords with multiple properties. There is a lot of information to review from the background checks alone, but we also have to sit down and call your references. It would be excellent if everyone could answer the phone immediately and take the call, but we often end up playing phone tag for a while before we get the information we need.This wouldn’t be an issue if we only had to go through this process with the people who end up becoming tenants, but I reject at least 60 percent of applicants (and that’s with them knowing the criteria), and most of the rest end up on a waitlist. Now I still only charge $50, because I am not looking to make a profit off rejected applications, I merely want to cover some of my expenses.A non-refundable fee of $250 sounds unreasonable on the face of it, and ideally the market would regulate outrageous fees when no one was willing to pay them. Since this is being done by someone with multiple units, I can only assume that they have somehow been able to get away with. It’s not illegal outside of the states listed below, but it’s more than I would pay unless some unknown circumstance or factor made it more appropriate.I wouldn’t pay it, and I didn’t suggest that you do unless you have no other option or this fee is somehow standard in your area. If you are going to pay it, it would be reasonable to ask which factors would disqualify you. If they refuse to tell you whether a criminal record, an eviction, or whatever your credit score is would make them reject your application, then it sounds like they are deliberately trying to profit from applications. And even if it isn’t specifically prohibited by law, it is still wrong, exploitative, and deceitful.California: As of 2012, the most you can charge for an application fee is $49.50 and it should not exceed the landlord’s actual out-of-pocket costsDelaware: Landlords can only charge the greater of one month’s rent or $50 for an application fee.Massachusetts: Landlords may NOT collect application fees from applicantsMinnesota: The landlord should not charge more than what the screening service charges any extra funds would be refunded back to the applicant.Virginia: A landlord can charge up to $50 for an application fee that is used to pay for screening services. The landlord may charge a separate application deposit that must be refunded within 20 days to any tenants denied the rental.Washington: The application fee must be the exact amount of the background check and the landlord must show a receipt to show the actual cost of that background check.Wisconsin: The landlord cannot charge more than $20 for an application fee and must give a copy of the background report to the tenant.Rental Application Fees (breakdown of all 50 States)

The tax calculations have a lot more parameters than you mention, and it is far simpler to look them up than to calculate them from the underlying formulas. If you are an employee, your employer will calculate payroll deductions that more or less approximate the tax you will owe but tend to be on the high side.The government sites' tax calculators are downloadable applications, so instead I used one from surepayroll, which seems to have the best search optimization (it was the first relevant-looking google search for "payroll tax calculator"). Here: http://www.surepayroll.com/calculator/calc_paycheck_netpay.aspFilling in your numbers: 2012 taxes for single person living in California, 3 allowances, no additional allowances or voluntary withholding, produces:$210,000 salary$49,356.50 federal withholding (23.5%)$4,626.20 social security (2.2%)$3,045 medicare tax (1.45%)$18,173.54 california state tax (8.65%)Total taxes withheld: $75,201.24 (35.8%)At the end of the year you will calculate your actual taxes, and make up the difference with a refund or payment.To give you an imprecise sketch of how those taxes are determined, federal taxes are applied in bands, as successive portions of your income are taxed at increasingly higher rates (see http://taxes.about.com/od/Federal-Income-Taxes/qt/Tax-Rates-For-The-2012-Tax-Year.htm):10% of income from $0 to $8,700, plus15% of income over $8,700 to $35,350, plus25% of income over $35,350 to $85,650, plus28% of income over $85,650 to $178,650, plus33% of income over $178,650 to $388,350, plus35% of income over $388,350Your total income throughout the year (which might include side jobs, interest, bonuses, and other things not taken into account on your payroll witholding) is considered "gross income". Several small items are deducted in order to calculate "adjusted gross income", and then a number of larger items are deducted to produce "taxable income", which is what the above formula applies to. Most importantly, the total amount of state taxes you have paid throughout the year are deducted. This includes the $18,173.54 California withholding - not the amount of California taxes you will owe on your yearly California tax forms, but the actual amount you paid. If there's a refund or make-up payment, that comes in next year unless, realizing that, you make an additional contribution to the state before the end of 2012. Certain portions of real estate taxes, home mortgage payments, vehicle license fees, unreimbursed business expenses, etc., may be deductible if they qualify, and there can be some other special tax breaks that get thrown in. This is where the politicians like to tweak things in order to say they're giving people a bonus, but they usually amount to no more than a few hundred dollars, if that. If the total of all the state and local tax payments and all of these other deductions and they exceed a threshold called the "standard deduction" ($5,950 for married filing separately) you use this amount and file a more lengthy return; otherwise you take the standard deduction and typically file a shorter return.State taxes are based on federal income, with a different but roughly parallel set of deductions. On the tax form this is expressed as "adjustments" that apply to your federal income in order to get state taxable income. California has a series of marginal tax brackets just like the federal government, starting at 1% and rapidly topping out at 9.3% of income over $46,766 (10.3% of income over $1 million).If you run your own business or receive consulting rather than payroll income, you have to pay a special "self employment tax", and your business expenses are direct reductions in your calculated income rather than tax deductions. Other forms of income like royalties, capital gains, and income from rental property have their own rules.Here are a couple additional issues if you are a nonresident alien. If you are on an F-1, J-1, M-1, or Q-1 visa (not sure about H-1B), you do not owe social security or medicare tax (or self-employment tax), as you are not eligible for these government benefits. If that has been deducted from your paycheck it is refundable at the end of the year. You are also ineligible to file a joint married return, so instead you file as "married filing separately". That option is not available on the payroll forms, so you check the box for "married, but withhold at the higher single rate". See http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=96467,00.htmlI'm not an accountant, and I might have missed a few things. This is intended as an illustration of how taxes work and not financial advice to you.