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California Franchise Tax Board entry pay
What this agency pays a new officer to start, and how that compares with the rest of the country.
Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.
California Franchise Tax Board starts at $83,688 a year — about $40.23 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $17,003 above the median of the 2,288 agencies on this list, and $18,522 above the median for state agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in California run about 11% above the national average, so this is worth roughly $75,585 somewhere at average prices — $8,103 less than the headline figure. Most of that is utilities, at 159 against a national average of 100, where goods are 106. Based on state-wide price levels, because this agency is not tied to a single metro area, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. The salary above is what the employer publishes; this line is our arithmetic on it, and nothing on this site is ranked on it.
What California Franchise Tax Board says about itself
The mission of the Franchise Tax Board's Criminal Investigation Bureau is to serve the people of the State of California through investigation of violations of the California Revenue and Taxation Code in a manner that maintains the public's trust, and encourages compliance. To enforce the criminal provisions of the Code, the Bureau has fully sworn peace officers, known as special agents, who conduct criminal investigations of the most egregious cases of tax evasion, tax fraud, refund fraud and preparer fraud, and who may also uncover other financial crimes such as money laundering, embezzlement and theft. Through the investigation process, special agents write and execute search and arrest warrants, interview witnesses and subjects, complete investigative reports with recommendations for criminal felony charges, and testify as expert witnesses in criminal proceedings.
What California Franchise Tax Board does
The Franchise Tax Board Criminal Investigation Bureau employs sworn peace officers who investigate suspected criminal violations of California tax and related penal laws. Investigation Specialist I is the training and journey level and conducts criminal investigations, enforcement operations, searches, arrests and other full peace-officer duties.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. California Franchise Tax Board Criminal Investigation Bureau Careers; California CalCareers Investigation Specialist I open examination — open the source document
$83,688. Current FTB careers page published 2026; 2026 examination cutoff 29 June 2026
Entry-level base salary only. Overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift
differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more
than this.
How this level compares
Where California Franchise Tax Board sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.
| Level | Lowest | Median | Highest | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | $33,280 | $68,140 | $163,619 | 1549 |
| County | $35,000 | $63,565 | $132,263 | 516 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,204 | $107,954 | 71 |
| State | $33,994 | $65,166 | $110,916 | 145 |
| Federal | $70,477 | $73,502 | $86,530 | 5 |
| Territory | $16,640 | $28,236 | $43,354 | 9 |
Federal agencies pay the most to start
The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $5,400 more than the middle municipal agency and about $9,900 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,300 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. California Franchise Tax Board starts at $83,688, so $18,522 above the state middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a California Franchise Tax Board officer make?
California Franchise Tax Board starts a new officer on $83,688 a year, about $40.23 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from California Franchise Tax Board Criminal Investigation Bureau Careers; California CalCareers Investigation Specialist I open examination.
Is that good pay for a police officer in California?
It ranks #215 of 278 agencies we have verified in California — 63 pay less, 214 pay more in the state — and #389 of 2,288 nationally. Against the national median it is $17,003 above, and against other state agencies $18,522 above.
Compare with another department
Put California Franchise Tax Board side by side with any other agency on the site — the two salaries, what each is worth once local prices are counted, and which comes out ahead.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in CA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs California | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara Police Department | Municipal | 141 | $163,619 | +$79,931 | #1 |
| 2 | Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety | Municipal | 227 | $149,443 | +$65,755 | #2 |
| 3 | Redwood City Police Department | Municipal | 83 | $147,942 | +$64,254 | #3 |
| 4 | San Jose Police Department | Municipal | 1,065 | $144,003 | +$60,315 | #4 |
| 5 | Mountain View Police Department | Municipal | 90 | $143,096 | +$59,408 | #5 |
| 6 | San Mateo Police Department | Municipal | 111 | $141,024 | +$57,336 | #6 |
| 7 | Los Altos Police Department | Municipal | 31 | $139,740 | +$56,052 | #7 |
| 8 | Hayward Police Department | Municipal | 171 | $138,965 | +$55,277 | #8 |
| 9 | Milpitas Police Department | Municipal | 84 | $138,261 | +$54,573 | #9 |
| 10 | Los Gatos Police Department | Municipal | 34 | $132,394 | +$48,706 | #10 |
| 11 | Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office | County | 1,071 | $132,263 | +$48,575 | #11 |
| 12 | Menlo Park Police Department | Municipal | 43 | $132,036 | +$48,348 | #12 |
Base pay is only part of the year
Whatever the figure above, the rotation is what decides your year — which weekends you lose, when the changeovers land, what you can plan around. Save yours once and BlueShifts shows it a year ahead, with the off-duty jobs you take and what each one paid.
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