You will be required to enter into a Settlement and Release of Claims Agreement with the State Bar and pay the full settlement amount either immediately in one lump sum or in installments by December 31, 2025. The State Bar will thereafter consider the eligible debt as itemized in the Fresh Start Settlement Program Platform paid in full for all purposes, including for purposes of return to active status or reinstatement to the practice of law. The State Bar will make no further effort to collect on the debt, including but not limited to, referral of debt to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), credit reporting agencies, entry of a Superior Court money judgment, our pursing other legal action.

You will enter your State Bar Number and PIN, and you will see how much you owe the State Bar. Click “Settlement Offer” to receive an offer to settle your debt.

Paying the settlement all at once entitles you to an additional five percent reduction in the amount owed.

The State Bar is authorized to participate in the FTB tax intercept program pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 6034. Section 6304 provides that the State Bar is authorized to participate in this program for the “collection of any unpaid amount owed to the State Bar of California, including any fine, penalty, assessment, cost, or reimbursement imposed under sections 6806.10, 6140.5c, and any other applicable law.”

• Under this program, FTB collects money from tax, refunds, lottery winnings, or unclaimed property. Additional information can be found on the FTB’s webpage about the interagency intercept program.

The State Bar is also authorized to participate in the FTB Court Ordered Debt program pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code section 19280 (as revised in January 2019). Revenue and Taxation Code section 19280 provides that the State Bar is authorized to participate in this program for “any amounts due pursuant to Section 6086.10 or 6140.5 of the Business and Professions Code.”

• Under this program, FTB collects money from sources such as wage garnishment and bank levies. Additional information can be found on the FTB’s webpage about the Court Ordered Debt program.

An employer may participate in the program as either a committed participating employer or a seal recipient. To be recognized as a committed participating employer, an employer must commit to implementing at least five of the ten Action Items. Committed participating employers will have one year to implement the selected Action Items. The one-year implementation window starts when an employer’s application is approved. Once an employer implements at least five of the ten Action Items, it may be deemed a seal recipient. 

Committed participating employers will be listed on the State Bar website. DEI Leadership Seal recipients will also be listed on the State Bar website and receive a seal that they can use on their web and print materials to signal their participation in the program to employees, job candidates, clients, and more.

No. The DEI Leadership Seal Program is voluntary.

DEI Leadership Seal recipients can use the seal on their website and print materials, including on their career website and job postings, promotional materials to clients, email signatures, and more.

CTAPP includes an annual reporting obligation that is required to be completed by almost all licensees. (See FAQ 2.2 for more information on who must comply and FAQ 2.3 for who is exempt from CTAPP.) During each billing cycle, licensees are required to complete: 

• Annual client trust account reporting (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 9.8.5(a)(1)(A));
• Annual trust account registration (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 9.8.5(a)(1)(B));
• Annual client trust account self-assessment (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 9.8.5(a)(2)(A)); and
• Annual client trust account certification of compliance (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 9.8.5(a)(1)(A)).

Licensees must also submit a declaration saying the information they provided is true and correct. 

CTAPP also includes: 

• Public education and client outreach regarding attorney responsibilities and the rights of clients;
• Enhanced legal education on client trust account management for attorneys, such as the newly released Practical Trust Account Reconciliation course, which includes practical guidance on CTA recordkeeping and monthly reconciliations, and best practices guides;
• Compliance reviews of selected lawyers by a certified public accountant to ensure adherence to client trust account management requirements; and
• Where appropriate based on the results of the compliance reviews, investigative audits of the licensee’s trust accounts.

Your reporting is complete if: 

• You answered “no” to the CTAPP Screening Question and submitted your Final Declaration; or
• You answered “yes” to the CTAPP Screening Question and:
  • Completed Step 1 (Annual Client Trust Account Reporting);
  • Registered your trust accounts in Step 2 (Account Registration) or confirmed your firm registered your trust accounts on your behalf through Agency Billing and you or your firm updated the year-end account balance for all registered trust accounts;
  • Completed Step 3 (Self-Assessment);
  • Completed Step 4 (Annual Certification of Compliance); and
  • Submitted your Final Declaration.

You can verify your compliance status by logging in to My State Bar Profile and reviewing your Compliance Dashboard. Each box on the dashboard displays reminders related to each of your annual requirements, including your current CTAPP status. Click the blue button on the relevant tile to complete outstanding tasks. 

If your individual reporting is complete, you can review your responses and determine if your firm has registered accounts on your behalf using the “View a Summary of your CTAPP Annual Reporting” link on the CTAPP Annual Reporting tile on the Compliance Dashboard page. You will not invalidate your declaration by reviewing this summary.

While a licensee is on inactive status, that licensee cannot practice law. An inactive licensee who engages in the practice of law may be guilty of a misdemeanor. (See Bus. & Prof. Code, §§ 6125–6126, 6068, subd.(a), & 6106. See also In the Matter of Burke (Review Dept. 2016) 5 Cal. State Bar Ct. Rptr. 448.) Additionally, a licensee on inactive status may have a duty to inform their client(s) or a tribunal that they are ineligible to practice law. (See Rules of Professional Conduct 1.4 and 3.3.) If you have further questions about the unauthorized practice of law, please contact the State Bar’s Ethics Hotline research service at 800-238-4427 (toll-free in California). The Ethics Hotline cannot provide legal advice, nor tell you how to comply with any of the CTAPP requirements, including whether to answer “yes” or “no” in any portion of the CTAPP reporting requirements. 

Reinstatement of your license requires payment of any applicable fees, completion of the past due CTAPP reporting requirements, and applying for reinstatement. To submit payment of applicable fees, please log in to My State Bar Profile and click the “Pay Fee” link on the CTAPP Annual Reporting tile on your Compliance Dashboard or click the blue “Make a payment” button on the Profile Summary page to go to the “Annual Fee” page. You should go to the Annual Fee page to pay outstanding fees even if you have already paid your annual licensing fee for 2026. From there, click the blue “Calculate and pay my fees” button to see a breakdown of the fees owed. Click continue and follow the steps to complete your payment.

If you were involuntarily enrolled as inactive for noncompliance in 2026, you can complete your CTAPP reporting in My State Bar Profile and then complete and submit the first page of the CTAPP Noncompliance Reinstatement Form. If you were involuntarily enrolled as inactive for CTAPP noncompliance in 2023, 2024, or 2025, you will need to complete and submit the first page of the CTAPP Noncompliance Reinstatement Form and the attached CTAPP reporting forms for all missing years.