§ 11485 Small Refund Retention Rules

• •Refunds under $50 can be kept by the director for the same purpose as the original payment.
• •If the original payment was made in error of law, the director must return the refund.
• •The director has the choice to retain the small refund unless a legal mistake occurred.

A person pays $120 for a community garden plot but later is told they only owed $70, so the garden office would owe a $50 refund.

Because the refund is exactly $50, the director can decide to keep that $50 and use it for garden upkeep instead of sending a check back, unless the original $120 payment was made because of a legal error, then the director has to return the $50.