The STD 686 form, formally the California Employee Action Request, is how state employees update personal information and tax withholdings with the State Controller’s Office. You complete only the lettered sections that apply to the change you’re making, sign Section I, and return the signed form to your own department’s personnel office. The current version is dated October 2022 and is available as a PDF from the Department of General Services or the State Controller’s toolkit page.1California State Controller. Employee Action Request (EAR) STD. 686 Form and Federal Withholdings Toolkit
One form handles what would otherwise be two: for California state employees, the STD 686 takes the place of the federal IRS Form W-4 and incorporates the California DE-4 for state income tax, so both withholding elections live on the same page.2California State University. Employee Action Request The State Controller’s Office uses what you put on it for personnel, payroll, retirement, and health benefits processing, so inaccurate or missing data can throw off any of those.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686
Which Sections to Complete
You don’t fill out the whole form. The checkbox area near the top tells you which lettered sections to complete for each type of change. Use a ballpoint pen and print clearly.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686
Section C (employee identification) and Section I (signature) are required on every submission. Beyond that:
- Tax withholding changes: add Section E.
- Name change: add Section D, with substantiation attached.
- Address change: add Section F.
In Section C, enter your Social Security number and your full legal name exactly as they appear on your Social Security card: first name, last name, and middle initial.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686 A small mismatch against SSA records is enough to delay processing, so check the card itself before you write anything down.
Setting Your Federal and State Tax Withholding
Section E is where you set both federal and state income tax withholding. The form directs you to read the current IRS Form W-4 instructions for federal withholding and the California DE-4 instructions for state withholding before filling it in.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686
The section asks for your marital status for tax purposes (Box 02), the number of regular and additional withholding allowances you claim, and any extra dollar amount you want withheld beyond the standard calculation. Box 11 is additional federal withholding; Box 12 is additional state withholding.
The STD 686 still uses allowance fields for federal withholding even though the IRS redesigned the W-4 in 2020 to use a step-based approach. The current W-4 instructions explain how to translate your household situation into the allowance numbers this form expects.4Internal Revenue Service. Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate California’s DE-4 continues on the allowance-based system: use Worksheet A for regular allowances, and Worksheet B if you want to factor in estimated deductions.5Employment Development Department. Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate DE 4
If you skip the withholding information entirely, your employer must withhold at the Single rate with zero allowances, which is the highest withholding level.5Employment Development Department. Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate DE 4
Claiming Exempt From Withholding
To claim exemption, write “EXEMPT” in Box 03 for federal, Box 13 for state, or both. You qualify only if you owed no income tax last year and received a full refund of all tax withheld, and you expect the same for this year.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686 Leave the allowance and additional deduction fields blank when claiming exempt.
Exempt status expires. It automatically ends on February 15 of the following year unless you file a new certification by January 31.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686 Miss the renewal window and your withholding reverts to Single with zero allowances until you submit a new form.
Name Changes
For a legal name change, complete Sections C, D, and I. You must attach substantiation, at minimum an updated Social Security card showing your new legal name.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686 Your department verifies the SSA has processed the change before updating state payroll records, so if you recently married or obtained a court-ordered name change, order the new Social Security card first. Personnel won’t process the STD 686 name change without it.
Address Changes
Address updates use Sections C, F, and I. Enter the new street address, city, state, ZIP, and your phone number in Section F. Two things people routinely overlook:
- The STD 686 doesn’t update your address with any deduction companies, such as insurance carriers or your union. Contact those organizations yourself.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686
- If your name appears on any departmental employment list (open, promotional, or reemployment), check Box 04 and include your phone numbers so the department can update those lists.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686
Signing and Submitting the Form
Every submission ends with Section I. Your signature certifies under penalty of perjury that the information is true and correct and that the number of exemptions and allowances you claimed does not exceed what you’re entitled to.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686 Date it the same day you sign.
Return the completed, signed form to your department’s personnel or human resources office. Do not send it to the State Controller’s Office directly; the Controller does not accept these forms from individual employees.3State of California – State Controller’s Office. Employee Action Request STD 686 Ask for a date-stamped copy when you hand it in. That stamped copy is your proof of submission if anything goes missing.
Changes generally take effect on the next month’s pay cycle after your personnel office processes the form, though exact timing depends on your department’s workload and where you are in the current pay period.
The Online Option for Withholding Changes
If the only thing you’re changing is your tax withholding, you may not need the paper form at all. Cal Employee Connect (CEC) offers an electronic Withholdings Change form as an alternative to the paper STD 686 for withholding updates.6State Controller’s Office. Cal Employee Connect – Withholdings Change User Guide The portal is at connect.sco.ca.gov. After you submit a change through CEC, both you and your departmental HR office receive an email confirmation.7State Controller’s Office. Cal Employee Connect – Withholdings Change User Guide Save that email the way you would a date-stamped paper copy.
For anything beyond withholding, including name changes, address updates, and beneficiary designations, you still need the paper STD 686 through your personnel office.
When to File a New STD 686
File a fresh form when any of these happen:
- Marriage, divorce, or domestic partnership status change, which affects both your withholding calculations and your filing status.
- Legal name change from any source, so payroll records match SSA records.
- New home address, so your W-2 and other tax documents reach you.
- Change in dependents, which affects your allowance count.
- A large tax bill or oversized refund last year, suggesting your current withholding is off.
- Annual renewal of exempt status, by January 31.
Confirming the Change Took Effect
Once your personnel office processes the form, log in to Cal Employee Connect to pull up your next earnings statement and compare the withholding amounts or personal details against what you requested. If something looks wrong, contact your personnel office right away rather than waiting a cycle. Errors caught early don’t compound across future paychecks.