(a) The amount of the payment shall be 3 percent of the gross premiums charged less return premiums upon business done by the surplus line broker during the calendar month ending two calendar months immediately preceding the due date of the payment, as specified in Section 1775.3, excluding gross premiums and return premiums paid by him or her upon business governed by the provisions of Section 1760.5. If during any calendar month those return premiums upon business done by a surplus line broker exceed the gross premiums upon the business done by him or her in that calendar month, then no payment shall be payable by him or her in respect to that calendar month, and he or she may carry forward that excess to the next succeeding calendar month or months and apply it in reduction of the taxable premiums on business done by him or her in that succeeding calendar month or months. Even though no payment shall be payable by the broker, he or she shall file a return showing that his or her return premiums exceeded his or her gross premiums.

(b) In determining the applicability of subdivision (a) of Section 1775.1 to a surplus line broker who has acquired the business of another surplus line broker, the amount of tax liability of the acquired broker for the immediately preceding calendar year shall be added to the amount of the tax liability of the acquiring broker for the immediately preceding calendar year.

(c) All amounts paid, other than penalties and interest, shall be allowed as a credit on the annual tax imposed by Section 1775.5.

(d) If the total amount of monthly installment payments for any calendar year exceeds the amount of annual tax for that year, the excess shall be treated as an overpayment of annual tax and be allowed as a credit or refund.

(e) A penalty of 10 percent of the amount of the monthly payment due shall be levied upon and paid by any surplus line broker who fails to make the necessary payment within the time required, plus interest at the rate of 1 percent per calendar month or fraction thereof from the due date of the payment until the date payment is received by the commissioner, but not for any period after the due date of the annual tax. The penalty and interest shall be applied as prescribed in Section 12636.5 of the Revenue and Taxation Code. The commissioner may remit the penalty in a case where he or she finds, as a result of examination or otherwise, that the failure of, or delay in, payment arose out of excusable mistake or excusable inadvertence.

(f) For any part of a payment required that was not made within the time required by law, when the nonpayment or late payment was due to fraud on the part of the taxpayer, a penalty of 25 percent of the amount unpaid shall be added thereto, in addition to all other penalties otherwise imposed.

(g) The commissioner, upon a showing of good cause, may extend for not to exceed 10 days the time for making a monthly payment. The extension may be granted at any time, provided that a request therefor is filed with the commissioner within or prior to the period for which the extension may be granted. Any surplus line broker to whom an extension is granted shall, in addition to the monthly payment, pay interest at the rate of 1 percent per month, or fraction thereof, from the due date until the annual tax due date.

(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 83, Sec. 28. (AB 315) Effective July 15, 2011. Operative July 21, 2011, by Sec. 34 of Stats. 2011, Ch. 83.)