2007 Estimated taxes

Something's wrong with the question. People who make estimated tax payments have a record of the payments they've made, so you must be asking about something else. Can you clarify exactly what you're trying to find out and why you're trying to find it out?

You bank statements and/or cancelled checks might be a good source of infomation.

ed

It is not uncommon for disorganized people to lose track of what checks they have written. This is especially true for children of elderly parents. The latter fail to keep records, and the children are forced to play catch-up when they take control of their parents' finances.

Of course, getting copies of the statements from the bank(s) is the right answer.

But here's a tongue-in-cheek answer for the future.

Under-report the estimated tax payments on the tax return each year. This will cause you to over-compute the tax liability and either overpay taxes due or under-report the refund.

Eventually, the IRS (and state tax authority) will send you an additional refund. But also, the IRS (at least) will send you a notice the following year to inform you of the total amount of estimated taxes paid in the just-ended tax year.

I discovered that this year, as a result of a lot of confusion caused by the CPA who (incorrectly) prepared my mother's tax returns last year.

Don't count on it. When I lived in DC they managed to misplace all of my ES payments, for which I had canceled checks, one year. It took me an afternoon at their office to get it fixed.

It is important to keep track of the checks (or in these days electronic payments) one makes. You need to be able to go through your own records and be able to produce this info. Actually, some states allow taxpayers to obtain their tax info online. But the IRS just isn't there quite yet. I've heard it could be in the pipeline in a few years or so.

However, underreporting your estimated tax payments to generate a refund is just dumb & dumber. It generally causes much more problems than it can solve. Relying on the IRS and the state tax dept to get it right is wishful dreaming. I can't tell you how many times I have had to deal with the IRS and state tax dept's because they didn't get the tax payments properly applied to the tax return. I've also seen states just let the overpayment just sit in suspense until the taxpayer figures it out and inquires about it. And by then the statute of limitations has expired and the govt doesn't issue the refund. YOU LOSE!

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-----> real address on hobokeni or hobokenx

That's exactly what "tongue-in-cheek" means in my book.

Well, I guess that's why Hollywood invented the laugh track.

Call IRS at 1-800-829-1040. They will tell you the amounts and dates of any payments you may have made

Milt Baker CPA Michigan

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