how to "increase" 4th est tax payment?

Question

Suppose I send in the 4th est tax payment, then I decide I should have paid more. (Pretend I am asking before the Jan 15 deadline.)

Do I send the second check with another Jan 15 payment voucher form? Or do I just send the second check without the form? Or am I not allowed to send multiple payments for the same due date?

Extra credit: If a Calif est tax payment would be in excess of $20,000, can I avoid the mandatory electronic payment notice (pursuant to Calif R&TC Sec

19011.5) by mailing two separate est tax payments for the same due date, both less than $20,000?

(Assume my total tax liability for the tax year does not exceed $80,000.)

I am irked that my CPA tax preparer advised me to send an est tax payment in excess of $20,000 (a) without informing me of the consequences, and (b) without suggesting alternatives, if the 19011.5 notice was avoidable.

Alan · Accepted Answer

You can send as many payments as you like. In order to avoid having the payment credited to the wrong year, include another 4Q voucher and make a note on the check that it is a tax year 20XX estimated payment.

The statute is somewhat ambiguous as to the definition. The instructions issued by the FTB are not ambiguous. It says that if your ESTIMATE exceeds $20K, you have to e-file. Penalty is 1%.

Maybe your first estimate for the quarter was less than $20K and you sent that amount as a check. You make a new estimate based on new info or a change in circumstances and the total exceeds $20K but having already made one payment and the difference being under the threshold you send another check. Should you have e-filed the second check once your quarterly estimate exceeded $20K? I don't know, but I think the FTB would take the position that the quarterly estimate now being over $20K, the second check should have been electronically transmitted. If they catch it, they would assess the 1% penalty on the second check.

Pico Rico · Answer

And if they do, you can quite likely have the penalty reversed if you send  them a polite letter of explanation and begging forgiveness.

Mark Bole · Answer

[...] I don't understand; how were you harmed by either receiving a notice or  making an electronic payment?

how to "increase" 4th est tax payment?

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