Hi,I'm currently filing my 2021 taxes. I accidentally prepaid ~3k worth of 2021 taxes in 2021, but not from my 2020 tax return. How would I mark this in my 2021 filing?

[pan-ricky2-gmail]

On the IRS website it says I've paid this ~3k for the 2021 year back in the 2021 year.

[ee-ea]

You have paid estimate taxes.

[pan-ricky2-gmail]

Thanks! Would this be federal estimates taxes for 2021? I wasn’t sure which one to select out of:

• federal estimated taxes for 2021 (form 1040-es)
• state estimated taxes for 2021
• local estimated taxes for 2021
• 2020 state estimated taxes paid in 2021
• 2020 local estimated taxes paid in 2021

I thought it’d be one of the top 3

[ColeenD3]

The first one is used for Federal Income Tax. If you did pay state and local estimates as well, use the following two.

To edit your Estimated Taxes paid, please complete the following steps:

• Sign in to your TurboTax account

• Click on Take me to my return button
• Select the Federal Taxes tab
• Select the Deductions & Credits tab
• Scroll down Other Tax Forms and select Estimates and Other Taxes Paid (Show More)
• Click on the Start/Revisit button on which section you would like to work on

[pan-ricky2-gmail]

Hi Colleen,

when you say “The first one is used for Federal Income Tax. If you did pay state and local estimates as well, use the following two.”, how would we know if the payment is used for one or all 3 types of estimates? Do we decide now?

Thank you.

[ColeenD3]

You should know what you paid and to whom. Look back at your bank statements if you do not know. You may want to check that you actually made payments before including this on your return.

Since you are unclear as what actually happened, you may want to doublecheck your 2020 tax return to make sure you did not apply your 2020 refund to 2021.

[Critter-3]

You could NOT have made a payment in 2020 for the tax year 2021 ... it is impossible as the IRS would not have the means to accept a 2021 estimated payment until March of 2021 so the only way you could have done this was if you applied some of the 2020 refund to the 2021 estimated payment.  Check your records carefully.  

[fanfare]

@pan-ricky2-gmail 

"IRS website it says I've paid this ~3k for the 2021 year back "

It should say " credit you chose to apply to following tax period's taxes"

[pan-ricky2-gmail]

Hi,

It appears to be an estimated tax payment for my 2021 tax year paid on March 4th. Would this still be applying my 2020 tax refund towards 2021?

[pan-ricky2-gmail]

Sorry @Critter-3 , that was my mistake. It appears to be an estimated tax payment for my 2021 tax year paid on March 4th 2021. Would this still be applying my 2020 tax refund towards 2021?

[VolvoGirl]

Then what was the payment on July 13, 2021 for?  It says 2020 tax due.  If you had a tax due you didn't get a refund to apply to 2021.

If you did make a 2021 estimated payment you need to enter it.  To enter Federal or State Estimated Taxes Paid, including a state estimated payment made in January for the prior year, go to

Federal on left or at top (Personal for Home & Business)

Deductions and Credits at top

Then scroll way down to Estimates and Other Taxes Paid

Estimated Taxes - click the start button

[pan-ricky2-gmail]

Hi @VolvoGirl ,

The July 13th payment was my actual payment for the taxes I had due for 2020. The other payment was what I had originally tried to pay for my 2020 taxes, but had mistakenly applied to my 2021 year taxes.

It sounds like the March 4th payment should be treated as a 2021 estimated payment then, right?

[VolvoGirl]

If you sent the payment to the IRS (which the IRS shows)  then it was just a federal estimated payment.  You would have needed to sent in separate payments to your state or local.  

Federal and state are completely separate.  

[VolvoGirl]

Right it is a federal estimated payment for 2021.

[pan-ricky2-gmail]

I see! Thank you everyone for the help, this makes so much more sense now!