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Level 5
June 12, 2022
Question

California income Tax - Estimated Taxes

  • June 12, 2022
  • 1 reply
  • 8 views

Some years ago, California added the requirement to pay 30% of estimated taxes by the Q1 deadline, another 40% by the Q2 deadline, nothing by the Q3 deadline, and the remaining 30% by the Q4 deadline.  It is not clear to me what the penalties might be if, for example, 70% is not paid by that Q2 deadline, even if more than 100% is paid by the Q4 deadline.  Can someone tell me, generally, how that penalty, if any, would be figured?

 

Also, for my likely situation this year, there is this safe harbor of paying 110% of the prior year's tax and I plan to do that, but am unclear how that interacts with the aforementioned 30%/40%/0%/30% profile that I just noted above.  Does it mean that, for example, as long as I pay 70% of 110% of last years' tax by the Q2 deadline, I should have no penalty even if my 2022 tax bill ends up being even higher (due to a late year decision to do a Roth conversion)?

 

Thanks much!

1 reply

taxdeanAuthor
Level 5
June 14, 2022

This is me replying to me.  I am facing the June 15th deadline of tomorrow and have received 38 views but no answers.  Can anyone help?  I am less urgently interested in my first paragraph if, indeed, someone can confirm what I suspect might be the case in my second paragraph.   Help, please!

fanfare
Level 15
June 15, 2022

@taxdean 

You are expected to estimate your 2022 tax and pay 100% of it in installments.

Not 90% of your prior tax.

(In my state, the installments are equally 25%. No Idea why CA uses a strange rule.)

 

 

fanfare
Level 15
June 15, 2022

If you do a Roth Conversion in the fall you have until Jan 15 to calculate the tax.