I make a Roth conversion Go/NoGo decision each October. This past year (2025) was my first year using this strategy. I did a $70K conversion on 10/10/2025. I immediately (next day) went to the IRS site and made a direct payment of $13,115. Turbo Tax is calculating I will have a Penalty/Interest amount of $164. If I do not know whether I will have a conversion until October, how can I avoid this penalty without grossly overpaying if I choose not to do a Roth conversion?
Can I go into my Turbo Tax return and force it to use the Form 2210 annualized income method?
As a retired engineer, I created a detailed spreadsheet that documents monthly incomes, interest earned, Federal Tax withholding, etc. and calculates MFJ federal tax. That spreadsheet was within $1 of Turbo Tax solution, EXCEPT this $164 penalty. 😕
