It depends. Tax software often calculates your "Safe Harbor" or estimated tax requirement for the following year (2026) based on your current year's tax liability. If the software determines that your required estimated payment to avoid underpayment penalties for 2026 is exactly $241, it may be capping the "applied overpayment" at that specific amount.
As a result, the software thinks, "You only need to pay $241 to meet the safe harbor for next year, so I'll move $241 over and leave the rest as a refund."
To get the full $627 to carry forward to 2026, try these steps in your software:
- Check the "Estimated Tax" Section: Go to the "Federal" or "State" wrap-up sections specifically for 2026 Estimated Taxes. Look for a setting that asks how much of your 2025 refund you want to apply. Ensure it isn't set to "Apply amount necessary to avoid penalty" or "Apply minimum amount." Change it to "Apply entire overpayment."
- Override the Voucher Worksheet: If you can click into the $241 field on the MO-1040ES Worksheet, try to manually type $627. In many programs, this will "break" the automatic calculation and force the full amount through to Line 50 of the main return.
- Review Form MO-1040, Line 51: If there is a number in Line 51, the software is forcing a partial refund. You must zero out the refund line to force the balance into the "Apply to 2026" line (Line 50).
Before you file, ensure your Form MO-1040 (the actual return, not the worksheet) reflects the following:
- Line 49 (Overpayment): $627
- Line 50 (Applied to 2026): $627
- Line 51 (Refund): $0
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