Get your taxes done using TurboTax
> TurboTax Business has boxes for the actual payment date of estimated taxes,
> which we filled with the dates actually paid. E-filing was stopped dead by those dates,
> stating that the date had to be on or before the due dates.
> Why does accurate late payment information defeat e-filing?
I don't know, but this still (six years later!) remains true.
It seems that if an estimated Federal estimated tax payment was late, TurboTax won't let you e-file the Federal (or California!!!) returns, and you have to file both by mail.
[ CONJECTURE: it is possible that the problem isn't on the TurboTax end - it is possible that the IRS and California FTB both reject e-files with late estimated tax payments - if so, it isn't TurboTax's fault.]
I spent nine minutes on the phone with TurboTax support on this issue, and they had no workaround I was comfortable with.
If I tell TurboTax I made that estimated tax payment on time, knowing full well I didn't, I am explicitly and knowingly committing perjury, since in order to E-file, I must sign "under penalty of perjury" on 8453-FE that "the accompanying schedules and statements" were correct.
Additionally, the IRS will flag the inconsistency, since the e-filing includes the EFTPS confirmation number, making it trivial for the IRS computers to flag that the payment date in the E-filing doesn't match their records.
In addition, Turbotax immediately removes the late payment penalty when I tell it I paid on time, so the IRS will also see that I am requesting a refund that I'm not owed. I suppose I could put in the correct penalty by override, but still.
BASIS FOR MY STATEMENTS:
The specifics of my case today (March 5, 2026): I'm using TurboTax Business Desktop to prepare Federal form 1041 and state (California - 541) returns for a trust.
My EFTPS 2025 Q1 estimated tax payment (1041-ES) was paid late by EFTPS (due date: 4/15/2025, actual payment settled 5/30/2025).
When (in "Step by Step") I told TurboTax I made that estimated tax payment by EFTPS, TurboTax said I needed to provide it:
- the actual settlement date (which was after the 4/15/2025 deadline)
- the payment amount
- the payment method (EFTPS in my case)
- the last 4 digits of the bank account used
- the full EFTPS confirmation number for that payment
Looking at the "Tax Payments Worksheet" in "Forms" view in TurboTax, it says the last four items are required for E-filing. So, presumably, TurboTax sends those details to the IRS when you e-file. And since TurboTax refuses to E-file if the date is late, presumably the date is transmitted as well.
TurboTax didn't complain when I told it that the Q1 1041-ES payment was made on 5/30/2025 - it simply calculated a $25 underpayment penalty and added it to what I owed. I reviewed the underpayment calculation, and it seems correct to me.
TurboTax "Federal Review" and "State Review" didn't flag this as an issue - they said everything was fine. It wasn't until the very final e-filing step, after I'd signed and attached Form 8453-FE, when I clicked on the "once you click this E-file button, it is just like dropping it in the mail" button, Turbotax all of a sudden said - wait - your settlement date for the Q1 estimated can't be later than the due date - you'll need to file by mail.
Not only would TurboTax Business not let let me e-file the Federal 1041, it wouldn't let me e-file the California 541, either, even though all California payments were timely.
