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@RobertB4444 : Thanks for your prompt reply.
Since I found a solution I'm happy with, my response to your proposal is a footnote at the end[1].
@DDollar Thanks for your solution - I present it here in more detail. 

SOLUTION : How to E-file with late estimated tax payment (TurboTax Business Desktop)

TurboTax wants each estimated tax payment entered in the quarter it was actually paid, rather than the quarter it was due. In the usual case "late payment" situation of one estimated tax payment due per quarter, with one payment late, you need to put two payments in the same quarter.  You can't put two distinct payments in the same quarter using the "Estimated Taxes" pane of "Step-by-Step", so put the first payment made in each quarter in Step-by-Step, including a "$0" "Cash" payment, if none, then go into "Forms" mode and enter the 2nd payment (if any) in each quarter directly into the "Tax Payments" sheet there.
[ I don't see how to handle a late 4th quarter payment this way - sorry. ]

 [ This  is @DDollar's solution above from June 1, 2019, I just didn't see how to implement it at first. ]

If you want to see a detailed example, but not my enhancement request and demonstration of the current problem, skip down to the section titled SOLUTION: Detailed Example below.

REQUESTED ENHANCEMENT:

Please ask the TurboTax development team to update TurboTax Business so the software automatically transfers the four payments the user enters in the "Estimated Taxes" pane of "Step-by-Step" into the appropriate slots of TurboTax's "Tax Payments" sheet based on the actual payment dates the user enters, or (preferably, but perhaps there's a good reason not to) simply permit e-filing with late estimated tax payments.

The user shouldn't be expected to know to do this without guidance, especially since both the TurboTax phone support I asked about this problem, and RobertB4444, didn't offer DDollar's solution.

Also, users shouldn't be forced to enter data in "Forms" mode for cases easily handled in "Step-by-Step", nor be put to the time, expense and mail theft risk of filing by mail if avoidable. 

### DETAILS ###

THE PROBLEM: The user experience at present

The TurboTax Business Desktop step-by-step input screen for 2025 Estimated Taxes tells us:
"If you paid one or more installments late, enter the actual payment date" 
{ See annotated screenshot below} 

When you do, no apparent problem is immediately evident in Step-by-Step view. Further, if that late payment caused a penalty (and it might not), if you look at Form 1041, line 27, "Estimated Tax Penalty" in "Forms" mode, you will see a non-zero value - $25 in this example. If you click on the penalty value, Turbotax will show a magnifying glass, and if you click on that, it will show you Form 2210 (which is not visible in the Forms list), and you can similarly click your way through to the calculation of the penalty in terms of the number of days and dollars your payment was late and short. So everything seems okay ...

However, if you look at the forms list in "Forms" mode, you'll see a red exclamation mark to the left of "Tax Payments" and a "(Not Done)" to the right of it, which hint of problems ahead.

For the casual user, who may not even know about "Forms" mode, the problem will first show up in Step-by-Step during "Federal Review". Here, TurboTax will point out that they entered a late date for a payment  and asks them to "Check This Entry" [  See annotated screenshot below: The black rectangles are where I've redacted my bank information and confirmation numbers]

While this is troubling, you may think TurboTax is simply asking you to double-check because it is concerned this may be a typo on your part rather than a truly late payment.  TurboTax doesn't insist that you change the date - if you continue without changing it, TurboTax will let you continue, and tell you the review was passed. So again, all seems well.

After this, TurboTax will let you purchase and complete the state forms, and proceed to e-filing. It is only after you click the final "clicking on this button is like dropping your return in the mail" e-file button, that Turbotax will tell you that there's something you need to fix, first. It will then display the screen above again, and tell you that if you don't change the date (which will make the late penalty disappear), you can file by mail, but not e-file either the Federal OR State return.

SOLUTION: Detailed Example

You can make Turbotax happy with your late estimated tax payment by entering it in the quarter it was paid, rather than the quarter it was due.  Putting the late payment in the quarter paid usually means two payments in the same quarter, which cannot be done in "Step by Step" view, since "Step by Step" only offers one slot per quarter. However, "Forms" mode. provides two slots per quarter, so we can enter the second payment there. [ Note: I don't see how to handle a late 4th quarter payment - I see no "fifth quarter" slot in "Forms" mode, and I'm out of investigation time.]

Step 1: in "Step-by-Step" enter the first estimated tax payment actually paid in each quarter. If no payments were actually made in a quarter, enter a payment of $0 dated at the end of the quarter, in cash. We'll handle the second payment in any quarter later, in "Forms" mode. So, using the data in our example above, the "Step-by-Step" screen looks like this annotated screenshot:

Step 2: At the top left of the screen (see annotated screenshot above) , the 3rd menu item should be "View" - click on it and pull down to "Forms" mode. Then click on "Tax Payments" in the list at left, and you'll see a screen like this:

Step 3: Fill in the payment details for the missing 2nd payment in the quarter. If you paid by ACH or EFTPS, TurboTax wants the last four digits of the bank account number (I've redacted mine). If you paid by EFTPS, TurboTax wants the full 15 digit confirmation number (I've redacted mine). The result is shown below:

Step 4: Use the "View" menu to go back to "Step-by-Step"

At this point, I don't see any of the prior warning signs of trouble:
- no red "!" before "Tax Payments" in "Forms" mode
- no "Not Done" after "Tax Payments in "Forms" mode
- "Federal Review" in Step-by-Step does not complain about any of the dates.

So I expect no problem in e-filing, but since I already filed by mail, I couldn't actually verify that.

[1]  It's understandable that TurboTax Business Desktop won't efile a California return until the federal return is fileable, since the California return relies heavily on information from the Federal return.

I agree that (traditionally, per instructions for Form 2210), that if I file by mail, the IRS suggests I simply ignore the whole issue, provide no details of my estimated tax payments other than the annual total, and the IRS would calculate the penalty and bill me based on their own recorded dates and amounts. In that case, I'm not put in the position of entering any false data into any form.

However, Turbotax requires a lot of detailed payment data if I want to e-file: dates, amounts, and the 15-digit confirmation code of each EFTPS payment. I'm concerned that it requires that information because it is sending it to the IRS, so I want it to be correct.

Furthermore there are three cases (Form 2210 Part II, cases B,C,D) where the IRS does require user to compute the penalty, rather than let the IRS do it. For  one trust I handle, I expect this to happen every year (Case C). In the case of late estimated tax payments, I need to use the real dates to meet the IRS requirement in this case.