@KathrynG3 , thanks for your responses, but I'm still having the problem. (BTW, I'm using TT Premier via download.)
First, FYI, when I last saved the return (yesterday), I manually entered 0 in Sch. H, line 8d. When I just logged back in to try your guidance and I moved in the step-by-step from the Wages and Withholding page to the Qualified sick and family leave page, TT automatically reinstated the unwanted deferral re-inserting the original (non-zero) number in Sch. H, line 8d.
Re my 1st question, you say, "It is for the request to enter a tax deferral of Self Employment tax on Sch H or Sch SE tax amount." Do you mean the page in the step-by-step that asks, "Some of your self-employment taxes may be eligible for deferral?" If so, there is no option to enter a blank as a response. The only options are the blue SKIP and CONTINUE buttons. And, as I said previously, neither of those options defeat the deferral.
Re my question #2: Yes, I've responded in the step-by-step (both ways, without success), resorting to the forms mode only when nothing else worked.
I've gone back yet again through the steps you recommend to turn off the automatic calculation (in response to my question #3) and followed them exactly. At Do you want more time to pay your employer portion of Social Security taxes? I select Yes and then responded to Whose eligibility should be checked and then click Continue. The very next page is titled, "You currently owe no self-employment tax," and that page speaks only about self-employment tax with nothing about Schedule H tax. Clicking on Continue at the bottom of that page brings up "Your 2020 Deductions and Credits." The pages you describe in your last two bullets --"Let's get your eligible employer's share of Social Security tax" and "Tell us how much you'd like to defer" do not show up at all; so there's no opportunity to follow your instructions for those pages.
Now what? Thanks for your efforts.
Glen
