2024 state estimated taxes paid in 2025: Is TurboTax program in error?

[Banjer]

I am using Turbotax Premier desktop. Under the estimated taxes section, under deductions and credits, to the question "How much of your 2024 estimated state taxes did you pay in 2025?" Turbotax has populated this with an amount carried forward from the previous year, and this mystery amount is apparently (the number matches exactly) taken from line 26 of my 2024 Illinois tax return. Line 26 was simply the total estimated taxes paid toward my 2024 state taxes, none of which was paid during 2025..

Has TurboTax made an error? My reading of what is required suggests it should only be amounts actually paid during 2025, not stuff paid during 2024. I owed some money that I paid with my state return in 2025, but all my estimated 2024 taxes were paid during 2024 (including my 4th installment).

I am itemizing this year, so a correct answer is needed.

[ThomasM125]

You are correct with regard to deducting only the state taxes paid in 2025 as itemized deductions on your federal return. You would have to review what you entered on your 2024 tax return to see if you entered only dates in 2024 for the estimated taxes paid. It is possible to indicate that the taxes were paid in 2025, and that would mean TurboTax did not make an error.

[SteamTrain · Accepted solution]

@Banjer 

For those who started their taxes early in the tax season, there was an error that transferred total full-year 2024 state estimated payments into that field.   A later update initiated a prompt for folks to check that number...and change it to the correct amount...even if it was supposed to be a zero ( which sounds like your situation) and change it to what was actually paid in January of 2025.

The tax software folks had no way to correct it for those who started prepping taxes early and already transferred in their 2024 tax files  (thus an added prompt for folks to check that $$ amount)...but once the software was updated...those who started new tax files, or were just started working on their taxes, they didn't have the problem.

[Banjer]

Thank you, that must be exactly what happened in my case. I was clued to this issue by the error prompt that you describe.