Do I need to correct Form 4868 federal tax extension if there is an error ? Possible TurboTax Form error - wrong balance due on form !

[DXY2021]

Have a question on form 4868 federal extension please 

Me and my wife filed this form to get more time to prepare our taxes.  We noticed the Turbotax CD version did not allow electronic filing for extensions, so we used our online Turbotax ID's to file it easily electronically

• We followed the prompts - we entered tax liability and 2021 payments.  We are in a refund situation. It asked for expected refund and we entered it.   It said congratulations no tax is due, click enter to transmit. We transmitted with no issues.    Turbotax didn't allow us to preview the form
• After transmittal, Turbotax allowed us to download the actual form.   Upon review, the extension has the proper tax liability and payments listed.  However, it shows our REFUND amount in the balance due row  (it should show 0)   :(  so i dont know if this is a software issue or if i entered something incorrectly
• So if you do the math on the form 4868, line 5 (tax paid) is larger than line 4 (liability).  Line 6 says subtract line 5 from line 4 - it should be 0, but shows the refund as a balance due
• Turbotax says the extension was accepted as is - i thought they would reject it since the math doesn't work per the form math

Is there any other action needed?   should i mail another 4868 one with a 0 in that balance due cell or just leave it be ? when we eventually file our returns there will be a refund !

thanks for any help !!

[JulieS · Accepted solution]

No, you don't need to worry about this. I am not certain why the form is displaying a balance due when there is not a balance due, but if you file a second extension, it will be disregarded. 

In addition any penalties for late filing or payment will be based on the 1040 that you file, so there is nothing to worry about. Just file your return when you are ready and it will be fine. 

[JulieS]

No, you don't need to worry about this. I am not certain why the form is displaying a balance due when there is not a balance due, but if you file a second extension, it will be disregarded. 

In addition any penalties for late filing or payment will be based on the 1040 that you file, so there is nothing to worry about. Just file your return when you are ready and it will be fine. 

[DXY2021]

thanks so much for the feedback - we really appreciate it - will help us sleep a little better !

still not sure what happened.  The CD version works great and is correct - but TurboTax forces you to mail it in - so i wouldn't get any confirmation.  The online option through TurboTax worked well too but you had to key in all the inputs - TT should build in a control to this online software to show 0 due when you enter payments > liability (or at least ask the question - are you sure you owe a balance?)

thank you again !

[CarissaM]

We are happy to hear you for the issue resolved. 

Please let us know if we can assist you further. 

[Margaret17]

Thank you for posting this question.  I had this same issue today.  Form 4868 is populating incorrectly on line 6 (shows a balance due when the number should be 0).  There is definitely a programming mistake in how this form is populating on line 6.  Turbotax really needs to correct this ASAP.  

[Infernal_Revenue_Service]

I've completed enough of my 2021 return (using installed version of  TT Deluxe) to file for an extension. The Form 4868 generated by the software fills in the balance due with an amount more than 10% greater than the Amount you're paying. I've run several reviews of the return with the same result, and cannot find any explanation for the discrepancy. Any ideas?

[CarissaM]

It would be best to contact us by phone by following the instructions here so we can better assist you. @Infernal_Revenue_Service

[fanfare]

You don’t need to file Form 4868 (by mail or by TurboTax)

if you make a payment using the IRS
electronic payment options. Your extension will be automatically
processed when you pay part or all of your estimated income tax
electronically. You can pay online or by phone.
===
You can pay all or part of your estimated income tax due and indicate that the payment is for an extension using Direct Pay, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, or using a credit or debit card. Your extension is then automatically granted and you will receive a confirmation number for your records.

[fanfare]

if you estimate you have a refund coming, you don't need an extension of time.

There is no penalty for filing for a refund after April 15th.

[pgbrite]

I have the same issue using the Free federal  tax extension on Turbotax website.  The refund amount was put on line 6 Balance due instead of 0.  However when I did it on turbotax premier that I down from a disk, the Balance due was correct at 0, but the tax extension was not able to efile on the software.

[jl30]

Same thing happened to me - line 6 should be zero since I estimate I have overpaid, but turbotax put in a positive due-amount.  How do I really know this doesn't negatively affect my filing with IRS?  Why hasn't turbotax fixed this?  How many people is this happening to who really don't notice it?

[echols2]

I have the same problem showing up online. Line 6 should be 0 but instead it shows the amount already paid (more than liability) in 2021, the amount tax liability (line 4) was 0 so this Line 6 should also be 0.

There seems to be no option to resubmit or correct this.

[BillM223]

You don't "need" to correct the 4868. The IRS cares about only these things:

1. Your name

2. Your Social Security number

3. The amount you are paying

That's it. There are no "wrong" numbers on the 4868 unless they cause YOU to not pay enough balance. The IRS certainly does not spend any time looking at those numbers and checking them. If you are expecting a refund, then the numbers make absolutely no difference to the IRS.

So if you feel that you paid enough so that you won't owe anything when you file your return, then you have done your job.

[fanfare]

"There are no "wrong" numbers on the 4868 "

 If TurboTax fills out the form incorrectly and then uses that number on your Form 1040, and you did not sent that amount to the IRS,  that's going to be a problem, don't you think ?