How can I include my estimated tax payment in my 2025 tax return?

[mesquitebean]

Here's a tool that should get you directly to the estimated tax payments section.  I've also provided an alternate navigation method in a comment that follows this one.

• With the return open, go to the left menu column and click on TAX TOOLS, then the subtab TOOLS.
• In the Tools Center choose the blue button Topic Search.
• In the topic search line enter the phrase estimated tax payments without quotes.
• Make the selection in the list (it may already be highlighted), and either double-click it or click the GO button.
• Next screen is Estimates and Other Income Taxes Paid.
• Use the subtopic Estimated Tax Payments.
• Choose the appropriate category and tax year you are reporting (Federal, state, local) and click START or Revisit.
  
  

NOTE:  Before filing, make sure your Federal estimated tax payments correctly show on the Form 1040, Line 26, and that any state estimated tax payments (if applicable) show up on your state return.

[DawnC]

If you need to enter the estimated tax you paid in 2025.   Follow these instructions to make sure you are entering them in the correct spot.   You enter estimates paid for federal and state in this section.  

You can enter your expected income and deductions in TurboTax or Tax Caster to get a feel for 2026's taxes.   In TurboTax, you can go through the estimated taxes for next year section.   If you already filed your return, you will need to click on Add A State at the bottom of the home page to access your return.    You can do this for your federal taxes and your state taxes, if applicable.  

Estimate next year's federal taxes

Estimate next year's state taxes

[mesquitebean]

@rjc011752 

I provided the shortcut method above to go directly to the estimated taxes entry section.   If you want to use regular navigation, here's how.  So between the 2 methods, you should be able to use one or both of them.

When you click in the left column tab for Deductions & Credits, it may take you to a page called "Your Tax Breaks".   That shows the "Tax Breaks", i.e., deductions, that someone has already worked on this year or that TurboTax is expecting from what was entered last year.   Lower on that same screen should be a button or link for "Add more tax breaks" or "Show more tax breaks" or similar wording.   When clicked, then the screen should expand, and all the deduction topics are displayed including "Estimates and Other Taxes Paid."  Then that topic can be expanded further to get the subtopic Estimated Tax Payments.

[mesquitebean]

@ rjc011752    Please clarify what tax year you are referring to with your question.   It can be interpreted a couple of ways.   In my answers above I assumed you were referring to a 2025 estimated tax payment.

You wrote:  "How can I include my estimated tax payment in my 2025 tax return?"

Are you asking about how to report an estimated tax payment for 2025 that you made so you get credit for it in your 2025 return?     Or were you asking if you could include your first quarter 2026 tax payment toward 2026 taxes in your 2025 return filing?   My answers above were for how to report a 2025 estimated tax payment that you made.  If you want to make a 2026 estimated payment, you can't include that in the 2025 return, but we can tell you other options if you are asking about how to make a 2026 estimated payment.