I made a State estimated tax payment on 1/15/19 for 2018, its on the Tax Payment Worksheet. Schedule A it isn’t picking up the total 2018 state estimated tax payments.

[donahue-barb]

This appears to be a bug in the program.  The total is outlined but that isn’t the amount that is being brought forward to schedule a.

[TerryA · Accepted solution]

You can deduct only what you actually pay in 2018. A tax payment made in 2019 is deductible on your next year's 2019 return.

[donahue-barb]

That is incorrect.  This is an estimated payment for 2018.  Turbo tax correctly included it in my payments made for my CT state return and the worksheets include it in the total.  The problem is when it pulls the information from the worksheet to schedule a it isn't including it.

[TerryA]

Sorry, 40 years of being a tax professional, CPA, etc., makes me 100% correct.
You're referring to the credit on your CT return for the tax payment made in 2019 **for 2018**. That is properly taken as a credit on your 2018 CT return.
That's different from taking a deduction for *anything* - doesn't matter what the deduction is: charitable contribution, mortgage interest, whatever - a deduction *cannot* be taken in the current year's tax return (2018) if it was *paid* in the preceding or subsequent year. That is well established tax law for cash-basis taxpayers like you and me.