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Lunna
Returning Member

Unexpected cash bonus during fourth quarter of 2024 - will that reduce my NY State tax penalty?

While I did quarterly withholdings for my Federal taxes, I didn't for NY State (and NYC).  I received an unexpected bonus of approximately $4800.00 during the fourth quarter of 2024.  My current penalty for under-withholding in NY is about $633.00.   Is there a way I can reduce that penalty because of the unexpected bump in my salary during the fourth quarter?   Same question regarding my Federal taxes (I'm not sure I have a penalty yet for the Feds)?

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3 Replies

Unexpected cash bonus during fourth quarter of 2024 - will that reduce my NY State tax penalty?

Pay estimated tax before January 15 to avoid a penalty. 

Unexpected cash bonus during fourth quarter of 2024 - will that reduce my NY State tax penalty?

Do I misunderstand?  I'm unclear on why you need to make estimated payments if you also have a job that has withholding.

 

Let's say you are an independent contractor, and you are responsible for making quarterly estimated payments (not "quarterly withholdings").  You can be penalized by both the IRS and the state if you did not make estimated payments each quarter, that matched your income in that quarter, even if you paid in full when you file your return.   However, if you paid in full now, then the penalty for missing the April 15 payment (for example) would be calculated for 9 months instead of 12 months; the penalty for missing the June 15 payment would be calculated for 7 months instead of 9 months, and so on.  

 

You will also want to use the annualized income method to compete your penalty on both the federal and state return.  Look for penalty interviews under the "special circumstances" tab if the program does not prompt to to run the penalty on its own.  The annualized income method shows your income for each quarter, your payment for each quarter, and calculates the penalty (if any) based on what you owe for the quarter, rather than assuming that wages and payment are both evenly spread out.

 

 

 

 

Lunna
Returning Member

Unexpected cash bonus during fourth quarter of 2024 - will that reduce my NY State tax penalty?

Hi and thanks - 

 

Well, it's because I messed up.  I did quarterly payments because I started collecting social security (at full retirement age of 66 and 6 months) starting in January 2024, and on top of that, all my CDs at around 5% are taxable (I know, I know, I'm an idiot for not doing better tax planning) so even though I've been paying in a ton this fourth quarter to zero out what I would owe, I didn't do quarterly withholding for my NY/NYC taxes, and  under-withheld for the federal taxes (though I withheld what Turbotax recommended for my fed taxes).  So this has been a rough month catching up tax-wise.  Thanks to the Feds getting rid of the SALT deduction, I'm slammed even more.   I'm not sure how to annuatize - frankly, I'm not even sure what I earned each quarter, but oddly, based on my preliminary entries into my Turbotax for my 1040, no penalty amount showed up, but there was over 600 dollar penalty for NY State/NYC. 

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