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Level 2
March 13, 2025
Question

CA FTB Electronic Payment Requirement

  • March 13, 2025
  • 1 reply
  • 12 views

What happened to the box on Screen 3 CA Miscellaneous that allowed us to mark a tax client as Requires Electronic Payment?  For tracking purposes, we need to have an option to mark these clients as required to pay their CA tax liability electronically. This option needs to be permanent and automatically carried forward each year. If not, and the client pays by check then the FTB will assess a penalty.

There is a box for Participant in EFT/Web Pay Program,  but if I check this box and the client has opted to electronically pay their tax liability through LaCerte's e-pay, then I get a diagnostic (ref# 60810). 

If I uncheck the box for Participant in EFT/Web Pay Program,  then I receive a diagnostic (ref# 12550) that the client has e-payment requirement. 

LaCerte needs to fix this. Make it make sense LaCerte!

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    1 reply

    George4Tacks
    Level 15
    March 13, 2025

    If you press F1 at that box you get this, which says this is the new replacement box for "If Requires Electronic Payments"

    1 If Requires Electronic Payments

    CA Miscellaneous Screen 3; Code 1105

    Select the box or enter 1 if the taxpayer is required to make payments electronically. If you enter 1, the program includes sections in the filing instructions and client letter instructing the taxpayers to transmit payments to the FTB electronically using either FTB’s Web Pay or paying by credit card rather than submitting paper checks with the tax return or estimated payment vouchers. Also, checking the box suppresses forms 540-ES and/or 540-V.

     

    The client letter and filing instructions remain unchanged for returns that are electronically filed and both boxes for “Electronic payment of balance due” as well as “Electronic payment of estimated tax” have been checked in the Electronic Only subsection of the California Direct Debit input section in Screen 3. Check the box for “Requires Electronic Payments” to eliminate the related diagnostic.

     

    My reading for the 60810 error code is it can be ignored if you are sure FTB will be accepting of direct debit, vs payment through the FTB EFT. Maybe @1569 could reach out for some clarification.

    Answers are easy. Questions are hard!
    Andres-VTB
    Level 5
    March 13, 2025

    I called about this yesterday, the rep said it is an intentional change by Lacerte, that they were asked to do it. We don't like it.

    Level 2
    March 14, 2025

    I have clients that are mandatory e-pay in CA. Removing the button/ box "requires electronic payments" from the MIsc Info section causes me to lose track of who is required to pay electronically. I have clients making million dollar estimates and balance due payments and penalties for not e-paying are large. Please fix this problem. Re-insert the button/box entitled "requires electronic payments" in the misc info section.

    Also in the Misc Info section the button entitled "Participant in EFT/Web Pay Program"- what is this for? If it was meant to replace the "requires electronic payments" button above, it is causing critical e-file diagnostics.