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Level 3
April 20, 2026
Question

Is everyone experiencing delays in extension payments not being withdrawn?

  • April 20, 2026
  • 20 replies
  • 76 views

It is now 4/20/26 and Federal electronic extension payments submitted on 4/14 & 4/15 have not been withdrawn. In all the years I have been doing this, there has never been a delay like this. My clients are getting very anxious as in some cases they made a six figure payment that still remains in their bank account.  Our own personal extension payment has not been withdrawn. When I called Proseries, they just told me to call the IRS.  I am surprised that this issue has not been discussed on this forum.  I doubt I am the only one with this problem.

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20 replies

Level 2
April 20, 2026

Hi, I'm having the same issue with payments and extensions not being pulled. I have also had a LOT of clients getting notices saying there was an issue with their direct deposit. Maybe they are just having banking issues all around?

abctax55
Level 15
April 20, 2026

@MargaretJ "I am surprised that this issue has not been discussed on this forum"

There are at least three threads on page one of the forum discussing this *issue*.   They all say - patience - this is normal.  (edit... ok... I only found two 😉

https://accountants.intuit.com/community/lacerte-tax-discussions/discussion/federal-tax-payments-delays/00/357695

https://accountants.intuit.com/community/proseries-tax-discussions/discussion/re-payment-made-with-4868-not-yet-deducted/01/358009#M185518

HumanKind... Be Both
BobKamman
Level 15
April 20, 2026

I accept only clients who are able to make their own tax payments, so it's not my problem.  But how many of you fiscal babysitters are reminding clients that the US Treasury lost 21% of its employees in the last year?  Has everyone forgotten Elon Musk and DOGE?  Actions have consequences.  This is just the first major test of this Administration's ability to collect voluntary remittances.  Failure was always an option.  

Level 3
April 22, 2026

That's fine for manually mailed payments. However, people aren't involved in electronic payments. So, why are electronic payments delayed? 

IRonMaN
Level 15
April 22, 2026

"So, why are electronic payments delayed?"

Did you ever visit a website that was really slow or wasn't working right because there were a lot of people using it at the same time?  Kinda the same thing with the IRS computers.  Either that or to cut costs, they only turn on their computer for an hour or two a day ------ but the system being overloaded makes a little more sense.

Slava Ukraini!
Level 2
April 20, 2026

I also have several clients who have not seen their payments withdrawn. I called the IRS and was told to have them check with their banks to see if payments are pending. The IRS apparently cannot see the payments in their system for 7-10 days. 

IRonMaN
Level 15
April 20, 2026

"The IRS apparently cannot see the payments in their system for 7-10 days"

Because it takes them that long to clear out the equivalent of a warehouse full of payments that came pouring in just before the 15th.

Slava Ukraini!
Level 2
April 20, 2026

I too have the same issue of my client's 2025 Fed extension payment not being deducted through their bank account.  It was filed on April 14, 2026 with payment scheduled on April 15, 2026.  

I've called IRS EFTPS and was told that no payment was or is scheduled.  I've called Lacerte and was told that everything was okay and processed on their end through SmartLook.

My question is who is responsbile for the mishap and possible penalties/interest on the extension payment not processed either by IRS and Lacerte due to possible system error.

IRonMaN
Level 15
April 20, 2026

Nobody, since it still is within the normal processing window of time.  Worry about penalties only if it really doesn't clear.

Slava Ukraini!
Level 2
April 21, 2026

MargaretJ,

I appreciate your posting this.  I have a similar problem.  Mine is both IRS and Calif FTB, though.  Neither has gone through.   That suggests that the problem is not with the IRS.  

I am a Lacerte user, not a ProConnect or Proseries user.

Like you, I have never had the delay be more than two days.    

More specifically to my case, the client uses an old First Republic Bank account.   After that bank was acquired by JPMorgan Chase, both the old bank routing number and the new Chase bank routing number were maintained.   The bank confirms that both routing numbers are still operable, and payments made throughout 2025 and in January 2026 have gone through.  However, only the April 2025 extension payments were processed though Lacerte.  The other payments were through IRS directpay and the FTB webpay.

I'll be very interested to hear from you tomorrow as to whether your payments finally went through.  If not,  we will likely be in a position in which Lacerte tells us that the payments were properly processed, the IRS and FTB tell us nothing was paid, and we won't know whether to tell the client to pay again and risk the payments being processed twice.    Dealing with the penalty issue is also a very difficult problem.

MargaretJAuthor
Level 3
April 21, 2026

My own Federal extension payment still hasn't cleared, but my State one cleared on Friday. We personally file an extension every single year close to midnight on the 15th along with eletronic payment, and it has NEVER taken more than a couple days. I remain shocked that this is not a serious problem across the board this tax season. Paying it separately, albeit late, is not an option, as most of my clientele with payments due are paying large sums with their extensions, some of six figures. I had reached out to my IRS taxpayer liaison and he acted like it was nothing new and to be patient.  This is so frustrating.  I do have electronic postmarks from Intuit, client filing details, and 4868 showing that the payment will be paid via electronic funds withdrawal.  Each report is very clear; I just don't see that the payment was withdrawn as of today. 

Level 2
April 23, 2026

Margaret,

Me too.  My own personal extension was filed & accepted jon 4/15 at 21:52 pm EST.  I and a number of my clients have still not had any of their extension payments withdrawn and it is now 4/23 at 18:25 pm EST...never had it so late.  I'm wondering if I should go online and pay, but then I worry that will have double paid.  I'm going to give it till Monday, 4/27.  Hopefully the logjam will have cleared by then.

Level 5
April 21, 2026

I am handling the same issue, and my hypothesis is that ProConnect is auto-correcting bank routing number silently based on the taxpayer's resident state.  You may want to investigate whether taxpayer's routing number location is consistent with his resident state. 

Here is my case with JP Morgan Chase routing number. 

https://accountants.intuit.com/community/proconnect-tax-discussions/discussion/proconnect-auto-correcting-chase-routing-number-based-on/00/358198

 

Level 2
April 21, 2026

Thank you.  My hypothesis is similar to your.  

Are you getting anywhere is resolving this?  

I just called Lacerte and they told me that they send the XML file directly to the IRS and to the Calif FTB.  They showed me how to print out the XML files (one each for FTB and IRS).  They said that at that point, I need to resolve it with each tax agency.  They didn't give any credence to our bank routing number theory.

MargaretJAuthor
Level 3
April 21, 2026

One of my clients just confirmed that the Federal extension payment came out today & their NY one came out last week.  The extensions were filed at 2:12 AM on 4/15/26.  I guess there's hope.  I wouldn't bother trying to reach out to the bank, IRS, or Intuit.  (I already tried Intuit & it was fruitless as usual)  It doesn't seem like that will do anything except frustrate & upset us.

IRonMaN
Level 15
April 21, 2026

PATIENCE

Slava Ukraini!
BobKamman
Level 15
April 22, 2026

See something, say something.  Unless you're a tax preparer, I suppose.  Has anyone who takes it upon themselves to help clients make online payments, ever thought to ask the people in charge why these transfers are inexplicably delayed around this time each year?  No?  I didn't think so. 

It's not my problem, except as a taxpayer who hates to see the Treasury pay millions in interest on short-term loans that are needed to fund the government while the money slowly rolls in, but I did file a report with the GAO about this.  They call it their fraud line, but it also covers mismanagement.  And of course it is fraud, when elected officials claim they can run the place like a business but can't even get the revenue to the bank, but that's acceptable these days.  Treasury and IRS also have people who are supposed to investigate such problems, but those are the foxes guarding the henhouse.  Congress is somewhat more independent.  

What would work best is someone who lives in a Congressional district represented by a Republican member of the Ways and Means Committee, or a state with a Senator on the Finance Committee.  Well, OK, that's me, but our guy is retiring after years of scandal and plans to lose a primary race for governor.  Definitely a short-timer with no clout. 

At this point, maybe mark your calendar for January and figure out who can help when there is a new majority party.  Meanwhile, put up or shut up.  

If I hear back from GAO I'll post it here.  

Level 2
April 22, 2026

I am having the same problem and my client is flipping out.