I would like an answer as to when or if a functioning extension with auto payment will be available.

The planning and additional steps that I need to build into each engagement depend upon whether or not Lacerte can at least have that prior to the filing deadline.

You have already burned nearly your whole user base with weeks of misinformation about the new updating function and Windows 11 security causing many of us to waste time and actual money on needless IT time (your techs were providing wrong information literally up to the day you release a fix).  Please do not compound that by wasting our time again with opacity here.