Estimated Tax Payments on Married Filing Separate return

[mattgutz]

I split $2,000 of estimated payments equally to the Taxpayer & Spouse ($1,000 each) on a MFS 2023 tax return.  The spouse got a tax notice that she did not credit for the $1,000 applied to her return.  Is there a way to resolve this without IRS correspondence?

Thank you!

[BobKamman]

How much tax was saved by filing separately after making joint ES payments?  I hope it was a lot.  Has the husband's return been processed yet?  I would wait a couple weeks and see if he gets a refund, then mail it back marked "Void" with a letter asking that it be applied to the wife's account. 

But then, is the wife receiving a bill for the missing payment?  Or just a reduced refund or credit-elect?  

Are the spouses still on good terms, or were the separate returns the result of a separation?

[mattgutz]

Thank you for your response!

MFS saved $1,233

Husband's return has been processed and he had a balance due of $1,600, which was paid

Wife was filed and she was to receive a refund of $600.  She received a bill for $400 (not allowing the $1,000 estimate on her return).

Spouses are on good terms

[BobKamman]

I would reply to the IRS notice with a short letter explaining that she claimed credit for half the ES payments made jointly, and mentioning her husband's SSN and the dates of payment.  Then wait three or four months.  Expect and ignore increasingly threatening bills from IRS.  Eventually it will be resolved (if a refund check doesn't appear for the husband.)  Don't phone IRS.   That way madness lies.  

[rbynaker]

YMMV.  From a Teams meeting yesterday with my area Stakeholder Liaison group, there's a Payment Transfer Tool that the IRS used to use to move money around.  It has been broken for a couple months now with no information as to when it might get fixed.  Their suggestion was to call PPS and have them suspend notices on the account(s) until the tool can be fixed.

[TaxGuyBill]

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@rbynaker wrote:

 It has been broken for a couple months now with no information as to when it might get fixed.

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Yesterday someone in a Facebook group said they got it running this last week.