Is everyone experiencing delays in extension payments not being withdrawn?

[MargaretJ]

It is now 4/20/26 and Federal electronic extension payments submitted on 4/14 & 4/15 have not been withdrawn.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  Our own personal extension payment has not been withdrawn.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.

[megan]

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]

@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-del...

https://accountants.intuit.com/community/proseries-tax-discussions/discussion/re-payment-made-with-4...

[BobKamman]

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.  

[Becky_A]

I also have several clients who have not seen their payments withdrawn.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]

"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.

[Steve1610]

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]

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

[abctax55]

W H A T mishap ??

ALL of this, as has been pointed out so, so many times already, is the normal processing time when the agencies are inundated at the last minute.  The time date stamp of submission is what determines timely filing/paying. 

[davidd82000]

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.

[MargaretJ]

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. 

[TaxesTech]

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-corre...

[IRonMaN]

PATIENCE

[davidd82000]

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.

[MargaretJ]

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.

[davidd82000]

Thanks.   My client's payments went through, too.   

What  a lot of wasted time!   Lacerte support was somewhat helpful except all that they could tell me was how to print the XML file and try to use that to get help from the IRS and FTB and that Lacerte had done all that  it needed to do.

[BobKamman]

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.  

[ringgoldjamie]

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

[ymcpa]

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

[IRonMaN]

"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.

[ymcpa]

That makes sense for the payment being delayed a day or two. We are now a week in and I have a dozen payments that haven't cleared. 

[IRonMaN]

As mentioned in one of these strings, it can take the IRS up to 7 to 10 business days to process payments.

[mj46]

I, too, am having that problem.  I'm happy to hear that we are not the only ones.  I was beginning to think I did something wrong.

[IRonMaN]

"I was beginning to think I did something wrong."

Note to self - next year let the client make the payments instead of doing so through the software.

[BobKamman]

@IRonMaN  Of course the "mailbox rule" doesn't apply to DIY online payments -- they have to be made through software.  

[VincentD]

I am having the same problem, specifcally with Lacerte tax extension payments.  It is now 4/23 and there are 4/15 efile tax extension payments that have not cleared the bank.  I have confirmation of timely tax extension filing and acceptance on 4/15.

[PAPAMOJO]

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.

[Kathi_at_Intuit]

Hello All! Thanks for posting in the Community about the delay in extension payments. As @IRonMaN @abctax55 and others have stated on the Community, delays can be normal and it is advised to wait 7-10 days after the return has been accepted. If after this time they are still delayed you would need to reach out to the appropriate taxing authority. ProConnect Tax and Lacerte do not have records of whether or not electronic payments are being withdrawn. 

[joelbach]

I am so happy that I started this discussion several days ago and got reassured I'm not alone. I'm a CPA in NJ who files multiple extensions with payments for my clients on the last day leading up to midnight. I made the horrible mistake after a week of going online for just 3 or 4 to make an IRS payment so we at least were covered but then the next day the payments came out from the extension eft done on 4/15 so then my clients were very unhappy with me. But I was actually happy because at least I knew the system somehow works and I will always just keep waiting in the future. Although  a few STILL have not come out! Thanks to everyone for putting in your responses and opinions. 

[BobKamman]

@joelbach Do you see any pattern here?  All the same financial institution, or same type (small credit union vs. major bank)?  Lots of complaints, very little information.

[PAPAMOJO]

Here we are, on Sunday 4/26 and my withdrawal & some clients who are emailing me, our withdrawals have yet to occur by the IRS.  Very frustrated...not sure what to do...how long to wait? who to call? who is at fault, IRS or INTUIT?  Never had this much of a delay!

[Naf9155]

Same here.

It is already 11 days.

[amanda-r-conley]

Adding my own comment to keep the timeline going. My own return extension processed and accepted 4/15 plus clients processed 4/13, 4/14 and 4/15 still have not had payments withdrawn. I have also checked my IRS account (ID.me) payment activity and it shows nothing pending. Clients are getting very concerned as am I about this. I also considered going online to make a payment but I don't have that kind of money to double-pay and wait for refund. 

If Proconnect doesn't know and the IRS doesn't know - then who knows and is in charge here?? 😉 

[BobKamman]

The reason they tell you to wait ten business days is that sometimes it takes ten business days.  So, wait until Wednesday COB.  It must be a state secret, why it takes ten business days to process a payment.  A bank could not get away with that on loan payments.  

The IRS flags 1 to 2 million  returns for potential identity theft annually. According to last year's Taxpayer Advocate report, as of early 2025 there was a backlog of over 447,000 active Identity Theft Victim Assistance (IDTVA) cases. For the 2024 filing season specifically, the IRS suspended processing on over 1.9 million tax returns pending identity verification.  If someone filed a fake return in February, using your SSN and claiming a refund, what would IRS do with a return filed in April showing a balance due?  Another state secret, I suppose.  

The whole "use approved software and we'll let you include automatic withdrawals" sounds like a variation on "we're from the government and we want to help."  Does the anxiety expressed in some of these comments come from concern about taxes being paid, or concern about reputation for selling this scheme to clients who trust you?

[BobKamman]

Here's a clue about what might be happening.  IRS doesn't deal with your bank.  It turns the job over to Treasury, which then assigns the work to a "financial agent."  What are those?  The National Bank Acts of 1863 and 1864 grant Treasury the authority to retain financial agents, private companies that provide services on its behalf. (Yes, this goes back more than 150 years.)  According to the Treasury website, which may be outdated, there are four active financial agents:  Bank of New York Mellon; Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac; and FSI Group.  (Who are FSI?  Who knows.  But it looks like they were involved only in the TARP program.)

We all know that the Secretary of the Treasury has a lot on his plate.  For a while he was also acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue, until the clock ran out on that temporary gig.  Lately he's been imposing and/or lifting sanctions on oil tankers.  But he used to work for George Soros, so I'm confident he has everything under control.  

[SFSTaxPrep]

EVERY SINGLE PERSON working for this Mis-administration is Unqualified & Incompetent at best, Criminal at worst. Never in my 38 years as an Accountant have I felt such Shame having to prepare Tax Returns for my clients, knowing that the Taxes will be used for such degenerate purposes at best, and Pilfered by the biggest GRIFTERS in the world at worst.

And now, I am apparently going to have to answer to my clients for a Screw Up that was NOT AT ALL MY FAULT. I go through enough stress getting my Tax Returns filed by the 4/15 deadline, and meeting the payment requirements, and my clients look to me for that. So it seems like I will be the one held responsible for something that again, WAS NOT MY FAULT WHATSOEVER.

It is incidents like these, and the trauma I experience for several months each year, that make we want to retire, and move to another more stable country, with more competent and ethical leaders, than this one.

[SFSTaxPrep]

So, what are we supposed to do? I have 3 clients whose IRS payments were never made.

My clients are now going to be penalized for both 2025 and 2026, as part of the payments were going to get applied towards 1st Quarter 2026 Taxes.

One client made a payment of $110,000. He is not going to be happy. I will end up having to cover his Penalties, in order to retain him as a client. Essentially I'll end up preparing his 2025 Tax Returns for free.

Is Lacerte going to simply place blame on the IRS, and the IRS simply going to blame Lacerte, with NOBODY taking responsibility? Is Intuit going to say, "Sorry, too bad, things happen, we're not gonna help you with those Penalties"?

Just want to know what to do. I'll have my clients make new payments before 4/30, so at least the Interest will be minimized.

[joelbach]

Don't make the payments, the original one is going to come out!

[SFSTaxPrep]

YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!

Today is the 8th Business Day AFTER the deadline.  There is no reason the IRS has not taken out the payment by now.  And this is not isolated, and I am evidently not alone as others have been posting here.  They are not delayed in taking EVERYBODY'S payments.

SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN DENMARK.  The IRS is not going to let people out of these Penalties, and Intuit is not going to cover them.

My clients are questioning me, and I am going to have to cover these Penalties.  I go through enough anxiety during Tax Season, and Now This?

I should just keep waiting while Penalties & Interest increase?  Who has a [removed] Answer?

[Steve Champgoalie]

Finally, my client saw 5 digit withdraw for extension submitted an accepted on deadline came out April 27th.  It was hard keeping client calm and me too!

[abctax55]

Stardate 4.28.26

P A T I E N C E    - They say it is a virtue 

FWIW -  My OWN payment just cleared my bank this morning.   

Now I can relax 

[lhopkins]

I have been experiencing the same issues with several extension payments.  Since it's the 28th, I was a little nervous about whether these payments were ever going to be processed.  Lacerte suggested I contact the EFTPS line 888-353-4537.  The representative was able to confirm that the payments in question were processed in the last couple of days and should be coming out of the bank accounts in next couple of days.

[SFSTaxPrep]

Were you able to get that information from them without providing a Power Of Attorney Form?  Normally the IRS won't speak to anyone but the Taxpayer, until there is a Tax Return on file listing you as the Tax Preparer.

[abctax55]

From a different list-serve (credit to James Counts):

Got this from an IRS Stakeholder Liaison person as to why some payments were delayed in being taken from accounts.

The SL person states:

A notice came out late last week that there was some hiccups with the eFile payment system that may have caused some taxpayers to experience a delay in their bank account being debited timely. These payments were made through the Electronic Funds Withdrawal system from 4/9/2026 through 4/15/2026. This issue was fixed, processing resumed on 4/15/26, and impacted files completed processing on 4/17/26. It is recommended to allow 7-10 days.  So the process should have been completed now or will be at any time.  I would recommend keep monitoring bank accounts and IRS Online Accounts for processing of tax return & payment.  You may also call IRS e-file Payment Services 24/7 at 888-353-4537 to inquire about your payment.  Please share as appropriate.

[BobKamman]

This is a good example of how the news media work.  It's not news, until it affects someone who works there.  Last June, an employee at the CBS TV station in Chicago got a bill from IRS for taxes that were paid by Direct Pay in April. So they did a story about it, and others contacted the station.  The original story is only on video with advertising, but the second story, from June 4, 2025, starts out with:

Some taxpayers who paid their taxes by the April 15 deadlines are getting notices telling them they still owe money, all because of delays with the IRS electronic payment system.

Some of the people impacted have also said they've found it impossible to get through to the IRS for help.

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/irs-electronic-payment-system-delays-bills-nonpayment-notice-ta... 

It links to the earlier video, which has this graphic:

This is not a complicated story:

1)  IRS does not send out news releases when they have a problem. 

2)  Most of what you read about IRS comes from its news releases.

3)  But if you follow practitioner discussions, it's common knowledge that there have been, are, and will be glitches in the system. If you recommend online payments, you should also warn clients that the system is not perfect.  

[ymcpa]

You should have a payment confirmation if you submitted it electronically. It doesn't matter if the payment is processed late if the payment was submitted on time. If it was mailed, hopefully you mailed it certified so that you have proof of when it was mailed. If they assess a penalty, write a letter and have it abated. 

[ymcpa]

So, it's not 4/30 and most of the payments for my clients went through yesterday. However I have 4 very large payments that still haven't gone through. It's now the 11th business day. Anyone else have payments outstanding? 

[SFSTaxPrep]

2 of my 3 Extension payments have not gone through yet, according to my clients.  One was $110,000, the other $5,000.

[PAPAMOJO]

Gee...I thought Kamala lost the election & escorted Papa Joe and all his cronies out the door.

Please keep your political comments to yourself and off this post.

[SFSTaxPrep]

Oh look, another MAGA Moron and hypocrite.  "Keep your political comments to yourself," as he posts a political comment of his own.  I am smart enough to know who is in charge now, who ordered all the manpower cutbacks, and who is responsible for how the IRS is being run.  Incompetence starts at the top.  I'm sorry there is no way for you to avoid seeing my posts, because I'd like to do the same in regards to yours.