Quarterly Estimated payments

[chapguy19]

Why are the dates:

April 15th.

June 15th.

September 15th.

January 15th.

Why not October 15th for the 3rd payment?

And July 15th for the second payment?

Thanks in advance, Christopher

[PhoebeRoberts]

Pretty much every aspect of US taxation is an elephant sausage designed by committee. The answer to "why" is always just "because."

[BobKamman · Accepted solution]

For many decades the 1040 due date was the anniversary of Julius Caesar's assassination (March 15), and the quarterlies were due March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15.  Then people complained about having to estimate their income only a few weeks before the end of the year, when they would have the actual amount, so they changed the date of the final payment to January 15 because, you know, before computers it was common to have the W-2s issued by then anyway.  Then others complained that March 15 was too early to do all those complicated calculations, so they changed the 1040 filing date to April 15, and that became the first quarterly payment date also because it was easier to estimate based on previous year, once that return had been done.  

[IRonMaN]

Years ago the folks at the IRS read about Stonehenge and decided to pick those dates to allow for proper alignment with the sun, moon and stars.

[abctax55]

And why are they called 'quarterlies'... when the payments don't match the calendar quarters. 

And the same wonkiness applies to the F 2210 if trying to annualize.

And... what is the Federal fiscal year-end ???   9.30.xx, right?   JUST after that 9.15 payment is due.

[BobKamman]

Federal fiscal year has nothing to do with it --- the fiscal year ended June 30, when the dates were first set up.  I think California plays games with the fiscal year, don't they?  

[abctax55]

Fed is 9/30.... CA is 6/30.  And yes, that's why CA mucked with the estimates several years ago (4.15 = 30%, 6.15 = 40%, 1.15 of following year = 30%.   

AND why the pesky PTET payment is due on 6.15.xx. 

[abctax55]

The Federal Government’s October Start

The U.S. federal government operates on a fiscal year running from October 1 to September 30. This timing directly affects how Congress budgets, when agencies spend money, and when new programs launch.

Did google lie to me?

[BobKamman]

Legislative History of the Fiscal Year

The fiscal year was set in section 237 in the Revised Statutes (R.S.§237) by an Act from the 43rd Congress “to revise and consolidate the statutes of the United Sates, in force on the first day of December, anno Domini,” 1873.  The fiscal year was set to begin on July 1 of each year.  This was then restated in 1890 by an Act related to the duties of the House Sergeant of Arms. The date of the fiscal year was not changed.

Title V of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 was signed into law on July 12, 1974 and changed the fiscal year to begin on October 1 of each year, and classified to 31 U.S.C. 1020 of the U.S. Code. The section was renumbered by Pub. L. 97-258 as 31 U.S.C. 1102, but did not make any substantive change.