Override estimated tax voucher payment amounts in Lacerte

For information on applying the One Big Beautiful Act (OB3) provisions to tax year 2024 estimates see here, check out our Tax topics page on Estimated Tax payments where you'll find answers to the most commonly asked questions.

This article will help you override the estimated tax payment amounts that print on your federal payment vouchers and client letter. These steps can also be used for most states, though exact inputs may vary.

Disaster area tax relief available:

Filing deadlines and estimated tax due dates may be extended for taxpayers in parts of Arkansas, California, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia, and IRS for taxpayers living abroad. See here for more details.

Table of contents:

For Individual (1040) returns:

1. On the Detail tab, select Payments & Penalties.
2. Select Screen 7, 2026 Estimates.
3. Select 2026 Estimated Tax (1040-ES).
4. Enter the Amount of overpayment to apply to 2026 if applicable.
5. On the left-side menu, select Overrides.
6. Check the box Do not reduce override by overpayment applied, if you do not want the amount from step 4 to adjust your override entries.
7. Enter the desired voucher amounts for all four quarters, or enter an amount in 2026 Estimated Tax [Override]*.

*Use the 2026 Estimated Tax [Override] field in lieu of quarterly amounts to override the program's automatic calculation of next year's estimated tax liability. The program divides this amount by four to arrive at each required installment.

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For S Corporate (1120-S) returns:

1. On the Detail tab, select Payments & Penalties.
2. Select Screen 10, Estimated Tax.
3. Scroll down to the 2026 Estimated Tax section.
4. Locate the 2026 Estimates (before overpayment is applied) (negative if already paid, -1=none) subsection.
5. Enter the desired amounts for all four quarters, or enter an amount in 2026 ES (-1=suppress, -2=blank) [Override]*.

*Use the 2026 ES (-1=suppress, -2=blank) [Override] field in lieu of quarterly amounts to override the program's automatic calculation of next year's estimated tax liability. The program divides this amount by four to arrive at each required installment.

Lacerte no longer produces federal payment vouchers for corporate returns. The IRS requires payments through EFTPS. Your overrides will change the estimated tax schedule on the client letter.

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For Corporate (1120) returns:

1. On the Detail tab, select Payments & Penalties.
2. Select Screen 10, Estimated Tax.
3. Scroll down to the 2026 Estimated Tax section.
4. Locate the 2026 Estimates (before overpayment is applied) (negative if already paid, -1=none) subsection.
5. Enter the desired amounts for all four quarters, or enter an amount in 2026 ES (-1=suppress, -2=blank) [Override]*.

*Use the 2026 ES (-1=suppress, -2=blank) [Override] field in lieu of quarterly amounts to override the program's automatic calculation of next year's estimated tax liability. The program divides this amount by four to arrive at each required installment.

Lacerte no longer produces federal payment vouchers for corporate returns. The IRS requires payments through EFTPS. Your overrides will change the estimated tax schedule on the client letter.

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For Estate and Trust (1041) returns:

1. On the Detail tab, select Payments & Penalties.
2. Click on Screen 7, 2026 Estimates.
3. Select 2026 Estimated Tax (1041-ES).
4. On the left-side menu, select Overrides.
5. Check the box Do not reduce override by overpayment applied, if you do not want the refund to adjust your override entries.
6. Enter the desired voucher amounts for all four quarters, or enter an amount in 2026 Estimated Tax [Override]*.

*Use the 2026 Estimated Tax [Override] field in lieu of quarterly amounts to override the program's automatic calculation of next year's estimated tax liability. The program divides this amount by four to arrive at each required installment.

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For Exempt Organization (990) returns:

1. On the Detail tab, select Payments, Penalties & Extensions.
2. Select Screen 10, Estimated Tax.
3. Scroll down to the 2026 Private Foundation Estimated Tax section or 2026 Unrelated Business Estimated Tax section.
4. Enter overrides for all four quarters.
5. Enter 1 in 1=do not reduce override by overpayment applied, if desired.

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Related topics

• How to generate Form 1040-ES estimate vouchers
• Using the E-file Estimated Payment Wizard