How to stop pop-up "is this transaction a payment of taxes for tax year 2020"

Migizi

I have been getting (for a few years now I think) some irritating and pointless pop-ups from Quicken, and am wondering if there is a way to turn them off as they don't add value and just make the register annoying. Every time I enter or even just modify a line in the register that has the category of Tax:Fed or Tax:State, I get a pop-up that says:

"Is this transaction a payment of taxes for tax year 2020?"

With Yes/No options to respond. There *is* a very short window at the beginning of a year where you might be doing that of course (as a payment or receiving a refund). But only a small portion of the year, and even in that period the pop-up doesn't really seem necessary. And for the other two thirds of the year it is just an annoying design flaw to work around. I get it every time I make an estimated tax payment, or every time the feds pay that child care credit automatically each month now, or anything else in that category.

Can this be turned off somehow? I've looked and cannot find a setting for it, and my searches in this forum came up empty. Or can we request the design flaw be fixed in some other way?

(Quicken for Windows, up to date version 35.31, running over W10 Pro which is also up to date)

Boatnmaniac

Hi @Migizi .  Maybe someone else knows how to turn this prompt off but I am not aware of any way to be able to do that without removing the tax form linked to the category or without setting up a new category for it that does not have the tax form linked to it. But that would then make Tax Planner and many of the tax reports worthless.

Your particular situation might not need Quicken to make that prompt except for a "very short window" but in order to function properly Quicken needs to account for the tax code requirements.  The tax code allows for tax returns and payments to be made as late as 10/15 of the following year with no penalty (provided an extension request was filed with and approved by the IRS beforehand).  And the reality is that there are people and businesses that end up making prior year tax payments all the way through the current year, especially when they get audited and end up needing to pay a lot more in taxes.  So, it is not a design flaw because Quicken really does need to ask this question in order to function properly.

If you do not use Tax Planner and the tax reports, then as a workaround you could go to Category List > click on the category in question > click on the Action button (on the right side of the screen for that category) > Edit > Tax Reporting tab > uncheck the box for Tax related category.  You will no longer get that prompt.  Note:  If you decide to do this and then later change the category back to a tax related category, all tax paid transactions will then only show up in the tax reports and Tax Planner for the calendar year of the date of the transaction.  For example, any taxes you paid in 2021 for 2020's tax bill will be reported as 2021 tax paid, not 2020 tax paid.

Suggestion:  If you really want Quicken to add a check box to allow users to check it so the question does not pop up again in the future you cold propose the idea at Product Ideas - Quicken for Windows.  It gives other users the opportunity to view it, post comments about it and vote for it.  The Quicken Team does review proposed ideas posted there and takes them into consideration in their product development plans.  The more people who vote for an idea the more likely the Quicken Team will add it to their development plan.

Boatnmaniac

Hi @Migizi .  Maybe someone else knows how to turn this prompt off but I am not aware of any way to be able to do that without removing the tax form linked to the category or without setting up a new category for it that does not have the tax form linked to it. But that would then make Tax Planner and many of the tax reports worthless.

Your particular situation might not need Quicken to make that prompt except for a "very short window" but in order to function properly Quicken needs to account for the tax code requirements.  The tax code allows for tax returns and payments to be made as late as 10/15 of the following year with no penalty (provided an extension request was filed with and approved by the IRS beforehand).  And the reality is that there are people and businesses that end up making prior year tax payments all the way through the current year, especially when they get audited and end up needing to pay a lot more in taxes.  So, it is not a design flaw because Quicken really does need to ask this question in order to function properly.

If you do not use Tax Planner and the tax reports, then as a workaround you could go to Category List > click on the category in question > click on the Action button (on the right side of the screen for that category) > Edit > Tax Reporting tab > uncheck the box for Tax related category.  You will no longer get that prompt.  Note:  If you decide to do this and then later change the category back to a tax related category, all tax paid transactions will then only show up in the tax reports and Tax Planner for the calendar year of the date of the transaction.  For example, any taxes you paid in 2021 for 2020's tax bill will be reported as 2021 tax paid, not 2020 tax paid.

Suggestion:  If you really want Quicken to add a check box to allow users to check it so the question does not pop up again in the future you cold propose the idea at Product Ideas - Quicken for Windows.  It gives other users the opportunity to view it, post comments about it and vote for it.  The Quicken Team does review proposed ideas posted there and takes them into consideration in their product development plans.  The more people who vote for an idea the more likely the Quicken Team will add it to their development plan.

Migizi

> @Boatnmaniac said:
> Hi @Migizi .  Maybe someone else knows how to turn this prompt off
> but I am not aware of any way to be able to do that without removing the
> tax form linked to the category or without setting up a new category
> for it that does not have the tax form linked to it. But that would then
> make Tax Planner and many of the tax reports worthless.Your particular situation might not need Quicken to make that prompt
> except for a "very short window" but in order to function properly
> Quicken needs to account for the tax code requirements.  The tax code
> allows for tax returns and payments to be made as late as 10/15 of the following year
> with no penalty (provided an extension request was filed with and
> approved by the IRS beforehand).  And the reality is that there are
> people and businesses that end up making prior year tax payments all the
> way through the current year, especially when they get audited and end
> up needing to pay a lot more in taxes.  So, it is not a design flaw because
> Quicken really does need to ask this question in order to function properly.If you do not use Tax Planner and the tax reports, then as a workaround you could go to Category List > click on the category in question > click on the Action button (on the right side of the screen for that category) > Edit > Tax Reporting tab > uncheck the box for Tax related category.  You will no longer get that prompt.  Note: 
> If you decide to do this and then later change the category back to a tax related
> category, all tax paid transactions will then only show
> up in the tax reports and Tax Planner for the calendar year of the date of the
> transaction.  For example, any taxes you paid in 2021 for 2020's tax
> bill will be reported as 2021 tax paid, not 2020 tax paid.
> Suggestion:  If you really want Quicken
> to add a check box to allow users to check it so the question does not
> pop up again in the future you cold propose the idea at Product Ideas - Quicken for Windows. 
> It gives other users the opportunity to view it, post comments about it
> and vote for it.  The Quicken Team does review proposed ideas posted
> there and takes them into consideration in their product development
> plans.  The more people who vote for an idea the more likely the Quicken
> Team will add it to their development plan.

Thank you, Boatnmaniac - this is very helpful. I don't use Quicken for tax planning or tax reporting, so I unchecked the box you recommended. Tested, and it worked!

To be clear, I don't think it is a design flaw to try to obtain this information for tax purposes. I think it is a flaw in the way the need for data is implemented. Instead of popping everyone, on every tax-related entry, with a pop-up that many don't care about, perhaps have a setting for default behavior. Have a few options. And allow an override in the register. That would cover all the bases for everyone. You could even have the setting automatically be set to not require the Tax Year value, unless/until the user has first opening the Tax Planner - and at that time request them to fill out certain settings. But I can put that in the product ideas forum you mentioned, which also - thank you for that too!

Boatnmaniac

Glad to be of help @Migizi .  And thanks to the additional explanation regarding your perspective on this.  Sure gives one something to think about.