Iowa 2210 General Information and Examples for Tax Year 2009

The IA 2210 is used to determine if an individual taxpayer paid income tax sufficiently throughout the year. This form also calculates if any penalty is due.

Individual taxpayers with only W-2 wages/income are not subject to 2210 penalty and do not complete the 2210.

Taxpayers who do not have tax withheld from their paychecks must pay tax on their income by making estimated tax payments on a quarterly basis.

Estimated Payments

If you file returns on a calendar year basis and are required to file form IA 1040ES, you are generally required to pay the tax in four installments with the first installment due by April 30. You may benefit by using the IA 2210 Schedule AI (pdf) Annualized Income Installment Method if your income varied during the year.

Calendar Year Taxpayers: If you are not required to file estimated payments until later in the year because of a change in your income or exemptions, you may be required to pay in fewer installments.

Estimated/Installment Payment Periods and Due Dates

The chart below shows the due date for installments and the maximum number of installments required for each. More installments than required may be made in each period.

NOTE: If any date shown falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, substitute the next regular business day.

To find out if you owe 2210 penalty, complete the IA 1040 through line 72 or complete the IA 1040A, then complete the IA 2210 (45-007). You will need the amount of tax you paid Iowa in 2008 in addition to completing the 2009 Iowa return.

Basic IA 2210 Calculation Criteria

• Installment period due dates are important. When a due date is missed, penalty applies in most cases.
• Payments are first carried back to any prior period with an underpayment.
• Any overpayments are carried forward to the next period.
• Any credit carryforward from prior year is applied to the April 30 installment.
• There may be more than one penalty calculation for an installment period if more than one payment was made in that period.
• Withholding is credited equally in each installment period.

Learn About the IA 2210 Form

Before you continue, take a look at this 2210 (pdf). The blue and red comments have been added for informational purposes. Do not use a copy of this form. [The actual form is available by clicking this link (pdf).]

The first 13 lines of the 2210 form determine how much tax the taxpayer should have paid.

The second part of the 2210 form determines what the penalty, if any, is on the tax that was not paid. Penalty is determined on a quarterly basis.

2210 Calculation Example 1

An individual taxpayer did not pay any Iowa income tax throughout the year.

Results: The taxpayer should have paid $1,000 each quarter, for a total of $4,000 for the entire year. This taxpayer owes 2210 penalty.

Take a look at this taxpayer's 2210 to see how the penalty was calculated and totaled.

2210 Calculation Example 2

An individual taxpayer made four estimate payments of Iowa income tax for a total of $4,000. Although the full amount was eventually paid, some payments were not timely.

Results: This taxpayer owes 2210 penalty. Why? It matters when the payments are made. If they are not timely, penalty is due.

First installment period (due April 30, 2009): No payment was made by 4/30/09; therefore, the taxpayer has a $1,000 underpayment and will be assessed penalty.

• The first payment of the year ($500) was made June 15, 2009. The second ($2,000) was two weeks later on June 30, 2009.
• The underpayment is paid by applying the $500 paid June 15 and $500 of the $2,000 paid June 30.
• The $500 paid June 15 has a penalty for 46 days (May 1 - June 15). The $500 paid June 30 has penalty for 61 days (May 1 - June 30).

Second installment period (due June 30, 2009): No penalty is charged for this period.

• The taxpayer had $1,500 remaining from the $2,000 paid June 30 to apply to this period.
• Of the remaining $1,500, $500 is carried forward to the next installment.

Third installment period (due September 30, 2009): Penalty is charged for this period. $500 of the June 30 payment carried over to this period; therefore, the taxpayer still owes $500 for this period.

• The taxpayer's third payment of $500 is made January 31, 2010, too late for the third period. This amount is applied to the third period.
• Penalty on this $500 is for 92 days for the October 1 - December 31, 2009, quarter AND 31 days for January 1 - 31, 2010.

Fourth installment period (due January 31, 2010): Since the taxpayer's January 31 payment applied to the third installment, penalty is due on $1,000.

• The $1,000 payment made February 25, 2010, is applied to this period's underpayment.
• Penalty on the $1,000 is for 25 days for February 1 - February 25, 2010.

Take a look at this taxpayer's 2210 to see how the penalty was calculated and totaled.