Can I Get a Refund for Overpaid Estimated Taxes Before Filing My 1040?

The short answer is that unfortunately, you'll need to wait until you file your tax return to get that overpayment back as a refund. The IRS doesn't have a mechanism to return estimated tax payments mid-year, even if you've clearly overpaid. The good news is that the IRS does pay interest on overpayments in some situations. They'll pay interest on your refund if they take more than 45 days after the filing deadline (or the date you actually filed, if later) to issue your refund. The interest rate changes quarterly - for 2025, it's currently around 7%, which is actually pretty decent. One important thing to keep in mind: any interest you receive from the IRS is considered taxable income, so you'll need to report it on next year's return.

I went through something similar last year and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which really helped me understand my withholding situation. I'd been trying to figure out if I could get my overpaid estimated taxes back early and was getting nowhere with the standard advice. What I liked about it was that it analyzed my pay stubs and withholding patterns and gave me super clear guidance about how much I should actually be paying in estimated taxes for the remaining quarters. It helped me avoid making the same mistake again and showed me that I was consistently overpaying throughout the year. Their withholding calculator is way more sophisticated than the IRS one, especially if you have multiple income sources or stock compensation like it sounds like you do.

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was exactly what I needed! I uploaded my paystubs and stock vesting statements, and it showed me that I was on track to overpay by almost $7,500 this year due to how my company handles RSU withholding. I was able to adjust my W-4 and skip my next estimated payment entirely. The visualization of quarterly payments versus actual tax liability was super helpful in understanding where the mismatch was happening. Definitely keeping this tool in my arsenal for next year when I have another big vesting event!

If you're really desperate to talk to the IRS about this situation, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation with overpaid estimated taxes and was getting nowhere trying to call the IRS directly. Was on hold for HOURS and kept getting disconnected. Claimyr got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed what others have said - you unfortunately have to wait until you file your return to get the money back. But they did give me some helpful advice about adjusting my future estimated payments to account for the overpayment. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the phone tree for you and call you back when they've got an agent on the line. Saved me a ton of frustration.

I have to eat my words here. I was super skeptical about Claimyr but decided to try it since I've been trying to reach the IRS about an issue with my estimated payments for weeks. IT ACTUALLY WORKED. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 25 minutes when I'd previously wasted entire afternoons on hold. The agent was able to confirm that while I can't get my overpaid estimated taxes back until filing, I could adjust my remaining payments to account for the overpayment. Not having to spend hours on hold was worth every penny. Sometimes it's okay to admit when you're wrong, and I was definitely wrong about this service.

Have you considered just reducing your remaining estimated tax payments for the year to compensate? If you've overpaid for Q4, you could potentially skip or reduce your next quarterly payment to balance things out.

Does anyone know if it's possible to apply the overpaid estimated taxes to next year instead of getting a refund? I'm expecting my income to go up next year, so it might make sense to just leave that money with the IRS.

I've been in a similar situation and unfortunately learned the hard way that there's really no mechanism to get estimated tax overpayments back mid-year. The IRS system just isn't set up for that - they basically treat all your payments (estimated taxes, withholding, etc.) as one big pot that gets reconciled when you file your return. One thing I wish I had known earlier is that you can actually calculate the "safe harbor" amount to avoid underpayment penalties. If you pay at least 100% of last year's tax liability (or 110% if your AGI was over $150k), you won't get hit with penalties even if you underpay during the year. This might help you feel more comfortable reducing future estimated payments if you find yourself in this situation again. Also, definitely file as early as possible in January to get that refund back quickly. I filed on January 20th last year and had my refund within 2 weeks via direct deposit.

I've been dealing with this exact issue for the past couple of years since I started getting RSUs. What really helped me was setting up a spreadsheet to track my withholding throughout the year - I include regular payroll withholding, supplemental withholding from stock vests, and my estimated payments all in one place. The key insight I learned is that supplemental income (like stock compensation) gets withheld at a flat 22% rate, which might not match your actual marginal tax rate. If you're in a lower bracket, you're probably overwithholding on those vests, and if you're in a higher bracket, you might be underwithholding despite it feeling like they're taking a ton. I now review my withholding situation after each major vesting event and adjust my remaining estimated payments accordingly. It's saved me from both overpaying (like your situation) and underpaying with penalties. The IRS actually has a pretty decent withholding calculator on their website that you can use mid-year to figure out if you need to adjust your W-4 or estimated payments. Unfortunately, you're stuck waiting for your refund, but at least you won't owe any penalties for overpaying!