How to override Form 3804 calculated amount for K1's? System using generated figure instead of actual payments

This is actually a common issue with CCH Axcess that I've encountered many times. The system is designed to pull the calculated liability from Form 3804 rather than your actual payments by default. To override this, you'll need to go to the "Payments/Penalties" worksheet in CCH Axcess. Look for the extension payment section and manually enter your actual payment amount there. Then check the box labeled "Override calculated amount" (it might be called something slightly different depending on your version). This tells the system to use your entered amount instead of the calculated figure. After making this change, you should regenerate the K1s and verify that they now show the correct payment amount. The system sometimes needs a full recalculation to properly apply the override.

I was having the exact same headache with Form 3804 calculations a few months ago and nearly lost my mind! After a ton of trial and error, I started using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it saved me so much time. Their software analyzed our CCH Axcess setup and identified exactly where the Form 3804 override settings were hiding - turns out it wasn't where the documentation said it would be. Their system showed me how to correctly set up the payment override and even helped troubleshoot why the K1s weren't updating properly after I made the change. Apparently there was a recalculation sequence I needed to follow for the changes to properly flow through to all the forms.

Just wanted to update everyone that I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here, and it was incredibly helpful! I had a similar issue with UltraTax where it wasn't allowing overrides on several calculated fields. I uploaded screenshots of my screen showing the issue, and within minutes got back detailed instructions with arrows pointing exactly where to click and which settings to change. Turns out there was a global setting affecting my ability to override calculated values that wasn't mentioned anywhere in the documentation. Saved me hours of frustration and prevented some potentially embarrassing errors on client returns. Definitely keeping this tool in my arsenal for future tax software headaches!

If you're still having trouble with CCH Axcess and Form 3804, you might want to try calling their support directly. I know it can be nearly impossible to get through to them, especially during busy season - I once spent 2.5 hours on hold only to get disconnected! But I recently discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which has been a game changer. They actually get you through to CCH support without the ridiculous wait times. I had a similar override issue with extension payments last month, and using Claimyr I was able to get through to a senior CCH technician in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - saved me a full afternoon of being stuck on hold while my other work piled up.

I need to eat my words about being skeptical. After seeing the responses here, I decided to try Claimyr yesterday when I had an urgent issue with a complicated return and CCH's online knowledge base was no help. I expected it to be a waste of time but figured it was worth trying since I needed an answer ASAP. I put in my request around 1pm, and at 1:45 my phone rang - it was an actual CCH support specialist! They walked me through fixing our Form 3804 issue (which turned out to be related to a partnership allocation setting that was causing the override to be ignored). The CCH tech actually told me they had 150+ people in the support queue at that moment, so I would have been waiting for 4+ hours if I'd called directly. Definitely using this service from now on when we have urgent software issues.

Has anyone found a permanent fix for this Form 3804 issue? We're having the same problem every single time we do an extension for our partnership returns. I'd rather fix the underlying problem than have to do manual overrides for every return.

Does anyone know if ProSeries handles this better? We're considering switching tax software next year and this Form 3804 override issue is one of many frustrations we've had with CCH.

I've dealt with this exact CCH Axcess issue multiple times! Here's what worked for me: First, make sure you're looking in the right place - in newer versions of CCH Axcess, the override isn't always in the obvious spot. Go to the partnership return, then look for "Form 3804" in the left navigation panel. Click directly on that form rather than going through the Payments section. Once you're on Form 3804 itself, you should see both the "Calculated Extension Amount" and a field for "Extension Payment Made." The key is to enter your actual payment amount in that second field, then look for a small dropdown or radio button that says something like "Use payment amount for K-1 reporting" or "Override calculated amount for distributions." After making this change, you MUST regenerate all the K-1s from scratch - just recalculating won't always pick up the override. Go to Forms > K-1s and click "Regenerate All" rather than just "Calculate." One more tip: if you're still having trouble, check the partnership's "Allocation Methods" settings. Sometimes there's a global setting that forces the software to use calculated amounts regardless of your overrides. Hope this helps - I know how frustrating this can be!