FreeTaxUSA predicts I'll owe more than expected. How do I pay in advance to avoid penalty?

I think the OP was done anyway.

In terms of using prior year taxes safe harbor, if I go into what I expect will be a low taxable income year after a high taxable income year, I switch to the annualized income (AI) method of calculating and paying estimated taxes. This method tracks your actual income YTD at the end of each tax quarter, uses that to estimate total year income, and pays a prorated amount for estimated taxes each quarter. This method almost always requires filing form 2210. It’s more of a pain each quarter, but not nearly as painful as way overpaying estimated taxes and waiting on a big refund.
 
I think the OP was done anyway.

In terms of using prior year taxes safe harbor, if I go into what I expect will be a low taxable income year after a high taxable income year, I switch to the annualized income (AI) method of calculating and paying estimated taxes. This method tracks your actual income YTD at the end of each tax quarter, uses that to estimate total year income, and pays a prorated amount for estimated taxes each quarter. This method almost always requires filing form 2210. It’s more of a pain each quarter, but not nearly as painful as way overpaying estimated taxes and waiting on a big refund.

I'd never had a need to even know of the existence of form 2210 as my taxes were easy to file for many years and I simply used TurboTax. It wasn't until the death of my mother and my associated inheritance that I had to start using my mother's CPA to try to sort out her estate and the effects it had on my income. Gad ... that was a long and difficult experience; but obviously beneficial. Mom's estate turned out to be one of the most convoluted returns they had ever handled ... and they've been at this for decades.

I have to say that my mother's CPA, who is supposed to specialize in tax returns for the elderly, missed several things along the way that I had to "discover" on my own. I ended up getting additional tax refunds due to re-filing the 2022 tax return for myself and the estate based on my discoveries. Not good ...

They were the ones who suggested I pay the quarterly estimated taxes because the estate was still active and we were still trying to divest ourselves of certain estate assets; which might have affected our income.
 
Wow, what a story!

That’s quite painful having to check up on a professional CPA like that and even correct/refile! Sometimes you have to do this to protect your interests. Definitely worth it when it comes down to it. I had to deal with/learn a lot as executor of DFs estate which included a large farm property.
 
My parents lived a very moderate life but it turned out that they had made some extremely smart investments along the way that resulted in a fairly substantial estate. But, they also had investments and properties and accounts spread out over dozens of states, and investment firms, etc. Not all were clearly documented, so it took me years, as POA and then executor, to get thing figured out after my Dad passed. That said, I have no reason to complain; they blessed us all.
 
My parents lived a very moderate life but it turned out that they had made some extremely smart investments along the way that resulted in a fairly substantial estate. But, they also had investments and properties and accounts spread out over dozens of states, and investment firms, etc. Not all were clearly documented, so it took me years, as POA and then executor, to get thing figured out after my Dad passed. That said, I have no reason to complain; they blessed us all.
OMG!
 
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