Why do I have to mail a check to pay for my taxes owed to CA with an extension?

jules

I'm filing an extension, and I'd like to pay the estimated amount owed for both federal and state (CA). FreeTaxUSA says I can pay for federal through a bank transfer, but it says I need to mail a check for state. Why is that? Is it because I'm filing an extension? If I filed the taxes without an extension, would I be able to pay both the federal and state by bank transfer? Mailing a check is more of a hassle.

I'm trying to pay through the FTB site to avoid mailing a check. I hope they'll let me pay the estimated amount owed through bank transfer. I see that we don't need to file an extension on the FTB site, and they'll automatically grant a 6-month extension, but we still need to pay on time, or we'll get penalties. Is that correct?

MatthewD

Hello,

When you file a state extension, most states do not have an online portal for filing an extension payment, so you need to pay with a voucher and mail in a payment.

Even though the state grants an automatic extension you must make an extension payment to avoid the late payment penalties.