Offer Direct Debit for Est Tax Pmts?

I use Drake and it provides the ability to use direct debit for clients to pay their federal and state estimated tax payments. I used this last year (2021) for the first time and immediately regretted it. Drake evidently had not tested the debits for my state before releasing the program and it turned out they did not work. Immediately after the April 18 payment due date I started getting calls from clients to tell me their state payment had not happened. It turned into a big ordeal that cost me hours to resolve, with Drake having to create a special programming feature in coordination with my state to re-transmit the debits, and of course the first payment was late. Therefore I am more than a little reluctant to offer this to my clients again for 2022 and instead think I will just urge them to make their estimated tax payments at IRS.gov and our state's website.

I'm curious to know if others offer DD for estimated tax payments and what their experience is.

I did it once with one client and I won't do it again. Too much of a pain if they want to cancel, change the amount, etc. They can do it on their own quite easily now and have full control; they don't need our software like they once did.

I offer it. I have several clients who insist on it. So far, nobody has expressed any regret.

I do not offer this. If something goes wrong, I don't want to be blamed!

I use Drake. I may have misunderstood, but if you schedule estimated tax payments, aren't you locked in to those amounts? Most of my clients that bother to pay estimates choose to vary them based on projected income.

I offer it.
Every year more clients choose it.

You can cancel a federal payment by calling the number that prints on the tax return letter. That's all you can do by calling.

For some states, each quarter is a separate filing, so you could transmit closer to the due date.
Each state has different procedures for cancelling/changing payments.

If you do this, double/triple/quadruple check the bank info.
Last year there was a typo in a client's account number. I spent hours getting the state ones cancelled (MD told me to call my software company, which I knew was wrong) and then setting up new payments online for federal and MD.

I use Drake. I may have misunderstood, but if you schedule estimated tax payments, aren't you locked in to those amounts? Most of my clients that bother to pay estimates choose to vary them based on projected income.

Yes. Once you've transmitted the ACH debits they can be canceled but not edited. IMO this is another reason using IRS.gov Make A Payment is a better choice.

I provide vouchers and educate clients regarding IRS Direct Pay and state equivalents. More flexibility and less headache. I also send out targeted eblasts 2-3 weeks before each deadline reminding those clients.

I do this for only a few specific clients and if the amounts are not large.

It's just too much work and hassle considering my very high tax prep volume.

In general, I suggest they use IRS.gov/payments, etc.

If they prefer to mail a check, I provide vouchers.