CA FTB 2023 extension payment on hold as Other Payment/Credit?

Hi there,

I made CA FTB extension payments before April 15 and filed my California taxes before October 15. My total tax withholding for 2023, combined with my extension payments, exceeded the amount of tax I owed. Based on this, I expected to receive a refund for the difference (e.g., $5,000).

However, I recently received my CA FTB tax refund, and it’s significantly smaller than expected (e.g., $500). When I checked my MyFTB account, I noticed that the $4,500 difference between my expected and actual refund is listed under Account > Estimated Payments & Credits as Other Payment/Credit for 2023.

Additionally, under Account > Payment History, I see that some extension payments are categorized as Type: Extension Payment with Status: Applied, while others are listed as Type: Miscellaneous with Status: Suspense. The "Suspense" payments total $4,500, which matches the "Other Payment/Credit" amount mentioned above.

Does anyone know why these payments are being treated this way? Before contacting FTB customer service (which can be quite challenging to reach), I’d like to understand the situation better and prepare accordingly.

Thank you very much for your insights!