Online With Direct Pay
The IRS doesn’t charge a processing fee for this option. You can schedule payments up to 30 days in advance. You can also cancel or change them up to two business days before you’ve scheduled them. The only downside is that you must re-enter your personal, identifying information each time you use Direct Pay, which can be a bit of a nuisance. The system doesn’t save it for you. You can’t set up an account there. But it does get the job done quickly and efficiently. You can receive instant email confirmation of your payments for your records if you request it.
From Your Bank Account Using EFTPS.gov
You can schedule payments up to 365 days in advance for any tax due to the IRS when you register with the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). As with Direct Pay, you can cancel or change payments up to two business days before the transmittal date. EFTPS is a good choice if:
You want to schedule all of your estimated tax payments at the same timeYour payments are particularly largePayments are related to your business
The Treasury Department operates EFTPS. It doesn’t charge any processing fees. It can handle any type of federal tax payment, including:
1040 balance due paymentsExtension paymentsCorporate taxesPayroll taxes
You must enroll with EFTPS, but the site saves your account information. You don’t have to keep re-entering it each time you want to make a payment. You’ll receive an email with a confirmation number for each transaction. EFTPS saves your payment history for up to 16 months.
Online by Debit or Credit Card
You can pay the IRS by credit or debit card, but you must use one of the approved payment processors. Three processors are available. You can access any of them on the IRS website or through the IRS2Go mobile app:
PayUSATax.com Pay1040.com ACI Payments, Inc.
They all charge a processing fee, which can vary, but this fee might be tax-deductible, depending on your tax situation. It’s usually a flat fee for a debit card transaction or a small percentage of your payment if you’re using a credit card. Your credit card company might charge you interest as well. You can’t cancel payments using the credit card or debit card option.
Pay by Check or Money Order
You can always make a check payable to the United States Treasury if you prefer sidestepping the internet and you want to make a conventional payment. Be sure to write your Social Security number, the tax form number, and the tax year in the memo field of your paper check. Send the check along with Form 1040-V, which is a payment voucher, but don’t staple or paperclip them together. Mail it to the appropriate address shown on page 2 of Form 1040-V, or you can find the correct address for the nature of your payment and your state of residence on the IRS website. These addresses vary depending on your state of residence and whether you’re also submitting a payment. They can change periodically. Be sure to access them from returns for the current tax year or directly on the website.
Pay in Person
You can pay at your local IRS office if you’re concerned about hacking, fraud, or scams. Make an appointment online before going to the office so you won’t have to wait or go back another day. One similar option is to visit an IRS “retail partner,” one of more than 7,000 participating retail stores nationwide that will transmit your payment to the IRS for you. Check out the list of participating stores, and follow the directions to make a payment in person. Both options let you pay by cash, check, or money order, but don’t choose this option if your payment is due tomorrow. It generally takes stores at least two business days, and sometimes up to five to seven days, to process payments.
Pay With Electronic Funds Withdrawal
You can usually set up a direct debit from your checking account if you use tax preparation software to e-file your return or if you enlist the services of a tax professional. This option involves entering your bank account and routing numbers into the program. It’s only available to taxpayers who e-file.
Pay With a Bank Wire Transfer
Banks can set up same-day wire transfers payable to the IRS, although they generally don’t advertise it. Fees for this service can vary from negligible to significant, depending on the size of the payment.
If You Need an Extension of Time to File
Some taxpayers might find that they can’t make the tax filing date. You can typically take an extension by filing Form 4868 with the IRS (instead of a tax return) by the tax filing deadline, giving you until October 18, 2022, to submit your return. But any payment you owe is still due by the original tax due date, which is April 18 in 2022 for 2021 tax returns. You should submit your tax payment along with your extension request. You’ll receive a refund if you remit too much, but you’ll owe the IRS more if you later complete your return only to realize that you’ve underpaid for the year. You can ask the IRS to work with you and set up a payment plan if you have difficulty paying the full amount of tax you owe.
