How to Pay Your Taxes: 10 Ways to Make a Tax Payment in 2025

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How to pay federal taxes online
1. IRS Direct Pay
- Can be done online.
- Can schedule payments up to 365 days in advance.
- Change or cancel a scheduled/pending IRS payment until two days before the payment date.
- Can get email notifications about your payment.
- Can make same-day payments.
- Also works for estimated tax payments, installment agreement payments, amended return payments, and tax extension payments
.
- Can’t make more than two payments in a 24-hour period.
- Payment takes up to two business days to come out of your account.
- Can’t pay from an international bank account unless it has a U.S. affiliate.
- Federal: $79 to $139. Free version available for Simple Form 1040 returns only.
- State: $0 to $69 per state.
- Expert help or full service filing is available with an upgrade to Live packages for a fee.
2. Electronic funds withdrawal (EFW)
- Can be done online via tax-prep software or through your tax preparer.
- Also works for estimated quarterly taxes and certain business payments
. - Individual payments and select business payments can be scheduled until your return due date.
- You can use a different bank account for each payment you submit.
- If the wrong amount was withdrawn, you may need to wait for the Treasury Department to return the money.
- If you need to cancel a payment, you must wait seven to 10 days after your return is accepted before calling the IRS e-file payment services hotline
. - Once the IRS accepts your return, you aren't able to modify the payment amount or account information. Instead, you'll have to cancel the payment and select another method.
3. The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)
- Works for paying all federal taxes, including business taxes.
- Can schedule payments up to a year in advance.
- Can submit same-day payments
. - Can be done online or via phone 24/7.
- Change or cancel a scheduled IRS payment until two days before the payment date.
- Can get email notifications about your payment.
- Can take longer to set up than Direct Pay.
- Your bank may charge a fee if you have it initiate the payment for you (rather than scheduling the payment yourself on the EFTPS website or via phone).
4. Debit card
- Can be done online or over the phone.
- Works with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, STAR, Pulse, NYCE, Cirrus, Accel, AFFN, Interlink, Shazam, Maestro and Jeanie. You can also use certain digital wallets (such as Venmo, PayPal and Click to Pay).
- Processing fees.
- Payments of $100,000 or more may require special coordination with the processor.
- You have to contact the card processor to cancel a payment.
- Your information goes through a third party.
- Federal: $79 to $139. Free version available for Simple Form 1040 returns only.
- State: $0 to $69 per state.
- Expert help or full service filing is available with an upgrade to Live packages for a fee.
5. Credit card
- Can be done online or over the phone.
- Works with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, STAR, Pulse, NYCE, Cirrus, Accel, AFFN, Interlink, Shazam, Maestro and Jeanie. You can also use certain digital wallets (such as Venmo, PayPal and Click to Pay).
- Fees usually cancel out the value of miles or other rewards earned for using your credit card.
- High interest rate may apply if you carry the balance on your credit card.
- Putting a large amount on your credit card could affect your credit score.
- You have to contact the card processor to cancel a payment.
- Your information goes through a third party.
6. Mobile via IRS2Go
- Mobile-friendly.
- Can generate login security codes for certain online services (rather than sending them via text message).
- Can also use the app to find free tax software and tax help.
- Only Direct Pay, credit card and debit card payment methods are mobile-friendly.
- Using Direct Pay via the app is free, but paying with debit or credit cards still comes with a processing fee.
Other ways to pay your taxes
7. Same-day wire transfer
- Speedy money transfer.
- Your financial institution decides the availability, cost and cut-off times for the wire.
- You have to fill out a worksheet and take it to your bank first.
- You must fill out a separate worksheet for each IRS payment you make.
- The transfer is final once processed.
8. Check, money order or cashier’s check
- You don’t need a bank account to get a money order.
- You may not need a bank account to get a cashier’s check.
- Money orders and cashier’s checks can’t bounce.
- Money orders and cashier’s checks are trackable, so you can verify receipt.
- You have to go to the bank or another provider to get a money order or cashier’s check.
- Money orders typically have a $1,000 limit.
- Mailed.
- Regular checks can bounce if there’s not enough money in the account or you don’t have enough overdraft protection.
9. Cash
- Doesn’t require a bank account.
- Could be cheaper and more convenient than getting a money order or cashier’s check.
- Available in all 50 states.
- No daily limit on number of payments.
- Limit of $500 per payment.
- Getting the cash may require a trip to a bank.
- Might involve carrying a large amount of cash.
10. IRS payment plan or installment agreement
- Sign up online fairly easily on your own (also by phone, mail or in person).
- Most taxpayers qualify.
- Lets the IRS know you’re making an effort to pay.
- Can arrange to have payments automatically come out of your account (direct debit).
- Plans can be restructured, modified or reinstated.
- Getting on a payment plan reduces your late-payment penalty from 0.5% to 0.25% per month
.
- Penalties and interest accrue until the balance is paid in full.
- There’s a fee to sign up for a long-term payment plan, though low-income taxpayers get a discount.
- Can’t owe more than $50,000 in combined tax, interest and penalties to get on a long-term plan.
- Can’t owe more than $100,000 in combined tax, interest and penalties to get on a short-term plan.
How do you pay your federal tax bill?
Can you files taxes and pay later?
Article sources
- 1. Internal Revenue Service. Pay personal taxes from your bank account. Accessed Jan 31, 2025.
- 2. Internal Revenue Service. EFTPS: The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System. Accessed Jan 31, 2025.
- 3. U.S. Department of the Treasury. Electronic Federal Tax Payment System. Accessed Jan 31, 2025.
- 4. Internal Revenue Service. Pay Your Taxes by Debit or Credit Card or Digital Wallet. Accessed Jan 31, 2025.
- 5. Internal Revenue Service. Same-Day Wire Federal Tax Payments. Accessed Jan 31, 2025.
- 6. Internal Revenue Service. Pay by Check or Money Order. Accessed Jan 31, 2025.
- 7. Internal Revenue Service. Electronic Funds Withdrawal for Businesses. Accessed Jan 31, 2025.
- 8. U.S. Department of the Treasury. EFTPS: Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed Jan 31, 2025.
- 9. Internal Revenue Service. Failure to Pay Penalty.
- 10. Internal Revenue Service. Payment Options Available Through Direct Pay. Accessed Jan 31, 2025.
- 11. Internal Revenue Service. Pay Taxes by Electronic Funds Withdrawal. Accessed Jan 31, 2025.
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