You pay federal estimated taxes to the IRS electronically through IRS Direct Pay, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), or your IRS online account, or by mailing a check with a payment voucher from Form 1040-ES. Payments are due four times a year: April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 of the following year. Missing a deadline or underpaying triggers an interest-style penalty, set at 7% for the first quarter of 2026 and 6% for the second.1Internal Revenue Service. Quarterly Interest Rates
The Four Quarterly Deadlines
Estimated tax runs on a quarterly schedule, but the “quarters” are not evenly spaced:
- April 15 — income from January 1 through March 31
- June 15 — income from April 1 through May 31
- September 15 — income from June 1 through August 31
- January 15 of the following year — income from September 1 through December 31
If a due date falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the deadline shifts to the next business day.2Internal Revenue Service. When Are Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments Due The Q2 period is only two months long, so the June payment arrives faster than people expect after writing the April check.
IRS Direct Pay
Direct Pay pulls money straight from your checking or savings account at no cost. There is no account to create. You enter your bank routing number, account number, Social Security number, and filing status each time you pay. Payments can be scheduled up to 365 days in advance, so you can set up all four quarterly payments in one session.3Internal Revenue Service. Direct Pay Help When you set up the payment, select “Estimated Tax” as the reason and choose the correct tax year.
EFTPS
EFTPS is a free system run by the U.S. Treasury that handles both individual and business tax payments.4Bureau of the Fiscal Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Electronic Federal Tax Payment System Unlike Direct Pay, it requires a one-time enrollment that takes up to five business days while the system verifies your information and mails you a PIN.5Internal Revenue Service. EFTPS – The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System Once you’re enrolled you can schedule payments up to a year ahead or pay by phone through the voice response system.
Timing matters here. EFTPS payments must be submitted by 8:00 p.m. ET at least one day before the due date to count as timely.6EFTPS. Welcome to EFTPS Online If the deadline is September 15, initiate the payment by 8:00 p.m. ET on September 14. Don’t assume same-day processing on the deadline itself.
IRS Online Account
Your IRS online account lets you make estimated tax payments, view your payment history, and see scheduled future payments in one place.7Internal Revenue Service. Payments Setting it up requires identity verification. Once you’re in, it’s the easiest way to confirm the IRS actually received and credited each payment to the right year.
Credit Card, Debit Card, or Digital Wallet
The IRS accepts card payments through authorized third-party processors, and the processors charge a fee that does not go to the IRS. Credit card fees run roughly 1.75% to 1.85% of the payment amount (minimum $2.50). Debit cards carry a flat fee of about $2.10 to $2.15.8Internal Revenue Service. Pay Your Taxes by Debit or Credit Card or Digital Wallet On a $5,000 estimated payment, a 1.75% credit card fee adds $87.50, which only pays off if the card’s rewards program returns more than that. For most people, a debit card or bank transfer is cheaper.
Paying by Mail
You can still pay by check or money order using the payment vouchers in the Form 1040-ES package.9Internal Revenue Service. Form 1040-ES Estimated Tax for Individuals (2026) Detach the voucher for the correct quarter, make the check payable to “United States Treasury,” and write your Social Security number, the tax year, and “Form 1040-ES” on the check. Mail the voucher and check to the IRS address listed in the 1040-ES instructions for your state of residence; the address varies by state, so check it each year. A payment postmarked on or before the due date counts as timely.
IRS2Go Mobile App
The official IRS2Go app connects you to Direct Pay and authorized card processors from your phone.10Internal Revenue Service. IRS2Go Mobile App It adds no new functionality; it’s a mobile shortcut to the same payment options available on the IRS website.
How Much to Send Each Quarter
Form 1040-ES includes a worksheet that walks you through projecting the year’s income, deductions, credits, and withholding to arrive at a total estimated tax, divided into four equal installments. The worksheet is for your use only; you don’t file it.
Many people skip the detailed projection and use the safe harbor instead. If you pay at least 100% of last year’s total tax (110% if your prior-year adjusted gross income exceeded $150,000, or $75,000 if married filing separately), spread evenly across the four quarters, you won’t owe an underpayment penalty regardless of how this year turns out.11Internal Revenue Service. Estimated Taxes Paying 90% of what you actually end up owing this year also keeps you penalty-free.
The safe harbor is a floor, not a ceiling. If your income jumped from last year and you paid only 100% (or 110%) of last year’s tax, you’ll still owe a large balance in April. No penalty, but you’ll need the cash on hand.
Adjusting Payments During the Year
If your income drops after you’ve already made one or two payments, you don’t have to keep sending the original amount. Recalculate using the amended estimated tax worksheet in IRS Publication 505 and lower the remaining installments.12Internal Revenue Service. Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax Pay the revised balance in equal shares across whatever deadlines are left.
The reverse applies too. If a big contract lands in Q3, increase the remaining payments. The IRS treats each quarter separately, so catching up at year-end does not fully undo an earlier shortfall.
Applying a Prior-Year Refund
Instead of taking a refund in cash, you can elect on your return to apply all or part of an overpayment toward this year’s estimated tax.13Internal Revenue Service. Amounts Applied From Previous Year The applied amount counts toward your first quarterly installment, and any excess carries forward to the later quarters.
Using W-4 Withholding Instead
If you have a regular paycheck alongside side income, you can skip estimated payments entirely by having your employer withhold more. The W-4 has a line for an additional flat dollar amount to withhold per pay period.11Internal Revenue Service. Estimated Taxes Withholding is treated as paid evenly across the year regardless of when it was actually taken, so extra withholding from a December paycheck can cover a Q1 or Q2 shortfall without penalty. That even-treatment rule makes extra withholding more forgiving than quarterly payments.
What Happens If You Underpay or Pay Late
The underpayment penalty is essentially a simple interest charge on the shortfall. The IRS applies the underpayment rate — the federal short-term rate plus three percentage points — to the amount you should have paid, running from the quarterly due date until you pay.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6654 – Failure by Individual To Pay Estimated Income Tax The rate is 7% for the first quarter of 2026 and drops to 6% in the second quarter, and the IRS updates it every three months.1Internal Revenue Service. Quarterly Interest Rates
Federal law exempts estimated tax penalties from the daily compounding rule that applies to other tax interest.15United States Code. 26 USC 6622 – Interest Compounded Daily A $2,000 quarterly shortfall at 7% works out to roughly $35 for each quarter the payment was late. Not catastrophic, but it adds up across multiple missed quarters.
The penalty can be waived in a few situations: a casualty, disaster, or other unusual circumstance that made timely payment unreasonable; or retirement after age 62 or disability during the tax year the payment was due (or the year before), when the underpayment was due to reasonable cause rather than neglect.16Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6654 – Failure by Individual To Pay Estimated Income Tax To request a waiver, file Form 2210 with your return, calculate the penalty, show the amount you’re asking the IRS to waive, and attach a written explanation with supporting documentation.
A Few Boundaries Worth Knowing
Federal estimated payments only cover your federal tax bill. If your state has an income tax, it almost certainly has its own estimated tax system with its own thresholds, forms, and deadlines; thresholds for triggering state payments range from as low as $100 to $1,000, and due dates often but not always match the federal schedule. Check your state’s department of revenue or franchise tax board.
If at least two-thirds of your gross income comes from farming or fishing, the standard quarterly schedule doesn’t apply. You can make a single estimated payment by January 15 of the following year, or skip estimated payments entirely by filing your annual return and paying everything owed by March 1.17Internal Revenue Service. Farmers and Fishermen