You can pay 1040-ES online through four channels: IRS Direct Pay (free, straight from a bank account), your IRS Online Account (same bank-account payment plus a full dashboard), an IRS-authorized card or digital wallet processor (for a fee), or the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) if you already have an account. Every route applies the money to the same quarterly obligation; what changes is the funding source, the fee, and how much setup is involved.1Internal Revenue Service. Estimated Taxes
What to Have Ready Before You Log In
Payment portals time out quickly, so pull everything together first.
- Your Social Security number or ITIN, which links the payment to your tax account.
- Filing status and mailing address from a prior-year return. Direct Pay and the Online Account verify your identity against a return already on file.2Internal Revenue Service. Direct Pay Help
- Your bank routing and account numbers if you’re paying by ACH.
- The form (“1040-ES”) and the tax year the payment covers. Selecting the wrong year is the most common way a payment ends up misapplied.
Paying With IRS Direct Pay
Direct Pay is free, needs no registration, and pulls straight from a checking or savings account. It handles single payments up to $10 million.3Internal Revenue Service. Direct Pay With Bank Account For most people making quarterly payments, it’s the simplest option.
Go to the Direct Pay page on irs.gov and choose the estimated tax option. Select “1040-ES” as the form and the tax year the payment applies to. Enter your personal information so the system can match it to a prior-year return, then enter your bank routing number, account number, and the amount.2Internal Revenue Service. Direct Pay Help
Review the details on the confirmation screen before authorizing. The system then issues a confirmation number. Save it. That number is your proof of payment if anything is ever questioned. You can schedule payments up to a year in advance, with a limit of five payments per 24-hour period.3Internal Revenue Service. Direct Pay With Bank Account Direct Pay goes down for maintenance daily from 11:45 p.m. to midnight Eastern time.2Internal Revenue Service. Direct Pay Help
Paying Through Your IRS Online Account
The Online Account does everything Direct Pay does and adds a dashboard: current balance, payment history, and any scheduled payments in one place.4Internal Revenue Service. Payments If you want a running record of every quarterly installment without saving each Direct Pay confirmation separately, this is the better route.
Setup runs through ID.me, which requires a government-issued photo ID and, in some cases, a video selfie. Once verified, log in, choose estimated tax, pick the tax year, enter your bank details, and confirm. Payment history stays inside the account.
Paying by Credit Card, Debit Card, or Digital Wallet
Card and wallet payments go through IRS-authorized third-party processors, which charge their own fees. Two processors currently accept 1040-ES payments:5Internal Revenue Service. Pay Your Taxes by Debit or Credit Card or Digital Wallet
- Pay1040: $2.15 flat fee for personal debit cards; 1.75% for credit cards (minimum $2.50). Accepts PayPal and Click to Pay.
- ACI Payments, Inc.: $2.10 flat fee for personal debit cards; 1.85% for credit cards (minimum $2.50). Accepts PayPal, Venmo, and Click to Pay.
On the processor’s site, choose the 1040-ES payment type, enter the tax year and amount, and complete the card or wallet transaction. The convenience fee goes to the processor, not the IRS.5Internal Revenue Service. Pay Your Taxes by Debit or Credit Card or Digital Wallet You’re capped at two card or wallet payments per quarter for estimated taxes.
The processor issues its own receipt, separate from any IRS notice. Keep it with your tax records. If you’re self-employed, the convenience fee may be deductible as a business expense. The IRS2Go mobile app connects to the same processors and to Direct Pay.1Internal Revenue Service. Estimated Taxes
Paying Through EFTPS
EFTPS is a free Treasury system that lets you schedule federal tax payments in advance. As of October 2025, the IRS stopped accepting new individual enrollments. New individual taxpayers need to use Direct Pay or the Online Account instead. Existing account holders can keep using EFTPS.6EFTPS. Welcome to EFTPS Online
For existing users, EFTPS accepts payments scheduled up to 120 days out, so you can queue all four quarterly payments at the start of the year. Logging in takes your taxpayer identification number, the PIN mailed during enrollment, and the password you set. The system keeps up to 16 months of payment history.7Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Your Guide for Paying Taxes
To cancel a scheduled payment, act at least two business days before the settlement date by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. A payment settling Monday can’t be canceled after 11:59 p.m. the previous Thursday. To change an amount, cancel the original and schedule a new one.8Bureau of the Fiscal Service. EFTPS Payment Instruction Booklet
2026 Quarterly Deadlines
Whichever channel you pick, the payment has to post by the deadline for the quarter it covers. Missing a due date triggers an interest-based penalty on the shortfall, even if you end up with a refund at filing.1Internal Revenue Service. Estimated Taxes For the 2026 tax year:
- April 15, 2026 for income earned January 1 through March 31.
- June 15, 2026 for income earned April 1 through May 31.
- September 15, 2026 for income earned June 1 through August 31.
- January 15, 2027 for income earned September 1 through December 31.
When a due date lands on a weekend or federal holiday, the deadline shifts to the next business day.9Internal Revenue Service. Estimated Tax
Paying on Time Isn’t the Same as Paying Enough
Making four payments by the deadlines protects you from a late-payment problem, not from an underpayment penalty. The IRS won’t charge a penalty at all if the tax on your return, minus withholding and refundable credits, comes in under $1,000.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6654 – Failure by Individual to Pay Estimated Income Tax – Section: Exceptions Above that, you’re covered if your combined withholding and estimated payments meet one of two safe harbors:9Internal Revenue Service. Estimated Tax
- At least 90% of the tax you’ll owe for 2026, or
- At least 100% of the total tax shown on your 2025 return (which must cover a full 12 months).
If your 2025 adjusted gross income was over $150,000 ($75,000 if married filing separately), the prior-year figure rises to 110%.11Internal Revenue Service. Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals Penalty Meeting either safe harbor blocks the penalty regardless of the balance you owe at filing.