Federal quarterly estimated tax deadlines for the 2026 tax year fall on April 15, 2026, June 15, 2026, September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. Each installment covers 25% of what the IRS calls your required annual payment, and you generally owe estimated tax if you expect to end the year owing at least $1,000 after withholding and refundable credits.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6654 – Failure by Individual to Pay Estimated Income Tax Miss a deadline or underpay, and interest starts accruing on that specific installment until the shortfall is covered.
The Four 2026 Deadlines
The tax year is split into four payment periods, and they are not the same length:
- April 15, 2026 — income earned January 1 through March 31
- June 15, 2026 — income earned April 1 through May 31
- September 15, 2026 — income earned June 1 through August 31
- January 15, 2027 — income earned September 1 through December 31
The second period runs only two months. The fourth stretches across four months but the payment is not due until mid-January of the following year. If you file your 2026 return and pay the full balance by January 31, 2027, you can skip the January 15 installment entirely.
When a due date lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, it moves to the next business day.2Internal Revenue Service. When to Pay Estimated Tax The payment has to be received or postmarked by the deadline. Initiating a transfer that settles later does not count.
Who Has to Pay Quarterly
The $1,000 threshold is the trigger. If the total tax on your return, minus withholding and refundable credits, comes to $1,000 or more, the IRS expects you to have paid it in installments during the year.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6654 – Failure by Individual to Pay Estimated Income Tax This most commonly hits freelancers, independent contractors, landlords, and people with meaningful investment income. It also catches W-2 workers whose withholding falls short because of side income, stock sales, or outdated W-4 elections.
One narrow exemption: if you had zero tax liability in the prior year and were a U.S. citizen or resident for the full 12 months, you are not required to make estimated payments this year regardless of what you expect to owe.
How Much Each Installment Should Be
You do not have to predict your final tax bill to the dollar. Two safe harbors protect you from the underpayment penalty, and meeting either one is enough. Your required annual payment is the lesser of:3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6654 – Failure by Individual to Pay Estimated Income Tax
- 90% of the tax shown on your current-year return, or4Internal Revenue Service. Pay as You Go, So You Won’t Owe
- 100% of the tax shown on your prior-year return.
Divide that amount by four, subtract any expected withholding evenly across the quarters, and you have your installment.
Higher earners pay a bumped-up version of the prior-year rule. If your adjusted gross income exceeded $150,000 in the preceding year, or $75,000 if married filing separately, the prior-year safe harbor rises to 110%.5Internal Revenue Service. Individuals – Estimated Tax FAQs Many taxpayers with volatile income simply pay 110% of last year’s total in four equal installments and settle up at filing time.
First-year filers and anyone who did not file a return for the prior year cannot use the prior-year safe harbor at all. The 90%-of-current-year path is the only option.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6654 – Failure by Individual to Pay Estimated Income Tax
Calculating the Number
Form 1040-ES contains the full worksheet. You project adjusted gross income, subtract the standard deduction or itemized deductions and any qualified business income deduction, apply the 2026 rate schedules, add alternative minimum tax if it applies, then subtract nonrefundable credits. Add self-employment tax and any other taxes such as the additional Medicare tax or net investment income tax. Subtract refundable credits. That total is your projected tax for the year.6Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Form 1040-ES
If income changes mid-year, redo the math. You are allowed to raise or lower later installments to reflect what actually happened; the first voucher does not lock you in.
Don’t Forget Self-Employment Tax
Self-employed people owe both halves of Social Security and Medicare, totaling 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare.7Internal Revenue Service. Self-Employment Tax (Social Security and Medicare Taxes) The Social Security portion stops at the wage base, $184,500 for 2026.8Social Security Administration. Contribution and Benefit Base Medicare has no cap, and earnings above $200,000 (or $250,000 for joint filers) carry an additional 0.9% surtax. Self-employment tax is often what pushes a side-business filer past the $1,000 threshold in the first place. A freelancer earning $50,000 owes roughly $7,065 in self-employment tax alone before any income tax at all.
If Your Income Is Wildly Uneven
Seasonal businesses, commissioned salespeople, and investors who take large gains late in the year can use the annualized income installment method to match each installment to the income actually earned in that period rather than paying four equal amounts. You complete Schedule AI on Form 2210 at year-end.9Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 2210 The trade-off is more recordkeeping and a more complex return, but for genuinely uneven income it can be the difference between a penalty and none.
How to Pay
The IRS offers several electronic options, all of which credit the payment to the current quarter as long as it clears by the deadline.
IRS Direct Pay is the simplest choice for individuals. It is free, requires no account, and debits your bank account directly. Select “Estimated Tax” as the payment reason. You can change or cancel a scheduled payment up to two business days before the settlement date, and the ceiling is $10 million per payment.10Internal Revenue Service. Direct Pay with Bank Account If you have never filed a return, or your last filing was more than six years ago, Direct Pay will not verify you and you need another route.
IRS Online Account and EFTPS. The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System lets you schedule payments up to 365 days ahead, which is handy for locking in all four installments at once.11Internal Revenue Service. EFTPS – The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System New individual enrollments in EFTPS are no longer accepted; individuals are directed to pay through their IRS Online Account instead. Existing EFTPS users can keep using the system, and businesses still enroll through EFTPS normally.
Credit or debit card. IRS-approved processors accept cards, but they charge fees the IRS does not receive. Debit card fees run about $2.10 to $2.15 per transaction; credit card fees run 1.75% to 1.85% of the payment.12Internal Revenue Service. Pay Your Taxes by Debit or Credit Card or Digital Wallet On large estimated payments those percentages add up fast, so bank-based methods usually win.
What Happens If You Miss or Underpay a Quarter
The underpayment penalty is not a flat fine. It is an interest charge, calculated separately for each installment based on the size of the shortfall, how long it went unpaid, and the IRS quarterly interest rate in effect during that period.13Internal Revenue Service. Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals Penalty
The rate for individuals is 7% for the first quarter of 2026 and 6% for the second quarter.14Internal Revenue Service. Quarterly Interest Rates Interest compounds daily from the date each installment was due until it is paid. A shortfall on the April 15 payment therefore accrues interest for far longer than one on the January 15 payment.
You can owe this penalty even when you are due a refund at filing. Because it is computed per installment, catching up with a large fourth-quarter payment does not erase interest already accrued on missed earlier deadlines.
When the Penalty Can Be Waived
The IRS can waive the underpayment penalty in specific situations:
- A federally declared disaster or other unusual circumstance made timely payment impractical.
- You retired after reaching age 62 or became disabled during the current or prior tax year, and the underpayment was due to reasonable cause.
- Your income was uneven enough that the annualized income installment method eliminates or reduces the penalty for specific quarters.
Waivers are not automatic. Request one by filing Form 2210 with your return and checking the appropriate box.13Internal Revenue Service. Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals Penalty The IRS occasionally issues broader relief after major disasters or mid-year law changes.
Farmers and Fishermen Follow a Different Schedule
If at least two-thirds of your gross income comes from farming or fishing in either the current or prior year, the four-installment schedule does not apply. You can make a single estimated payment by January 15 following the tax year, and the safe harbor drops from 90% to 66⅔% of the current year’s tax.6Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Form 1040-ES Alternatively, filing the annual return and paying the full balance by March 1 avoids estimated payments altogether.15Internal Revenue Service. Farmers, Fishermen Face March 1 Tax Deadline
State Deadlines Are Separate
Most states with an income tax also require quarterly estimated payments, and the thresholds that trigger them are often lower than the federal $1,000, typically somewhere between $250 and $1,000. State due dates usually mirror the federal schedule but not always, and states without an individual income tax have no estimated payment requirement at all. Check your state department of revenue for the specifics; state penalties apply on top of any federal ones and states are often less flexible about waivers.