It’s easier. It’s greener. You can do it ahead of time- a whole year ahead, in fact. What’s not to like? Here is how to pay taxes online.
IRS Online Payment
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If you google “pay taxes online”, the irs.gov/payments webpage comes right up.
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This is how the page looks. To pay your taxes, you have the option of using a bank account or a debit/credit card. I will use a bank account since the card payment options have fees which make the benefit negligible for me.
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Paying your Taxes by Debit or Credit Card
Just to take a look at the fees for card payment, let’s click on that link for a second.
It brings you to this page.
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The page also lists the fees for debit card and credit card payments by the different Payment Processors the IRS uses.
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There’s no point in using a debit card- they accumulate no rewards and incur an additional fee.
The least expensive option for using a credit card is through Pay1040 at 1.87%. My credit card gives me 2% back. It’s a small difference. I decided it was not worth the trouble.
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Paying your Taxes Through a Bank Account
So we go back to the option of paying through a bank account, which the IRS calls “Direct Pay”.
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Clicking the Bank Account tab brings you to the following page. Hit “Make a Payment”.
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IRS Direct Pay
And you come to IRS DirectPay.
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You can directly reach IRS Direct Pay from Google with the second link that pops up.
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Now that you’re here, just follow the steps. They make it real simple.
Why are you making a payment? Since I am paying what I owe for 2019 taxes, I will choose “Tax Return or Notice”.
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The second question asks what the payment goes toward. Since it is part of my 2019 Federal Tax Return, I pick “1040/1040A/1040EZ”.
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Then specify that it is for Tax year 2019.
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At the end, the page looks like this with the information filled in.
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Confirm and continue.
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Identity Verification
The IRS needs to verify that you are indeed who you are.
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The verification is very simple. First I choose a year for which I’ve already filed taxes, say 2018. So they have the info for that year. They will match the details I provide against that.
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Verification details include:
- Name
- Tax Filing Status (for the year of verification)
- SSN or Tax ID
- Date of Birth, and
- Address
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You will immediately see yourself logged in with your name.
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Making the Payment
They make it easy to move the money from your account to theirs.
All you have to provide is:
- Payment amount
- Date to be debited: I use the date the payment is due on.
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You can schedule your payment to be debited up to a year in advance. And nearly until midnight on the day the payment is due.
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- Bank Routing Number
- Bank Account Number, and
- Type of Account
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Lastly, provide your email address for a confirmation notice.
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There is a Disclosure Authorization to allow the transfer to happen.
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You review that the details are correct and sign electronically.
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The transaction goes through and you get a confirmation number. This will also be on the email you receive.
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However, the email does not have details on the amount you paid. So, I prefer to make a print out for my records.
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This is how the confirmation email looks.
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Pay Estimated Tax Online
For those of us who have to make quarterly estimated tax payments, the process is the same.
In fact, I hit “Make Another Payment” above and it took me back to the beginning. I’m already verified and logged in.
All I do is choose “Estimated Tax” among the options and then proceed to pay in exactly the same way.
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That’s it, easy peasy. Make sure to log off and close your browser.
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Hope you find this helpful. Let me know if you have questions or comments below.