How to pay federal estimated taxes.
The IRS takes estimated payments online through Direct Pay: free, from your bank account, with no account to set up. Here’s every screen, step by step. Not sure what to pay? See how much to pay.
Paying the IRS, step by step
What you need
- A federal return you filed in the last six years, to verify your identity.
- Your bank routing and account numbers.
- About five minutes. No account or sign-in is required.
- Go to Direct Pay. Open IRS Direct Pay and click “Pay individual tax.”
- Click “Pay individual tax” under Personal tax payments.
- Choose what you are paying. Select Form 1040 - Income Tax, then Estimated Tax, then type the year the income is earned. A January 2027 payment covers 2026.
- Apply Payment To: Form 1040 - Income Tax.
- Reason for Payment: Estimated Tax.
- Tax Period for Payment: the year the income is earned.
- Confirm your choices. Direct Pay repeats them back. If it does not say Estimated Tax and the year you meant, click Cancel and fix it.
- Check that it says Estimated Tax and the right year.
- Then click Continue. If anything is wrong, click Cancel and fix it.
- Verify your identity. Enter your filing status, name, Social Security number, date of birth, and address exactly as they appear on that return, even if you have moved. Filing jointly? Use the first spouse listed.
- Pick any year you filed. It does not have to match the payment year.
- Enter the payment. Type the amount twice, pick a date on or before the deadline, and enter your bank details. You can schedule payments up to 365 days ahead, so you can set up all four in January. Choose an email confirmation, then accept the agreement and submit.
- Save your record. Screenshot the confirmation page and note the date, amount, and confirmation number. The confirmation email leaves out the amount and date, and you need the number to change or cancel the payment (allowed up to two business days before it goes out).
The IRS will not fill these payments in for you. Your preparer has to enter each estimated payment on your return. Keep your own record and send it to whoever prepares your taxes.
Other ways to pay: an IRS Online Account (free, shows every payment you have made) or a card through an IRS-approved processor (1.75% to 1.85% for credit cards, about $2 for debit cards). EFTPS is closing to individuals, so use Direct Pay instead.
Paying a federal extension
If you are filing on extension, you still have to pay what you owe for last year by April 15. An extension payment is not the same as an estimated payment, and mixing them up is one of the most common and costly mistakes: if you send last year's balance as an estimate, it gets applied to the new year, your old balance looks unpaid, and penalties and interest start on money you already sent.
The IRS and each state need separate payments, so pay your state extension on its own site. If you are also making this year's first estimate on April 15, submit it as its own transaction.
- Open Direct Pay and click “Pay individual tax.”
- Choose Form 1040 - Income Tax, then Extension, then last year as the tax period. The Extension option appears during filing season and disappears after the October deadline.
- Verify, pay, and save the confirmation, the same as an estimated payment. Paying this way files your federal extension automatically, so you do not need to send Form 4868.
Your state payment
Your federal payment does not cover your state. Pay it separately on your state's site: see the guide for your state.
This guide is for general education and reflects rules as of October 2026. Tax law and agency websites change, and your situation may have details that change the answer. Please talk with your tax professional before acting on it.