How to pay federal quarterly tax estimates – Heard

For many taxpayers, the easiest way to submit what you owe through quarterly taxes is to pay your taxes electronically. You can submit your federal quarterly payment in various ways; however, for ease of use, we recommend paying online through the IRS website.

It’s important that you pay your quarterly estimated taxes each quarter. If you skip paying, you may be subject to an underpayment penalty and interest from the IRS.

Please note: These are individual tax payments. Please ensure you select 'Individual Tax Payment' as your payment category. You should pay your taxes with a personal bank account or card, not a business account.

There are multiple ways you can make your quarterly estimated tax payment to the IRS:

Pay from your IRS Account

The IRS uses ID.me, a technology provider, to provide identity verification and sign-in services. If you have an ID.me account, you can sign in without re-verifying your identity. If you’re a new user, you’ll have to create a new ID.me account.

Pay using your bank account with IRS Direct Pay

You can also make a payment without logging in or by debit/credit card.

Go to https://directpay.irs.gov/directpay/payment
From the drop-down menu for:
- Apply Payment To select Form 1040 - Income Tax
- Reason for Payment: select Estimated Tax
- Tax Period for Payment: Enter 2026

Click Continue.
A window will appear to verify your information; click Continue.
To verify your identity, select a previous tax year from the dropdown menu labeled 'Tax Year for Verification'. Please Note: This is not the payment year but the year you recently filed a tax return, for example, 2024.
Complete each required field to verify your identity.
Click the box for “I accept the Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act,” then click Continue.
Enter the payment amount and payment date.
Enter your bank account information and select the account type.
Click the box for “I would like to receive email confirmation notifications and agree to the Email Terms of Service.”
Enter your email address and click Continue.
A pop-up for Disclosure Authorization will appear; click I Agree.
Review your information; under Electronic Signature, enter your information.
Click the box for “I accept the Debit Authorization Agreement,” then click Submit.
A Confirmation page appears, where you may Print for your records. You should have also received an email confirmation.

Pay using a debit card, credit card or digital wallet

The IRS offers the option to pay using a payment processor, Pay1040 or ACI Payments, Inc, if you prefer to pay with a credit card or digital wallet for an additional processing fee. Please view Fees by processor before making a selection.

Pay 1040

Go to https://www.pay1040.com/
Click Pay Personal Taxes
Make the following selections

ACI Payments, Inc

Go to https://fed.acipayonline.com/index.jsp
Under "Personal - Tax Payment," click Form 1040 Series to expand.
From the options, click PAY next to 1040-ES - Estimated Tax - Tax Year 2025
Enter Payment Amount, select a Payment Option, and accept the terms to proceed.

Other Ways to Pay

You may also pay through the IRS2Go Mobile App, which allows you to make payments, receive tax tips, and check your refund status on annual returns.

If desired, you may also pay via check, money order, or with cash.

Note: If you have missed the Quarter 4 deadline for the tax estimate payment, the IRS does not offer an online payment option once the new calendar year begins.

Next Steps

Once you’ve made your payment, it is important that you upload your confirmation of payment to Heard.
If you require a copy of a previous quarter's confirmation of payment, you can access it again by reviewing our article, "How do I find my quarterly tax payment receipt?"
To pay your state's quarterly tax estimate, see Paying quarterly taxes by state and select your state.
Lastly, a note from the IRS on tax liability and penalty fees: Generally, most taxpayers will avoid this penalty if they owe less than $1,000 in tax after subtracting their withholdings and credits, or if they paid at least 90% of the tax for the current year, or 100% of the tax shown on the return for the prior year, whichever is smaller.