Paying a federal tax bill online doesn’t necessarily require creating another account—or paying a processing fee to use a credit or debit card.
The Internal Revenue Service issued a reminder September 10 that its Direct Pay service allows taxpayers to send federal tax payments directly from a checking or savings account for free. No registration or IRS Online Account is required.
The tool can be useful for taxpayers paying a balance due, making estimated tax payments, paying after filing an amended return, requesting certain filing extensions, or handling several other federal tax obligations.
Here’s what taxpayers should know before using it.
Direct Pay Doesn’t Require an IRS Account
IRS Direct Pay works differently from the agency’s Individual Online Account.
Taxpayers using Direct Pay make a one-time payment without signing in or registering for an account. Individual taxpayers instead answer identity-verification questions using information from a prior-year tax return they select.
For businesses, the system verifies the business name and employer identification number against IRS records.
Payments are made directly from a checking or savings account at a U.S. financial institution using the bank’s routing and account numbers.
The IRS describes Direct Pay as both free and secure.
You Can Use It for More Than a Tax Bill
Direct Pay isn’t limited to paying the balance shown on an annual income tax return.
Individual taxpayers can use it for numerous payment types, including balance-due payments, estimated taxes, amended returns, installment agreements and certain extension payments.
Business taxpayers can use Direct Pay for balance-due payments, federal tax deposits and other eligible federal tax payments.
There is an important rule for married couples filing jointly: taxpayers generally need to enter information for the spouse whose name appears first on the joint tax return when making the payment.
The IRS provides a list of eligible payment types through its Direct Pay Help resources.
Payments Can Be Scheduled Up to a Year Ahead
Direct Pay also offers some flexibility for people who don’t want the money withdrawn immediately.
The IRS says taxpayers can make a same-day payment or schedule one as far as 365 days in advance. That could be particularly useful for someone planning estimated tax payments or preparing ahead for a known tax deadline.
After submitting a payment request, taxpayers receive a confirmation number and can also choose to receive confirmation by email.
Keep that number.
It is needed if you later want to look up, change, or cancel the payment. The IRS generally allows a scheduled Direct Pay payment to be changed or canceled up to two business days before its scheduled date.
One limitation is that Direct Pay handles one payment at a time rather than establishing an automatic recurring-payment schedule.
There Are Several Important Limits
Direct Pay isn’t available for every taxpayer or every situation.
People who have never filed a federal tax return—or who haven’t filed one in more than six years—may need to choose another IRS payment method because Direct Pay relies on prior return information for individual identity verification.
The service also cannot be used to have a tax refund directly deposited into your bank account. Despite the similar terminology, Direct Pay is a payment service for sending money to the IRS, not receiving a refund from it.
The IRS also limits users to five Direct Pay payments within a 24-hour period.
Individual Direct Pay payments must be less than $10 million. Taxpayers needing to make a payment of $10 million or more can use a same-day wire transfer or the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System when eligible and enrolled.
Don’t Stop at the Confirmation Screen
Receiving a Direct Pay confirmation number means the IRS received the payment request, but taxpayers should still make sure the money was successfully withdrawn.
The IRS recommends checking your bank statement or IRS account at least 48 hours after the requested payment date to confirm the transaction was completed.
That’s particularly important because a payment request could fail if, for example, the account doesn’t contain enough money to cover the withdrawal.
Saving the confirmation number and checking the corresponding bank transaction gives taxpayers documentation if they later need to investigate a payment problem.
Start at IRS.gov Instead of a Search Ad or Unfamiliar Link
Taxpayers interested in Direct Pay should access it through IRS.gov rather than relying on an unsolicited email, text message, advertisement, or unfamiliar website claiming to collect federal tax payments.
The legitimate IRS tool does not charge taxpayers a fee to send an eligible payment directly from their checking or savings account.
That’s an important distinction from some other electronic payment options. The IRS notes that taxpayers who choose to pay federal taxes using a debit card, credit card, or digital wallet generally make the transaction through an approved payment processor that charges a processing fee.
For someone who simply wants to send money directly from a bank account without registering for another online service, Direct Pay provides a relatively straightforward alternative.
Just verify the payment type, bank information, tax year, and amount carefully before submitting—and save the confirmation number until you’re certain the payment has been processed.
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Amanda Blankenship is the Chief Editor for District Media. With a BA in journalism from Wingate University, she frequently writes for a handful of websites and loves to share her own personal finance story with others. When she isn’t typing away at her desk, she enjoys spending time with her daughter, son, husband, and dog. During her free time, you’re likely to find her with her nose in a book, hiking, or playing RPG video games.
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