If you receive salaries and wages, you can avoid having to pay estimated tax by asking your employer to withhold more tax from your earnings. To do this, file a new Form W-4 with your employer. There is a special line on Form W-4 for you to enter the additional amount you want your employer to withhold.
Generally, you must make estimated tax payments if you expect to owe at least $500 ($250 if married/RDP filing separately) in tax for 2024 (after subtracting withholding and credits) and you expect your withholding and credits to be less than the smaller of: 90% of the tax shown on your 2024 tax return; or.
You can postpone the quarterly Jan. 15 estimated tax payment until Jan. 31 if you file your return and make any necessary payments by that date. If you can't make an estimated payment, you might be subject to a penalty with interest.
Taxes are pay-as-you-go. This means that you need to pay most of your tax during the year, as you receive income, rather than paying at the end of the year. There are two ways to pay tax: Withholding from your pay, your pension or certain government payments, such as Social Security.
If you miss the Jan. 15 deadline, you may incur an interest-based penalty based on the current interest rate and how much you should have paid. That penalty compounds daily. Tax withholdings, estimated payments or a combination of the two, can "help avoid a surprise tax bill at tax time," according to the IRS.
Who should make estimated quarterly tax payments? According to the IRS, you don't have to make estimated tax payments if you're a U.S. citizen or resident alien who owed no taxes for the previous full tax year. And you probably don't have to pay estimated taxes unless you have untaxed income.
After an inflation adjustment, the 2024 standard deduction increases to $14,600 for single filers and married couples filing separately and to $21,900 for single heads of household, who are generally unmarried with one or more dependents. For married couples filing jointly, the standard deduction rises to $29,200.
If the total of your estimated payments and withholding add up to less than 90 percent of what you owe, you may face an underpayment penalty. So you may want to avoid cutting your payments too close to the 90 percent mark to give yourself a safety net.
If you don't pay your quarterly estimated taxes by the deadline, the IRS penalizes you for underpaying your taxes, not for missing the payment. Meaning, there's no “late fee” you pay.
If you made estimated tax payments and you did not include them on your tax return you will want to amend. By not including the information you likely have a higher balance due or a lower refund then you are entitled to.
Substantial income includes wages, earnings from self-employment, interest, dividends, and other taxable income that must be reported on your tax return. Between $25,000 and $34,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50% of your benefits. More than $34,000, up to 85% of your benefits may be taxable.
Call IRS e-file Payment Services 24/7 at 888-353-4537 to inquire about or cancel your payment, but please wait 7 to 10 days after your return was accepted before calling. Cancellation requests must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. ET two business days prior to the scheduled payment date.
Can you pay estimated taxes anytime? You don't have to wait for the deadline to submit your estimated tax payment for that quarter. When you're ready, you can make your payment to the IRS by mail, over the phone, online, or through their app. Visit IRS.gov/payments to see all your options.
If the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) on your previous year's return is over $150,000 (over $75,000 if you are married filing separately), you must pay the lower of 90% of the tax shown on the current year's return or 110% of the tax shown on the return for the previous year.
Starting in 2026, tax rates are scheduled to revert to the higher pre-2018 levels. The table below shows the existing and anticipated tax rates if the TCJA sunsets. In addition, the brackets will be compressed, causing higher tax rates to kick in at lower income thresholds.
IRS extra standard deduction for older adults
For 2024, the additional standard deduction is $1,950 if you are single or file as head of household. If you're married, filing, jointly or separately, the extra standard deduction amount is $1,550 per qualifying individual.
If you don't pay your estimated taxes on time (or if you don't pay enough), the IRS can charge you a penalty. The amount you owe increases the longer you go without payment. The failure to pay penalty is 0.5% of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month you don't pay, up to 25% of your unpaid taxes.
Answer: Generally, you must make estimated tax payments for the current tax year if both of the following apply: You expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax for the current tax year after subtracting your withholding and refundable credits.
If you expect to owe more than $1,000 in taxes, then you might be a candidate for estimated taxes. Depending on your job, business entity and income, making quarterly payments makes the most financial sense. These are the cases where that might be best — as long as you expect to owe $1,000 or more in taxes.
You will receive an overpayment amount as a refund. The IRS won't be sending out a notification to let you know you made an overpayment on taxes. Freelancers, independent contractors and gig workers need to make quarterly estimated tax payments if they meet the requirements.
Calculating Estimated Tax Payments – Safe Harbor Method
Another way individuals can avoid penalties is by pre-paying a "safe harbor" amount equal to 100% of the previous year's tax. The safe harbor amount for high income taxpayers is paying in 110% of the previous year's tax.