Anyone having trouble accessing IRS Direct Pay or making tax payments?
I've been trying to access the IRS Direct Pay system for exactly 3 days now to make my quarterly estimated tax payment. Getting an error message every time. Tried on 4 different browsers and 2 devices. Anyone else experiencing issues with accessing payment systems or transferring/withdrawing funds for tax payments? Need to get this done by the 15th deadline. Just want to know if it's a widespread issue or something on my end.
12 comments
Mikayla Davison
OMG YES!!! I've been having the EXACT same problem since Tuesday! 😫 I was literally panicking thinking it was just me! I tried calling the IRS payment helpline and waited 2 hours before giving up. So relieved to see someone else is dealing with this too! I even tried setting up a payment plan through my online account but that's giving errors too. My anxiety has been through the roof worrying about missing the deadline!
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Adrian Connor
According to Internal Revenue Code section 6651(a)(2), failure-to-pay penalties can accrue at 0.5% per month up to 25% of unpaid tax. Has anyone received official communication about system outages extending deadlines? The IRS typically issues formal notices when systemic issues affect compliance capabilities.
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Aisha Jackson
I think we should be okay as long as we can show we made good faith attempts to pay. I had something similar happen last year with the EFTPS system, and I was able to avoid penalties by documenting my attempts and paying as soon as the system was back up. The IRS can be pretty reasonable about these things, usually.
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Ryder Everingham
The IRS and their tech issues... name a more iconic duo! 🙄 I was able to get in briefly yesterday around 6am, but it crashed during the confirmation step. Might be worth trying during off-hours. Their systems always seem to crumble right before deadlines, almost like they're designed to maximize penalties. Have you tried EFTPS as an alternative? It's clunky but sometimes works when Direct Pay is down.
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Lilly Curtis
This is URGENT - I've seen this happen with multiple IRS systems this year, much worse than previous filing seasons. Last month I couldn't get through on phone lines for DAYS when dealing with a similar payment issue. Finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and got connected to an agent in 18 minutes who confirmed there was a system-wide issue. They gave me a confirmation number to prove I tried to pay on time, which protected me from penalties. If you need to speak to someone before the deadline, I'd highly recommend it compared to the regular phone line nightmare.
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Leo Simmons
Wait... you have to pay to talk to the IRS? That doesn't seem right. Shouldn't there be a way to get official confirmation of the system outage without using a third party service? I'm hesitant to use something I've never heard of before.
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Lindsey Fry
Is this actually getting you through to official IRS agents? How does that even work? Wouldn't everyone just use this if it actually worked consistently? I've spent countless hours on hold with the IRS - if there's a legitimate way to bypass that, I'd want to understand exactly how it functions.
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Saleem Vaziri
I work with tax payments regularly and can confirm there's a widespread issue. Here's what you need to do: 1. Take screenshots of any error messages you receive when attempting to pay 2. Document all attempts with dates and times 3. Try the alternative payment methods: EFTPS.gov, payment by check with Form 1040-ES, or the IRS2Go mobile app 4. If using a check, send it certified mail for proof of timely mailing 5. Keep all confirmation numbers and receipts The IRS announced yesterday they're experiencing technical difficulties with several payment systems but haven't extended deadlines yet.
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Kayla Morgan
Do you have a link to that official announcement? I've been checking IRS.gov daily and haven't seen anything about system outages. Without official acknowledgment, I'm concerned they'll still apply penalties despite these issues. Has there been any indication they'll issue an automatic abatement for affected taxpayers?
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James Maki
I experienced this exact issue last quarter. After three frustrating days of trying Direct Pay, I found that the problem was actually related to how the system verifies your identity. Here's what worked for me: use the EFTPS system instead (eftps.gov) - it requires enrollment but processes payments reliably. I had to enroll and wait 5 business days to receive my PIN by mail, but it's been flawless since then. For immediate needs, you can also make a same-day wire payment through your bank with specific routing instructions from the IRS website. I've been paying quarterly taxes for 7 years now, and this has been the most reliable method through all the IRS system issues.
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Jasmine Hancock
Just got thru to Direct Pay about 30 mins ago! Looks like they fixed whatever was broken. FWIW, I cleared my browser cache + cookies before trying again. Also made sure to use Edge browser (Chrome kept giving me the spinning wheel of death). Got confirmation #12345XX for my payment. Might be worth trying again now if you're still having probs. They must've pushed a fix overnight.
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Cole Roush
Just tried it and still getting error messages. This is ridiculous. I've been trying for days and the deadline is approaching. I'm going to just mail a check at this point. Can't rely on their systems at all.
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