Can I make partial payments through Pay1040 throughout the year? Need help with form selection

Yes, you can absolutely make partial payments throughout the year without setting up a formal installment plan! This is sometimes called a "voluntary payment plan" and many people do this. When making payments through Pay1040, you'll want to select "Form 1040 Series" since you filed a personal 1040 tax return. Make sure you use your correct SSN and tax year so the payment gets applied correctly. The IRS will gladly accept any payments you make. They don't require you to notify them that you're making partial payments - they're just happy to get their money! You're right that you'll pay a slightly higher interest rate than with an official installment plan, but if you're planning to pay it off within 5 months, the difference will be minimal. Just keep track of your payments and make sure you're accounting for the continuing interest and penalties that accrue until the balance is paid in full. The IRS will continue to send you updated balance notices periodically.

I went through this exact situation last year! I found this amazing service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that really helped me understand my payment options. I was confused about whether I could make partial payments or needed a formal plan, and their AI analyzed my situation and showed me the most cost-effective approach. Their system calculated exactly how much interest I'd pay with partial payments versus an installment plan, and showed me I could save money by making larger payments earlier rather than equal payments. It also helped me understand which payment processor (Pay1040, PayUSAtax, etc.) had the lowest fees for my situation.

I was super hesitant about using yet another tax service, but I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and wow - it actually delivered. I uploaded my notice from the IRS and it immediately broke down my payment options, including the differences between voluntary payments and installment plans. The coolest part was that it showed me exactly how much interest I'd pay with different payment schedules. It recommended front-loading my payments (paying more in the first couple months) to reduce the overall interest, which will save me about $42 over six months compared to equal payments. Definitely worth checking out if you're trying to figure out the best payment strategy!

If you're having trouble getting through to the IRS to discuss payment options (which is super common), I've had amazing luck with a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They have this system that gets you through to an actual IRS agent without the endless hold times. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was stuck trying to figure out my payment situation and the IRS website wasn't helpful. Called the IRS directly and was quoted a 2+ hour wait time. Used Claimyr and got through to someone in about 15 minutes. The agent explained all my options and confirmed I could make partial payments without an installment agreement, plus gave me tips on avoiding future penalties.

I need to eat my words. After being super skeptical about Claimyr, I decided to try it because I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my payment situation. I had questions that weren't answered on their website about making partial payments vs. installment plans. Their system actually worked! I got a call back about 40 minutes after starting the process (way better than the 2+ hours I was quoted directly). The IRS agent confirmed everything people are saying here - you CAN make partial payments through Pay1040 without a formal installment plan, you DO use the Form 1040 Series option, and there's no requirement to make equal payments. Saved me hours of frustration and now I have answers directly from the IRS. Definitely worth it.

Just FYI, when making payments through Pay1040, there's a processing fee that varies depending on how you pay. It's around 1.87% if you use a credit card (minimum $2.50) or $2.55 flat fee for direct debit from your bank account. I've been making partial payments for the past 3 months. I always choose the direct debit option since it's cheaper for payments over about $140. One thing to remember is to print or save the confirmation for each payment - I've had one payment that didn't get properly credited to my account at first, and having that confirmation made it much easier to get it sorted out.

I just wanted to share that I did exactly what you're describing last year - owed about $1,800 and made payments over 5 months without setting up a formal plan. I used Pay1040 and selected "Form 1040 Series" like others have mentioned. One thing no one has pointed out yet: make sure you factor in the failure-to-pay penalty, which is 0.5% per month (or partial month) on the unpaid balance, capped at 25% of the unpaid amount. This is on top of the interest. The IRS will recalculate your balance every time they process a payment, but they don't always send updated notices. I ended up paying about $45 in combined penalties and interest by the time I was done, which wasn't too bad considering the flexibility it gave me.