Can't make estimated tax payment for 2023, only 2024 showing on IRS Direct Pay. What am I missing?

So my accountant just told me I probably need to pay some estimated taxes for last year, and I'm trying to figure out how to do it. I went on the IRS direct pay site and started filling things out. I selected "Estimated tax" as my reason for payment and "1040ES" for apply payment to. But when I get to the "Tax period for payment" dropdown, it's only showing 2024 as an option. There's no way to select 2023! Am I missing something super obvious here? I need to make this payment for 2023, not the current year. Is there a different option I should be selecting, or am I just completely lost on how this works? I feel like I'm going crazy because it seems like such a simple thing but I can't figure it out.

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18 comments

Ella Cofer

•8M

You're not missing anything! The IRS Direct Pay system only allows estimated tax payments (1040-ES) for the current tax year. That's because estimated tax payments are, by definition, for the current year - they're payments you make in advance for taxes you expect to owe. What your CPA likely meant was that you owe additional tax for 2023, not estimated tax. For paying additional tax for a previous year, you should select "Tax Return" or "Amount Due on Return" as the reason for payment, then select 1040 (not 1040-ES) as the form, and then you'll see 2023 as an option for the tax year. Estimated tax payments (1040-ES) are quarterly payments made during the year to cover taxes on income that isn't subject to withholding. The payment dates for 2023 estimated taxes were April 18, June 15, Sept 15 of 2023, and January 16, 2024.

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Ella Cofer

•8M

Yes, you've got it exactly right! Select "Amount Due on Return" or "Tax Return" to pay for 2023. Regarding penalties, it depends on your situation. If you already filed your 2023 return and this is just paying the balance due, there may be some interest charges if you're paying after the April 15, 2024 deadline. If you haven't filed yet and are making this payment before filing your return, you're essentially prepaying your tax liability which can actually help reduce potential penalties. If your CPA advised you to make this payment now, they're likely trying to minimize any penalties before you file.

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Kevin Bell

•8M

Just wanted to share my experience with this exact issue! I struggled with the same thing when trying to make a payment for last year. I ended up using https://taxr.ai to help me figure out what I was doing wrong. Their system analyzed my situation and explained that estimated payments can only be made for the current year. Their tool helped me understand I needed to choose "Tax Return" or "Balance Due" instead of "Estimated Tax" to pay for the previous tax year. Saved me a bunch of stress and potentially selecting the wrong options which could have misapplied my payment.

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Kevin Bell

•8M

It doesn't connect to your IRS account at all - you just upload or take pictures of tax documents you're confused about, and it explains what they mean and what steps you need to take. Everything is encrypted and they claim they don't store your documents after analysis. The basic document analysis is actually free for simple questions like this one. They have paid plans for more complex tax situations, but I just used the free version to figure out the payment type confusion. Way faster than spending hours on hold with the IRS!

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Felix Grigori

•8M

I initially thought the same as OP - that I needed to make an "estimated tax payment" for 2023 after my accountant told me I owed more. After checking out https://taxr.ai that someone mentioned, I realized I had been using the wrong payment type for years! I uploaded screenshots of the IRS payment page and the tool immediately pointed out I should be selecting "Amount Due" not "Estimated Tax" since I was paying for a previous year. Honestly felt kinda dumb but it made everything super clear. Just made my payment properly for 2023 taxes and it went through perfectly. Bookmarking this for next time I get confused about tax payments!

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Felicity Bud

•8M

If you're frustrated with figuring this out on your own and want to talk to an actual IRS agent (good luck with that), I recommend trying https://claimyr.com - they'll actually get you through to a real person at the IRS. I had to use them after spending DAYS trying to reach someone about a payment issue. They have a cool demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c showing how it works. Basically, they hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when they have an agent on the line. Saved me literally hours of waiting on hold and the agent was able to confirm exactly which payment type I should use for my situation.

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Felicity Bud

•8M

They don't bypass the queue - they actually wait in it just like anyone else would. They use an automated system that sits on hold for you, and when a human finally picks up, they call you and connect you. No special treatment or line cutting. I thought it might be sketchy too, but it's just a smart way to not waste your own time on hold. You're still waiting the same amount of time overall, but you don't have to be the one actively sitting there listening to the hold music. It worked great for my situation - I was cooking dinner when they called to connect me with the IRS agent.

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Mikayla Davison

•8M

I was super skeptical about that Claimyr service mentioned above, but I was desperate after trying to reach the IRS for three days straight about a payment issue similar to OP's. Decided to give it a shot last week. It actually worked exactly as described! I got a call about 97 minutes after starting the process (they showed me my spot in line the whole time), and when I picked up, there was an IRS agent ready to talk. The agent confirmed I needed to use "Tax Return" not "Estimated Tax" for paying my 2023 balance. Whole thing resolved in like 5 minutes once I actually got someone on the line. Total game-changer for dealing with the IRS!

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Adrian Connor

•8M

Yeah the IRS payment system is super confusing. Just to add another perspective - if you ACTUALLY need to make an estimated tax payment for 2023 but it's now 2024, you're basically out of luck on that front. The last estimated payment for 2023 was due in Jan 2024, and you can't make late estimated payments. At this point, you'd just pay whatever you owe when you file your 2023 return. You might face an underpayment penalty if you should have been making those estimated payments throughout 2023, but there's nothing you can do about that now except pay the penalty.

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Adrian Connor

•8M

Not necessarily! The underpayment penalty only applies if you owe more than $1,000 in tax when you file AND you didn't pay at least 90% of your current year tax OR 100% of last year's tax (110% if your income is over $150,000) through withholding and estimated payments. What your accountant probably meant was making a payment now toward your 2023 tax liability before you file, which could potentially reduce any interest or penalties. Even though you can't technically make a "2023 estimated payment" now, you can still make a payment toward your 2023 tax bill using the "Amount Due on Return" option, which is what everyone else has suggested.

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Aisha Jackson

•8M

There's actually another way to handle this! If you're expecting to owe for 2023, you can adjust your W-4 at your job to have extra withholding taken out of your remaining paychecks in 2024. This can help cover what you'll owe for 2023 when you file. Go to your employer and request a new W-4. On line 4(c), you can put an additional amount to withhold from each paycheck. This won't eliminate penalties for 2023 if you underpaid, but it helps make sure you have the cash to pay your bill when it comes due.

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