Help! How do I pay this tax bill? Can I pay it online through the IRS website?

The IRS website can definitely be confusing! You have a few options for paying online, but the simplest is probably IRS Direct Pay (https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay). It lets you pay directly from your checking or savings account without creating an account or paying any fees. You'll need your notice number (should be in the upper right corner of the letter you received), your SSN or ITIN, and your date of birth to verify your identity. Then you can select the reason for payment (in your case, probably "Notice" or "Tax Return") and the tax year (2023). It'll give you a confirmation number when you're done that you should save for your records. If you prefer to use a credit or debit card, you can do that too, but you'll pay a processing fee (around 2% of your payment amount).

I had the EXACT same problem last year and wasted days trying to figure it out. I finally discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) after a friend recommended it. It uses AI to analyze your tax documents and explains exactly what payment methods you qualify for and walks you through the process step by step. I uploaded my CP14 notice, and within minutes it showed me which payment portal to use, what information I needed to have ready, and even explained all the payment plan options based on my specific situation. Saved me so much frustration!

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai since I was skeptical at first. I finally tried it this weekend and it was seriously helpful! I uploaded my CP2000 notice and it immediately identified which payment system would work for my situation. It even showed me exactly what fields to fill out with screenshots of the IRS payment forms. What I appreciated most was how it explained the difference between paying the full amount now versus setting up a payment plan and what each would cost me. Surprisingly user-friendly for dealing with something as complicated as IRS payments!

If you're struggling to get answers from the IRS website, good luck trying to call them! I spent 3 hours on hold last week trying to ask about payment options. After that disaster, I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and it was a game-changer. They have this system that basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to pick up. I got through to a real IRS person in under an hour when they typically have 2+ hour wait times. The IRS agent walked me through all the payment options and even helped me set up an installment plan over the phone. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After calling the IRS directly for THREE DAYS and never getting through, I broke down and tried it yesterday. Within 45 minutes I got a call back saying they had an IRS agent on the line. The agent walked me through setting up a payment plan and explained why my online attempts weren't working (turns out my account had a special flag that required phone verification first). I've spent literally weeks trying to resolve this tax issue, and it got handled in one phone call. Would have saved myself so much stress if I'd just used this service from the beginning instead of being stubborn!

Have you tried the IRS2Go app? It's actually way easier to use than the website. You can make payments directly from your bank account or by debit/credit card. I used it to pay my tax bill last month and it took less than 5 minutes.

Tip for anyone paying their tax bill online: SAVE THE CONFIRMATION NUMBER! I paid through the website last year and thought everything was fine, but 3 months later I got a notice saying I hadn't paid. Thankfully I had the confirmation number and was able to prove I'd paid on time. The IRS eventually found the payment but it was stressful.