How can I check my remaining tax balance owed? Getting late fees? HELP NEEDED!

Yes, you can absolutely check your remaining balance owed to the IRS! The easiest way is to create or login to your account on IRS.gov using their "View Your Account" tool. This gives you access to your current balance, payment history, and any penalties or interest that might have accrued. If you haven't set up an account yet, you'll need to verify your identity with some personal info. Once you're in, you can make a payment directly through the IRS Direct Pay system or IRS2Go app without any processing fees. And don't worry too much - while there are penalties for paying late (usually 0.5% of unpaid taxes per month), setting up a payment plan is pretty straightforward if you can't pay the full amount right now.

I went through something similar last year and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me SO much stress. I was totally confused about my balance and penalties, and their system analyzed my tax documents and explained exactly what I owed, including the breakdown of original tax, penalties, and interest. It was super clear about my payment options too. The best part was uploading my IRS notice (which you should receive if you haven't already) and getting a plain English explanation of what was happening and my best course of action. Way better than trying to decipher IRS jargon on my own!

I was really skeptical about using taxr.ai when I first heard about it, but after sitting on hold with the IRS for 2 hours, I decided to give it a try. No regrets! I uploaded my CP14 notice (the "you owe us money" letter) and it immediately broke down exactly what I owed including the original tax, penalties, and interest. I actually discovered I had been calculating my penalties all wrong - I was overestimating what I owed by almost $300! The penalty structure gets complicated with the different percentages and how they calculate interest. Saved me from overpaying and gave me peace of mind about exactly where I stood with the IRS.

Listen, calling the IRS is an absolute nightmare right now. I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through about my balance and kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours. Then I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and it changed everything. They hold your place in line with the IRS and call you when an agent is available to talk! You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was able to speak with an actual IRS agent who pulled up my account and gave me the exact amount I owed with penalties. They even helped me set up a payment plan over the phone. Saved me days of frustration and gave me definite answers about my situation.

Ok I have to eat my words. After posting that skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try Claimyr because I've been trying to get through to the IRS for WEEKS about my balance. It actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back about 1.5 hours later, and suddenly I was talking to an actual IRS agent! The agent was able to tell me my exact balance with all penalties calculated, and I set up a payment plan right then. Saved me from getting even more late fees. I was 100% convinced this would be a waste of time, but I'm genuinely shocked at how well it worked. Sometimes it's worth trying something different when you're stuck.

To add another solution - you can request a tax account transcript from the IRS which shows all the transactions on your account including payments, credits, and balance due. Go to IRS.gov and search for "Get Transcript" - you can view it online or have it mailed to you. I do this every year just to double check everything is recorded properly.

whatever you do, DO NOT just ignore this!!! i did that one year thinking "oh ill deal with it later" and the penalties just kept adding up. ended up owing almost double by the time i finally dealt with it. the irs doesn't play around with this stuff.

Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble accessing your online account on IRS.gov (sometimes the identity verification process can be tricky), you can also call the automated phone line at 1-800-829-1040. It's available 24/7 and you can get your current balance by entering your SSN and some basic info - no waiting on hold for a human agent. Also, since you mentioned this is your first time owing taxes, make sure to consider making estimated quarterly payments for next year if your withholding situation hasn't changed. This will help you avoid being in the same spot again. The IRS has worksheets and calculators on their website to help figure out how much to pay each quarter. Good luck getting it sorted out! The important thing is you're taking action now rather than letting it sit.