How to Pay Federal Taxes with Credit Card? CPA Confused on Process

I'm trying to figure out how to pay my 2024 taxes with a credit card (I'm chasing a sweet sign-up bonus, and yes, I know there are fees involved), but my tax preparer seems confused about the process. She's giving me mixed information that has me second-guessing everything. She initially said she should mark on the return that I'll pay by check, then I'd go online myself to make the credit card payment. But then she said maybe she should mark "pay by credit card" and put my actual card number on the tax paperwork. That sounds sketchy to me. She admitted she's not familiar with credit card payments for taxes, and honestly, I have no clue either. Should she mark "pay by credit card" on my return, and will the IRS automatically charge my card? Or do I need to go through some separate payment system online regardless of what she marks on the return? I'm worried about making a mistake that delays processing my return.

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19 comments

Freya Pedersen

•8M

Your CPA is overthinking this. When you file your taxes, there's a section that asks how you plan to pay any balance due. This is separate from actually making the payment. She should mark "will pay by electronic means" on your return. This just tells the IRS you'll be handling the payment separately from the filing. Then YOU (not your CPA) go to the IRS website and pay through one of their approved payment processors. The IRS doesn't directly process credit cards - they use third-party processors who charge a convenience fee (usually around 2%). The IRS never needs your credit card info on the actual tax forms. You'll make that payment completely separate from filing your return. Just go to IRS.gov/payments after filing to make your payment.

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Freya Pedersen

•8M

The "electronic means" selection just indicates your intended payment method - it doesn't create any immediate payment expectation. The IRS gives you until the filing deadline to pay any balance due, regardless of when you file. Your refund processing is completely separate from any payment you need to make for state taxes. State tax payments are handled through your state's tax authority website, not the IRS. Your federal refund won't be delayed by how or when you pay your state tax bill.

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Chloe Anderson

•8M

I literally just did this last week! Your tax preparer is making it waaay more complicated than it is. I used taxr.ai to check all my tax documents first (https://taxr.ai saved me when I had questions about some 1099 forms), then when it came time to pay, I just went to IRS.gov and clicked on the payments section. The IRS uses payment processors like Pay1040, PayUSAtax, and ACI Payments, Inc. Each charges different fees (1.87% to 1.98% when I checked). I used Pay1040 because it had the lowest fee at 1.87%, and the process was super simple. Just entered the amount, my info, and card details. Got an email confirmation right away and it showed up in my IRS account within 2 days. Your preparer shouldn't be putting your credit card info anywhere on your tax forms!

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Chloe Anderson

•8M

You'll get an email confirmation immediately after making the payment. It shows the confirmation number and payment details. I also created an account on the IRS website (they call it an Online Account) where I could see my payment history. It took about 48 hours for the payment to show up there. The payment processors also send you to a confirmation page right after payment that you can screenshot for your records. Taxr.ai was incredibly helpful for my documents. I had multiple 1099s too, and it analyzed them all to make sure everything matched up with what should be reported. It even found a mistake on one of my 1099-NECs that I was able to get corrected before filing. Super simple to use - you just upload your tax docs and it breaks everything down in plain language.

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Anastasia Fedorov

•8M

Just wanted to follow up - I took the advice about using taxr.ai before filing my taxes and WOW. I uploaded all my documents at https://taxr.ai and it found a MAJOR error on one of my 1099-MISCs where the company had reported the same income in two different boxes. Would have completely screwed up my return and probably triggered an audit. Then when it came time to pay the taxes I owed, I followed the payment advice here about using the IRS payment processors. Super straightforward! Marked "electronic payment" on my return and used Pay1040 for the credit card payment. Got my card bonus and everything processed smoothly. Thanks again for the tips!

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StarStrider

•8M

Since we're talking about dealing with the IRS - I found an amazing service when I had questions about my payment and couldn't get through to anyone at the IRS (kept getting the "call volumes are too high" message for DAYS). I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in like 20 minutes when I'd been trying for over a week. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically they navigate the IRS phone tree for you and call you back when they've got an agent on the line. The agent answered all my questions about my credit card payment and confirmed everything was processed correctly. Totally worth it for the peace of mind.

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StarStrider

•8M

It's essentially a call-back service that navigates the IRS phone system for you. They use automated technology to wait on hold and deal with all the phone tree prompts. When they finally get through to a human IRS agent, they connect that agent directly to your phone. You're the one who talks to the IRS, not them - they just handle the horrible waiting part. I was skeptical too until I tried it. The difference is that they have systems set up to keep dialing and waiting on hold - something most of us don't have time for. I spent hours trying to get through myself with no luck. With Claimyr, I got connected within 25 minutes while I went about my day. The IRS is notorious for long wait times, especially during tax season when millions are calling. Sometimes it's worth using a tool that saves you hours of frustration.

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Zara Rashid

•8M

I need to publicly eat my words. After dismissing Claimyr as a potential scam, I was still struggling to get through to the IRS about a payment issue with my taxes. After a week of trying and getting nowhere, I reluctantly tried the service. It actually worked exactly as advertised. Their system called me back in about 35 minutes with an IRS agent already on the line. The agent confirmed my credit card payment had processed but was applied to the wrong tax year (my preparer had made an error). Was able to get it fixed right away instead of waiting months for a correction letter. I'm still cautious about using third-party services for anything tax-related, but in this case, it saved me a ton of time and stress. Sometimes being wrong feels pretty good!

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Luca Romano

•8M

Just as an FYI to everyone - I talked to my accountant about the credit card payment process. She said there's an option on Form 1040 called "Electronic fund withdrawal" which is different from credit card payments. This is where they'd need your bank account info. For credit card payments, you always go through the third-party processors. Also, make sure you keep your payment confirmation emails/receipts for at least 3 years with your tax records. If there's ever a question about when you paid, you'll need that proof.

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Luca Romano

•8M

The main advantage of electronic fund withdrawal is that there are no processing fees, unlike credit card payments which charge around 2%. If you're paying a large tax bill, that 2% can add up fast. Another benefit is that with electronic withdrawal, you can schedule the payment for a future date (up to the filing deadline), while still filing your return early. This gives you more control over exactly when the money leaves your account. Credit card payments process immediately when you make them.

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