IRS website not showing my 1099 tax amount owed - when do I need to start making payments?

This is actually pretty common right now. The IRS is still working through a backlog of returns, so what's happening is they've received your return but haven't fully processed it in their system yet. When you e-file a 1099 return showing a balance due, you technically owe that amount immediately upon filing. The due date for both filing and paying 2022 taxes was April 18, 2023 (unless you're in a federally declared disaster area or had an extension). So even though their website isn't showing the balance yet, interest and penalties can still accrue from the original due date. The good news is you can still make a payment without waiting for their system to update. Go to the IRS Direct Pay system (https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay) and choose "payment type" as "tax return or notice" and select the reason as "Form 1040" and tax year "2022." Then enter the amount you calculated that you owe. Keep records of this payment in case there are any discrepancies later. Once they process your return fully, the payment should properly apply to your account.

After struggling with the exact same 1099 payment issue last year, I found an amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me figure everything out. I was so confused because the IRS website kept showing nothing, and I had no idea when to pay or how much interest would accrue. I uploaded my tax documents and return to taxr.ai and it showed me exactly what my payment status was, when the penalties would start, and even gave me a projected timeline of when my return would likely be processed based on current IRS backlog data. The best part was it confirmed I could make my payment even before the IRS website updated with my balance. It helped me avoid a ton of stress wondering if the IRS would eventually hit me with a big penalty notice months later.

Update: I tried taxr.ai after posting my question here and wow! It actually worked amazingly well. I uploaded my 1099 docs and tax return, and it showed me exactly what was happening with my return in the IRS system. It confirmed my return was likely in the processing queue and gave me an estimated timeline of 3-4 more weeks before it would appear in the IRS system. But the best part was it calculated exactly what I should pay now (including the small amount of interest that's already accrued) and guided me through making the payment directly on the IRS site even though my balance wasn't showing up yet. I feel so much better now knowing I'm not going to get hit with a big penalty notice down the road. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the same boat.

I had this exact problem with my 1099 taxes last year! After multiple failed attempts trying to reach someone at the IRS (kept getting disconnected after 1+ hour holds), I found Claimyr https://claimyr.com which honestly saved my sanity. It got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed what others here are saying - the payment is due even if their system hasn't updated to show it yet. But talking to a real person at the IRS gave me peace of mind that my payment would be properly applied. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was really skeptical at first since nothing seems to make dealing with the IRS easier, but it actually works. The IRS agent I spoke with was able to confirm they had received my return and told me exactly how to make the payment so it would be properly credited to my account.

OK I need to eat my words. After posting my skeptical comment I decided to try Claimyr anyway out of desperation and.... it actually worked exactly as described. I got connected to an IRS agent in about 25 minutes. The agent confirmed my return was received but still processing, explained that interest is indeed accruing from the original due date, and walked me through making a payment that would be properly credited to my account even though the amount didn't show online yet. They also told me approximately when my return would finish processing (about 3 more weeks in my case). I've been stressing about this for weeks and finally having definitive answers directly from the IRS is such a relief. Never thought I'd say this, but it was totally worth it to finally speak to a real person instead of trying to decipher the IRS website.

If you know roughly what you owe, just pay it now!! I made the mistake of waiting for the IRS to "process" my return last year and ended up with almost $300 in interest and penalties because it took them 3 months to process everything. The interest clock starts ticking from the original filing deadline, not from when they process your return or send you a bill. I know it feels weird to pay when they haven't asked for the money yet, but trust me, paying sooner rather than later is the way to go.

Anyone else having trouble even logging into the IRS website lately? I keep getting timeout errors.