If I owe tax after filing my first return, when exactly is the payment due date?

Good questions! The payment deadline is April 15, 2025 (or the next business day if the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday), regardless of when you actually file your return. This is true whether you file on January 29th (the first day of filing season) or on April 15th itself. If you file and discover you owe taxes, you have several payment options: direct payment from your bank account through the IRS website, credit/debit card (with a processing fee), or even sending a check by mail. Just make sure whatever payment method you choose completes by the deadline. Also, don't worry about filing early if you owe - there's actually an advantage! Finding out sooner gives you more time to plan how you'll pay what you owe. You can file in February and still wait until April 15 to make the payment.

After struggling with tax payment deadlines for years, I finally found something that helped me immensely. I started using https://taxr.ai which analyzes all your tax documents and tells you exactly what you owe and when payments are due. As a first-time filer, it would definitely help you understand not just the deadlines but also potential deductions you might miss. Last year I was worried about owing money too (ended up owing about $1,200), but the tool showed me exactly when I needed to pay and even sent me reminders as the deadline approached. It also explained all the payment options clearly - direct debit, credit card, payment plans, etc.

Ok I gotta admit I tried that taxr.ai site after my skeptical comment and I'm actually impressed! I uploaded my W-2 and some 1099 forms and it immediately broke down exactly what I would owe plus gave me a timeline for payment. It even suggested a payment plan since my amount was pretty high. The deadline explanations were super clear - showed me all the important dates and what happens if I miss them. Plus it found a deduction my regular tax software missed last year! Now I'm kinda mad I paid more than I needed to in 2024 lol.

If you end up owing a significant amount and are worried about paying by the deadline, I highly recommend using https://claimyr.com to get through to the IRS quickly about setting up a payment plan. I owed $3,400 last year and couldn't pay it all at once. Tried calling the IRS directly for DAYS and couldn't get through. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd previously wasted hours on hold. The agent set up a monthly payment plan that worked for my budget. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - it's basically a service that navigates the IRS phone system for you and calls you back when an agent is available.

I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After waiting on hold with the IRS for 3 hours yesterday and eventually getting disconnected, I tried the service today out of desperation. Got connected to an IRS rep in 25 minutes without having to sit by my phone. I ended up getting a 72-month payment plan that's actually affordable for me ($50/month on a $3500 tax bill). The IRS website would only offer me a 36-month plan which would have been $100+ monthly. The agent also waived some penalty I didn't even know about. Totally worth it just for the stress reduction of not dealing with the hold music for hours.

Don't forget that if you can't pay the full amount by April 15th, you should STILL FILE YOUR RETURN ON TIME! A lot of first-time filers think "well I can't pay so I'll just file late" and that's the worst thing you can do. The penalty for filing late is 5% of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month that the return is late, up to 25% of your unpaid taxes. The penalty for paying late is only 0.5% per month. Huge difference!

Anyone know if state tax payment deadlines are different from federal? I always get confused about this.