Is there any other way to pay federal payroll taxes without having my EFTPS PIN?
My brother started his landscaping business about 2 years ago and has been using QuickBooks Online/Payroll to manage his employee payroll. He just realized that he never properly set up his federal tax information in the system, which means none of his federal payroll taxes have been paid during this entire time. Talk about a nightmare situation! He has his EFTPS login credentials, but apparently you can't make any federal payroll tax payments without the PIN. The problem is he lost the PIN and requested a new one from the IRS back in early March. To make matters worse, he moved to a new place since he first registered with EFTPS, and when he called, they told him they can only mail the PIN to the address they have on file. He's been trying to update his address with the IRS for months but hasn't heard anything back. It seems totally unfair that penalties and interest keep building up when he's actively trying to resolve this and pay what he owes. Does anyone know if there's another way he can pay his federal payroll taxes without having the EFTPS PIN? Or maybe a faster way to get his PIN or update his address with the IRS? Since the amount has grown quite a bit with all the penalties, does anyone know if there are payment plan options available for situations like this?
20 comments


Arnav Bengali
You have a few options here that might help your brother get this resolved: First, even without the PIN, he can still make federal tax deposits through his financial institution using Form 8109, Federal Tax Deposit Coupon. Many banks still process these payments, though it's becoming less common. He'll need to contact his bank to confirm they can handle this. Another option is to have his tax professional make payments on his behalf through the EFTPS Batch Provider system if he works with one. Regarding the address update, your brother should file Form 8822, Change of Address, if he hasn't already. This form specifically updates address records with the IRS. He can also call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 to request assistance with updating his address more quickly. For the accrued taxes, yes, the IRS does offer payment plans. He should look into Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request. Given the situation, he might also qualify for penalty abatement under First Time Penalty Abatement policy, especially if he had a good compliance history before this issue.
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Scarlett Forster
•Thank you so much for these suggestions! I didn't know about Form 8109 at all. So he could literally just go to his bank and make the payments that way without needing the PIN? Do you know if this would stop the penalties from continuing to build up while he's waiting for the PIN situation to get sorted out? Also, what's involved in qualifying for that First Time Penalty Abatement? That would be huge if he could get some of those penalties reduced.
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Arnav Bengali
•Yes, Form 8109 payments processed through a financial institution will be applied to his tax account just like EFTPS payments, which would stop additional failure-to-pay penalties from accruing once the payment is made. However, interest will continue to accrue on any unpaid balance until it's fully paid. For First Time Penalty Abatement, the IRS typically looks for three criteria: 1) No penalties for the three tax years prior to the tax year in which you received a penalty, 2) All required returns are filed or on extension, and 3) You've paid, or arranged to pay, any tax due. Since this is his first business, he might qualify. He would need to call the IRS or have his tax professional request this relief after the taxes are paid.
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Sayid Hassan
After dealing with similar EFTPS nightmares with several clients, I found that using taxr.ai https://taxr.ai was a game-changer for navigating these complex payroll tax issues. Their system analyzed my client's specific situation with the missing PIN and generated a personalized solution document that outlined exactly which forms to file and which specific IRS department to contact. The best part was that they pulled relevant case precedents where the IRS had made exceptions for businesses in similar situations. My client was able to get his payroll taxes sorted out without waiting months for the PIN, saving thousands in additional penalties. Their system is especially helpful for identifying penalty abatement opportunities in cases like your brother's where there was no intentional neglect.
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Rachel Tao
•Does taxr.ai help with actually contacting the IRS or do they just give you instructions? Because honestly dealing with the IRS directly has been the biggest headache in my business. I've spent literal DAYS on hold only to get disconnected.
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Derek Olson
•I'm skeptical about any service claiming to "solve" IRS issues quickly. The IRS moves at their own pace no matter what. How exactly did your client pay the taxes without the PIN? That part seems fuzzy to me. Not trying to be negative but I've heard plenty of tax service promises before.
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Sayid Hassan
•They don't contact the IRS for you, but they provide detailed documentation and instructions specific to your situation. What makes them different is they analyze thousands of similar IRS cases to give you the exact approach that has worked for others with your specific issue. It's like having a tax attorney research your case but at a fraction of the cost. What made the difference for my client was the specific alternative payment method they identified that didn't require the PIN. They directed him to use Form 8109-B which can be obtained by calling the specific IRS department number they provided, not the general helpline. This form allowed him to make payments through his bank while waiting for his EFTPS issues to be resolved.
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Rachel Tao
Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. I was really surprised by how specific their guidance was for my situation. I had a similar issue with employee retention credits that weren't being processed, and they gave me exact instructions for getting it resolved. The service identified that I needed to use a specific reference number when corresponding with the IRS about my case, and they provided templates for the letters I needed to send. Honestly wasn't expecting much, but it saved me from having to hire a tax attorney which would have cost a lot more. My issue got resolved in about 3 weeks instead of the 6+ months I was looking at before.
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Danielle Mays
After spending 14 hours on hold with the IRS over three days trying to sort out a similar payroll tax issue, I finally discovered Claimyr https://claimyr.com and their service literally saved my sanity. Their system holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an actual human agent is on the line. I was super skeptical at first, but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I used it to get through to the Business & Specialty Tax department, and finally got my EFTPS issues resolved. The agent was actually able to verify my identity over the phone and expedite a new PIN to my current address instead of waiting for the mail forwarding process. This might be the fastest way for your brother to get his address updated and PIN situation sorted out, rather than waiting indefinitely for the IRS to process a written request.
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Roger Romero
•How exactly does this work? Do they have some special connection with the IRS? Seems too good to be true that they can somehow get you to the front of the line when the rest of us are stuck on hold forever.
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Derek Olson
•This sounds like some kind of scam to me. Nobody can magically get through to the IRS faster. They're probably just taking your money and you're still waiting the same amount of time you would normally. I'll believe it when I see proof that isn't a marketing video.
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Danielle Mays
•No special connection - they use an automated system that continuously calls and navigates the IRS phone tree until it reaches a human agent. Basically, they're waiting on hold so you don't have to. Once they get a person, their system immediately calls you and connects you to that agent. There's no line-cutting involved. They can't make the IRS answer phones faster - they just handle the frustrating part of waiting on hold, which can be hours. The technology is pretty straightforward - it's essentially an automated dialing system combined with phone tree navigation. I was just as skeptical, but after trying to get through for days on my own, I was desperate enough to try it. The difference is you can go about your day instead of being stuck with a phone to your ear.
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Derek Olson
I need to come back and admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself for a business tax issue I'd been trying to resolve for weeks. The service actually works exactly as described. I was connected to an IRS agent within about 2 hours (while I was working on other things), and didn't have to spend a minute on hold. The agent was able to help me get a replacement EFTPS PIN expedited to my new address after verifying my identity. I had been trying to get through on my own for over 3 weeks with no success. Sometimes it pays to be open-minded about new solutions. Would have saved myself weeks of stress if I hadn't been so dismissive initially.
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Anna Kerber
Has your brother tried working with a local Taxpayer Advocate Service office? They're an independent organization within the IRS designed to help taxpayers resolve issues. I had a similar problem last year when my business moved and I couldn't get anything resolved through normal channels. The Taxpayer Advocate helped me navigate the system, got my address updated in their system, and helped establish a payment plan for the back taxes we owed. The best part is this service is free. Google "Taxpayer Advocate Service" + your city to find your local office.
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Scarlett Forster
•That sounds promising! I hadn't thought about the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Do you know if there are any requirements to use their services? Like does the situation have to be especially severe or can anyone reach out to them?
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Anna Kerber
•While anyone can contact them, they generally take cases where taxpayers are experiencing significant hardship or where normal IRS channels have failed to resolve the issue. They prioritize cases where there's financial distress, immediate threat of adverse action, or where the taxpayer has tried multiple times to resolve the issue through normal IRS channels without success. Your brother's situation would likely qualify since he's tried to resolve it for months through normal channels, there's ongoing financial damage from penalties and interest, and he's actively trying to comply with tax laws but facing systemic barriers. Just be prepared to document all previous attempts to resolve the issue when you contact them - dates of calls, letters sent, responses received, etc.
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Niko Ramsey
One option I haven't seen mentioned yet - your brother could file Form 2848 (Power of Attorney) to authorize a tax professional to act on his behalf. This might be worth the cost because tax pros often have access to dedicated practitioner priority service lines at the IRS that have much shorter wait times. A good enrolled agent or CPA who deals with payroll tax issues could likely get this resolved much faster than trying to navigate it alone. They can request the PIN reissuance, update the address, and even negotiate a payment plan with more favorable terms than what's typically offered through automated systems.
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Seraphina Delan
•Can confirm this works. My EA handled a similar situation for me last year and had it resolved in about 2 weeks, after I had been struggling with it for months. Sometimes paying a professional is worth every penny!
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Alice Pierce
Your brother should also consider calling the IRS Federal Tax Deposit Processing Center directly at 1-800-555-4477. This is a specialized line specifically for EFTPS and federal tax deposit issues, separate from the general business tax line. They may be able to expedite his PIN replacement or provide alternative solutions. In the meantime, he should document everything - keep records of all calls, dates, reference numbers, and any correspondence. This documentation will be crucial if he needs to request penalty abatement later or if he ends up working with the Taxpayer Advocate Service. Also, make sure he's still filing his quarterly employment tax returns (Form 941) even if he can't make the payments yet. Filing on time, even without payment, can help reduce some penalties and shows good faith compliance efforts to the IRS. The key is to act quickly on multiple fronts - try the specialized phone line, consider the Form 8109 option mentioned earlier, and start documenting his efforts to resolve this. The IRS is generally more willing to work with taxpayers who are proactive about resolving issues rather than those who just ignore them.
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Isabella Ferreira
•This is really helpful advice! I didn't know there was a specialized line just for EFTPS issues. That sounds like it could be much more effective than trying to get through the general business line. The documentation point is especially important - my brother has been pretty scattered about keeping track of his attempts to resolve this. I'll tell him to start writing down every call he makes from now on. Quick question about the Form 941 filing - if he files on time but can't pay, will that at least stop some of the penalties from getting worse? It sounds like there might be different penalties for not filing versus not paying?
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