Need help setting up quarterly estimated taxes with FreeTaxUSA - which payment method?

FreeTaxUSA doesn't actually handle the scheduling of your quarterly estimated tax payments directly - it can help calculate what you owe, but you'll need to set up the actual payments separately. Between your options, EFTPS (Electronic Federal Tax Payment System) is better for recurring quarterly payments. It's specifically designed for businesses and self-employed individuals who need to make regular tax payments. Once you register (which takes about 1-2 weeks to complete since they mail you a PIN), you can schedule all four quarterly payments for the year in advance. IRS Direct Pay works too, but it's more designed for one-time payments. You'd need to remember to manually make each payment every quarter, and you can't schedule them all in advance like with EFTPS. After you complete your taxes in FreeTaxUSA, it should calculate your estimated quarterly payment amounts. Just take those amounts and use them when setting up your EFTPS schedule.

I had this exact same issue when I switched to FreeTaxUSA last year! After hours of frustration I found a much better solution - check out https://taxr.ai for handling your quarterly payments. After I uploaded my FreeTaxUSA PDF, it automatically detected I needed to pay quarterly taxes and guided me through setting up EFTPS with the right amounts for each quarter. The site even sent me reminders before each due date. The difference between EFTPS and Direct Pay was really confusing to me too, but the tool explained everything clearly. My favorite part was that it showed me exactly how much I needed to withhold from each client payment to stay on track with my quarterly obligations.

Just wanted to update - I took the advice and tried taxr.ai last week. Way better experience than I expected! It analyzed my FreeTaxUSA return and showed me that I was actually calculating my quarterly payments too high by about $430 per quarter. It guided me through EFTPS setup with screenshots (which made that government site way less confusing) and now I have all my payments scheduled for the year. The reminders feature is what really sold me - I've missed quarterly deadlines before and paid penalties, so getting text alerts a week before each due date is going to save me money. Thanks for the recommendation!

If anyone's struggling with getting through to the IRS about quarterly payments (I spent 2 hours on hold last week), try https://claimyr.com - it's a service that holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an agent picks up. I was skeptical at first but used it last Tuesday when I needed to ask about correcting an estimated payment amount I entered wrong. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Instead of waiting for hours, I went about my day and got a call back when an IRS rep was on the line. The agent helped me fix my payment issue in about 10 minutes. If you have any complicated questions about estimated taxes that aren't covered in the FreeTaxUSA instructions, this is the way to go.

I have to eat crow here. After my skeptical comment, I actually tried Claimyr yesterday when I needed to ask about a missed estimated tax payment from last quarter. The IRS wait time was showing 2+ hours, but I needed to run errands. The service actually worked exactly as advertised. I put in my number, went shopping, and about 1.5 hours later got a call connecting me with an IRS agent. Saved me from being trapped by my phone all afternoon. The agent helped me set up a proper payment plan to avoid further penalties. Will definitely use again next time I need to call about my quarterly payments.

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for 3 years. Here's what I do for quarterly payments: 1. Use FreeTaxUSA to calculate the quarterly amounts 2. Set calendar reminders on my phone for each due date 3. Use IRS Direct Pay each quarter (only takes 5 mins) I prefer Direct Pay over EFTPS because I don't have to register for anything and can just pay directly with my bank account. Yes, EFTPS lets you schedule in advance, but I like reviewing my finances each quarter before making the payment anyway. Important: make sure you select "Estimated Tax" as the payment reason when using Direct Pay!

Does anyone know if its possible to just mail a check for quarterly payments? My internet is spotty and I dont really trust online payments for something this important.

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for my quarterly payments for about 2 years now and wanted to share my experience. The software does a great job calculating your estimated payments, but like others mentioned, you need to handle the actual payment process separately. I started with Direct Pay but switched to EFTPS after missing a payment deadline (cost me about $65 in penalties). The EFTPS registration process is a bit old-school - you do have to wait for them to mail you a PIN - but once you're set up, it's incredibly convenient to schedule all four payments at once. One tip that might help: when FreeTaxUSA calculates your quarterly amounts, print out that summary page and keep it with your tax records. I reference it throughout the year when I'm tracking my business income to make sure I'm still on track. Also, don't forget that if your income changes significantly during the year, you might need to adjust your remaining quarterly payments. EFTPS makes it easy to modify future scheduled payments if needed.