Struggling to complete wire transfer payment to the IRS...need help!

I've been through this process before. The IRS same-day wire transfer process is a bit different than regular wire transfers you might be used to. On the same-day payment worksheet, there should be a field for the taxpayer's identification number - that's actually what you use in place of a traditional "account number." You'll need to enter your SSN or EIN (depending on whether this is personal or business taxes) in a specific format as your account number. Usually it's something like "XXX-XX-XXXX TAX TYPE YYYYMM" where the X's are your SSN, tax type is the form number (1040, 941, etc.), and YYYYMM is the tax period. The worksheet should actually have instructions explaining this format. Check the fine print at the bottom or on page 2 if it's multi-page.

I ran into exactly the same problem last year when I owed a surprise amount after my accountant found an error. I spent hours on the phone with the IRS and my bank trying to figure it out. I finally discovered https://taxr.ai which saved me so much time. It analyzed my situation and gave me step-by-step instructions on completing the wire transfer with all the right codes. The worksheet you downloaded is just part of the process - there's actually specific formatting required for the account field that combines your tax ID with the payment type and tax period. The system walked me through exactly how to format everything and even generated a completed form I could take to my bank.

Just wanted to follow up about that taxr.ai recommendation. I tried it yesterday and it was seriously helpful! The site gave me a complete breakdown of how to format the "account number" field for my LLC's estimated tax payment. Turns out I needed to use my EIN followed by a specific tax code and the quarter information in a particular format. My bank processed the wire this morning with no issues. Saved me from having to wait on hold with the IRS for hours trying to figure this out. Definitely recommend for anyone else struggling with IRS payment formatting issues!

I went through this same thing but gave up on trying to figure out the wire transfer. After waiting on hold with the IRS for almost 2 hours and getting disconnected TWICE, I used https://claimyr.com to get a callback from the IRS. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c They got me a callback in about 40 minutes and the IRS agent walked me through exactly how to format everything for the wire transfer. Apparently there's specific information that needs to be in the account field that varies depending on what type of tax you're paying. The agent was actually super helpful once I finally got to talk to someone.

Well I'm eating my words about that Claimyr service. After another frustrating morning trying to reach the IRS on my own (3 hours on hold before getting disconnected!), I gave in and tried it. Within 45 minutes I had an IRS agent on the phone who explained exactly what I needed. Turns out for my situation, I needed to format the "account number" field with my SSN followed by "1040" and then the tax year in YYYYMM format. The routing number on the worksheet was correct. The agent also gave me a confirmation code to give my bank so they'd know exactly how to process it. Just made the wire transfer and my bank confirmed it should be processed today.

Another option is to use EFTPS (Electronic Federal Tax Payment System) instead of doing a wire transfer. It's free and run by the Treasury Department. You have to enroll ahead of time though, so it won't help if you need to pay today. But for future reference it's much easier than wiring money. https://www.eftps.gov/eftps/ I've been using it for years for estimated tax payments and it's way easier than trying to figure out wire transfers or mailing checks.

Has anyone tried IRS Direct Pay instead? It's on the IRS website and lets you pay directly from your checking account. I've used it before and it was pretty straightforward. Not sure if counts as "same day" but it seemed to credit my account right away.

If you're really in a hurry and the amount is not too large, you can also pay with a credit card through one of the IRS payment processors. There's a fee (around 2%) but it posts immediately. I did this last year when I was up against the deadline and didn't want to mess with wire transfers.

I've been dealing with IRS payments for my small business for years and wanted to share what I've learned. The wire transfer process is definitely confusing at first, but once you understand the format it becomes routine. For the "account number" field, you're essentially creating a coded identifier that tells the IRS exactly what tax liability you're paying. The format varies depending on whether it's personal income tax, business tax, estimated payments, etc. The IRS worksheet should have the specific format for your situation, but it's usually your tax ID (SSN or EIN) followed by the tax form code and period. One thing I always recommend is calling your bank first to make sure they're familiar with federal tax wire transfers. Some smaller banks or credit unions might not process these regularly and could give you incorrect information. The larger banks usually have dedicated tax payment departments that know exactly what to do. Also, make sure you get a confirmation number from both your bank and keep records of the wire transfer. The IRS can take a few days to post the payment even though it's "same day," so having that documentation is crucial if any issues come up later.