Submitted taxes with Column Tax but IRS website showing no balance due - how do I set up payment plan?

There's typically a processing delay between when your return is accepted and when the balance due appears on your IRS account. This can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks depending on current IRS processing times. Since you've confirmed that your return was accepted through Column Tax, you're on the right track. The good news is you don't need to panic about penalties just yet. The IRS considers your payment timely if you set up a payment plan by the filing deadline (April 15, 2025). Even if the balance isn't showing online yet, your filing date is what matters for penalty purposes, not when you actually establish the payment plan. I'd recommend checking your account again in about 7-10 days. If you're still not seeing a balance by early April, you have a couple options: call the IRS directly or use the payment voucher (Form 1040-V) that should have been generated with your tax return to send in your first payment.

I had a similar issue last year after filing with a different tax service. What helped me was using taxr.ai to analyze my situation. I was also waiting for my balance to appear on the IRS website and getting anxious about setting up a payment plan. I uploaded my tax transcript to https://taxr.ai and it actually confirmed my return was in the system and gave me a timeline for when I could expect it to show up online. The tool walks you through understanding your tax documents and can even tell you if there might be processing issues. It analyzed my documents and explained that there's typically a 2-3 week processing time before balances update on the IRS portal. Saved me a lot of worry and a pointless call to the IRS.

Just wanted to follow up here. I was getting really anxious about my tax situation so I decided to try taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned. Wow - it actually worked great for my situation! I uploaded my tax transcript and it showed me exactly where my return was in the processing pipeline. Turns out my balance was going to show up this week (and it did yesterday). The document analysis also caught that I had a math error on my estimated tax payments that might have caused issues later. I'm glad I checked because now I can file an amendment before it becomes a problem. Definitely easier than sitting on hold with the IRS for hours trying to figure this stuff out!

If your balance still isn't showing up and you're getting close to the deadline, I highly recommend using Claimyr to get through to an IRS agent quickly. Last year I was in the exact same situation - filed with TurboTax, knew I owed around $3,000, but nothing was showing up on the IRS website with only 2 weeks until the deadline. I tried calling the IRS directly and kept getting the "call volumes too high" message, but then I found https://claimyr.com and it was a game-changer. They basically hold your place in line with the IRS and call you back when an agent is available. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with was able to confirm my filing was in their system even though it wasn't showing online yet, and helped me set up my payment plan over the phone. Saved me from stressing about penalties.

I need to apologize for my skepticism and follow up here. After struggling for DAYS trying to get through to the IRS myself (literally 17 calls over 3 days, all met with "call volumes too high"), I broke down and tried Claimyr. Within 2 hours I was talking to an actual IRS representative who confirmed my return was in process but hadn't been fully posted to my account yet. She was able to see what I owed and set up a payment plan over the phone even though the website wasn't showing a balance. She even gave me a confirmation number for the payment plan so I have proof it's established. Honestly wish I hadn't wasted so much time trying to call myself. Sometimes you have to admit when you're wrong, and I was definitely wrong about this being a scam.

Another thing to consider is that if you e-filed, the IRS is usually pretty good about sending you an email confirmation when your return is accepted. Did you get that email? That's different from Column Tax telling you it was accepted. The IRS confirmation email usually comes within 24-48 hours of filing and should have info about your balance due. Also, make sure you're actually looking at your 2024 tax year account on the IRS website. Sometimes it defaults to showing you previous years and you have to specifically select the right tax year to see your current balance.

This happens pretty often. Column Tax (or any tax software) submits your return, but the IRS takes time to fully process it. In addition to checking your online account, have you tried using the "Where's My Refund" tool on the IRS website? I know you're not expecting a refund, but sometimes that tool updates with processing information before the account balance does.

I went through this exact same situation last year and it was nerve-wracking! The processing delay is completely normal - my balance didn't show up for almost 3 weeks after filing. What really helped me was keeping a copy of my tax return and the acceptance confirmation from Column Tax as backup documentation. One tip that saved me stress: if you're worried about missing the deadline, you can always make a payment toward your estimated balance even before it shows up in your account. The IRS will apply it correctly once your return is fully processed. You can use Form 1040-V (payment voucher) or make an estimated payment online using EFTPS. This way you're covered if there are any delays in setting up the formal payment plan. The key thing to remember is that as long as you take some action before April 15th - whether that's setting up a payment plan, making a partial payment, or even just documenting your attempts to contact the IRS - you'll be in a much better position if any penalty questions come up later.