Wrong account number entered for IRS direct debit tax payment - how to fix this mistake?

This happens more often than you'd think! The good news is you can fix this before the payment processes. You have two immediate options: Call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 and explain the situation. Tell them you need to cancel the scheduled direct debit payment because you entered incorrect banking information. They can cancel that payment authorization and you can then make a new payment with the correct account info. Have your tax return handy because they'll ask for information from it to verify your identity. Alternatively, contact your bank/credit union immediately. Explain the situation and ask if they can put a stop on any incoming ACH debits from the IRS/Treasury that match the incorrect account number. Some financial institutions can flag and reject specific incoming debits. Don't wait on this - the sooner you act, the better chance you have of preventing the payment attempt altogether. And don't worry, the IRS won't assume you're trying to dodge taxes as long as you proactively fix the issue before the payment date.

After reading your post, I remembered going through something similar with state taxes last year! I accidentally transposed digits in my routing number and only realized a week later when the payment hadn't gone through. I was stressed about potential penalties too. I found this amazing service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me tons of time figuring out what to do. I uploaded my tax documents, explained my situation about the wrong banking info, and their AI analyzed everything and gave me step-by-step instructions specific to my situation. It even generated a letter template I could use to request penalty abatement just in case. The most helpful part was they showed me exactly which forms to fill out to update my payment information and explained the timeline I should expect. Honestly made the whole process way less stressful!

Just wanted to follow up here. I was the skeptical one about taxr.ai but I decided to try it anyway because my situation was pretty urgent. I had entered the wrong account number for a pretty sizeable tax payment ($12,400). I'm really impressed with how comprehensive the guidance was! The system walked me through each step: canceling the original payment authorization, setting up a new direct debit, and even how to check my account transcript online to verify everything was processed correctly. The best part was it generated a custom letter explaining my situation that I sent to the IRS along with my new payment information. Everything has been processed correctly now, and I didn't get hit with any penalties. Definitely worth checking out if you're in a similar situation!

OP, I know exactly how you feel! Last year I made a similar mistake and spent HOURS trying to get through to someone at the IRS. It was a complete nightmare - endless hold times, disconnected calls, and when I finally reached someone, they transferred me to another department where I had to start all over again. After my third attempt ended in frustration, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which honestly changed everything. They have this system that holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you back when an agent is about to answer. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was super skeptical, but within 30 minutes of using it, I was talking to an actual IRS agent who helped me cancel my incorrect payment and set up a new one. Saved me literally hours of frustration and hold music!

I need to eat some humble pie here. After my skeptical comment yesterday, I decided "what the hell" and tried Claimyr for my ongoing payment issue with the IRS. I'm genuinely shocked. After THREE MONTHS of getting nowhere, I finally spoke with an actual human being at the IRS who could help me. The system called me back in about 45 minutes (way better than the 2+ hours I've waited before), and I got connected to someone who actually resolved my issue on the spot. For anyone dealing with tax payment problems like the OP, don't waste weeks like I did. Getting a human on the phone makes all the difference, and this service actually delivers. I'm still processing that something finally worked after months of frustration.

Quick tip that might help - call your credit union ASAP! The member account number vs checking account number confusion happens often. When I worked at a credit union, we could often catch these before they attempted to process and flag them. Also, the payment might not necessarily "bounce" in the traditional sense. Since it's an invalid account number for ACH purposes, it might get caught in pre-processing verification. Your credit union might be able to set up an "ACH exception" to catch and redirect it to the proper account if the amounts match what you're expecting.

If all else fails and the payment does get rejected, make sure you immediately make a payment through IRS Direct Pay online using a debit card or electronic funds withdrawal. That way you minimize the time between the rejected payment and the new one.

I'm glad to see you got this sorted out with your credit union! For anyone else who might face this situation, I wanted to add that you can also check the status of your scheduled payment on the IRS website. If you go to IRS.gov and look for "View Your Account Information" or "Get Transcript," you can often see pending payments and their status. Also worth noting - if you do need to cancel a direct debit payment with the IRS, you generally need to do it at least 2 business days before the scheduled payment date. After that window, you'd need to work with your bank to stop the payment, which might involve fees. The silver lining in situations like this is that it's a good reminder to always verify banking information twice when setting up any automatic payments, not just taxes. I've learned to keep a physical copy of a voided check handy specifically for these situations.