Paying Tax Throughout the Year When No One Is Withholding It For You
By the end of this lesson, you'll understand:
For self-employment income, significant investment income, or other earnings without withholding, estimated payments are how the "pay-as-you-go" system (from TXS101) still applies to you. Skipping them isn't just a cash flow risk, it can trigger a specific underpayment penalty on top of the tax itself.
If you expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax after subtracting withholding and refundable credits, and your withholding won't cover the safe harbor thresholds from TXS114, you generally need to make estimated payments. This most commonly applies to self-employed individuals, freelancers, landlords, and those with significant investment income.
What to check: Even if you have a W-2 job with withholding, substantial additional income (freelance work, rental income, large capital gains) can still trigger an estimated payment requirement on top of your regular withholding.
For the 2026 tax year, estimated payments are generally due April 15, June 15, and September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027, note that despite being called "quarterly," the periods covered aren't perfectly even three-month blocks.
What to check: Confirm the exact current-year due dates at IRS.gov each year, since they shift slightly when a date falls on a weekend or holiday.
A common approach is to estimate your full-year tax liability (including self-employment tax, if applicable) and divide it into quarterly payments, adjusting later payments if your income changes. Using last year's total tax liability as a rough starting baseline, if your income is similar, is another common and simpler approach.
What to check: If your income is uneven throughout the year, the IRS allows the annualized income installment method, which can reduce a penalty tied to a large payment being needed for a quarter when you actually earned much less, worth discussing with a tax professional if your income varies significantly.
Estimated payments can be made online through IRS Direct Pay, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), by mail with the payment voucher from Form 1040-ES, or through many tax software programs. Keep a confirmation or record of every payment made.
What to check: Set up an IRS online account if you haven't already, it lets you view your payment history directly, which is useful for confirming payments were received and applied correctly.
Estimated payments are the self-employment equivalent of the withholding covered in TXS108, both exist to spread your tax liability across the year rather than concentrating it into one bill. Many people with both W-2 and self-employment income use a combination of adjusted withholding and estimated payments together to cover their full liability.
Based on her self-employment tax estimate from the previous lesson, Sofia now plans ahead. She estimates her total tax liability for the year, including both income tax and self-employment tax, at roughly $6,800, and divides it into four estimated payments of about $1,700 each, due on the standard quarterly dates.
She sets calendar reminders two weeks before each due date and pays through IRS Direct Pay, saving the confirmation number each time, turning what was previously a single overwhelming bill into four planned, manageable payments.
As long as I pay everything I owe by the April filing deadline, it doesn't matter when during the year I paid it.
The IRS generally expects tax to be paid as income is earned throughout the year, not all at once at filing time. Paying the full amount only in April, without meeting the quarterly requirements, can still trigger an underpayment penalty even though the balance is fully paid by the deadline.
You may face an underpayment penalty calculated based on how late and how large the missed payment was, though making the payment as soon as possible afterward limits the additional penalty accrual, don't skip it entirely just because the exact date has passed.
Yes, most states with income tax have their own estimated payment system and due dates, generally similar to but sometimes not identical to the federal schedule, check your specific state's requirements separately.
Not necessarily, if your income is uneven, the annualized income installment method allows adjusting payments to better match when income was actually earned, though the standard even-split approach is simpler for consistent income.
If you have self-employment or other untaxed income this year, estimate your total tax liability and set calendar reminders for all four upcoming quarterly due dates.
With payments covered, the next lesson, TXS117: Tax Recordkeeping: What to Keep and For How Long, covers how to organize the documentation behind everything filed so far.
That's where Financial Confidence becomes your personal estimated payment planner.
Financial Confidence can help you estimate your quarterly payment amounts, track due dates with reminders, log payment confirmations, and adjust your plan if your income changes mid-year.
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