Paying quarterly taxes means sending the IRS (and often your state) estimated payments four times a year so you don’t get hit with a big bill and penalties at tax time. Most self‑employed people or anyone who won’t have enough tax withheld from paychecks falls into this bucket.

Who has to pay

  • You generally need quarterly estimated payments if you expect to owe at least about $1,000 in federal tax after subtracting withholding and credits.
  • This is common for freelancers, gig workers, landlords, and small business owners with little or no withholding.
  • Some states also require separate quarterly estimates with their own thresholds and dates.

Key due dates

For a typical tax year, quarterly federal estimated payments are usually due around:

  • Mid‑April for income earned Jan–Mar.
  • Mid‑June for income earned Apr–May.
  • Mid‑September for income earned Jun–Aug.
  • Mid‑January of the following year for income earned Sep–Dec.

If you file your return early and pay the full remaining amount by roughly March 1, you can often skip the January estimate for the prior year.

How to calculate what you owe

There are two main ways to estimate:

  • Prior‑year method : Take last year’s total tax, divide by four, and pay that amount each quarter; higher‑income filers may need to pay 110% of last year’s tax instead of 100%.
  • Current‑year method : Project this year’s income, deductions, and credits, compute your expected tax, then divide by four; you can adjust payments if your income changes during the year.

The IRS provides a worksheet with Form 1040‑ES that walks through this math step by step.

How to actually pay

You can pay federal quarterly taxes in several ways:

  • Online via your IRS account, Direct Pay, or the IRS2Go app.
  • Through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) for scheduled electronic payments.
  • By debit/credit card (with processing fees) or in cash at certain IRS‑partner retailers.
  • By mailing a check or money order with Form 1040‑ES payment vouchers.

Many taxpayers find electronic payments easier to track and schedule in advance.

Common pitfalls and tips

  • Underpaying during the year can trigger penalties even if you pay everything by the tax‑filing deadline.
  • Setting aside a percentage of each payment you receive (for example, 25–30% for combined federal and state, depending on your bracket) helps avoid scrambling at deadline time.
  • Your state may have different forms, portals, and due dates, so always check your state revenue department’s guidance.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.