How to Pay the IRS by Phone: Cards, EFTPS, and Fees

There are two ways to pay the IRS by phone: call one of the two IRS-authorized card processors (Pay1040 at 888-729-1040 or ACI Payments at 800-272-9829) to pay with a credit or debit card for a small fee, or call the EFTPS Voice Response System at 800-555-3453 to debit a bank account for free. The card route works for anyone with a taxpayer ID and a card. The EFTPS route is free but requires an active enrollment, and the IRS no longer accepts new individual EFTPS enrollments, so most first-time phone payers will end up using a card processor.¹²

Paying by Credit or Debit Card

Two processors are authorized to take IRS payments by phone. You do not need to set up an account first. Call, follow the prompts, and you’ll have a confirmation number before you hang up.

Pay1040: 888-729-1040
ACI Payments, Inc.: 800-272-9829

Have this information in front of you before dialing: your Social Security Number, ITIN, or EIN; the tax form the payment applies to (1040 for individual income tax, for example); the tax year and exact payment amount; and your card number, expiration date, and security code.³

The automated system will ask what kind of payment you’re making (individual income tax, estimated tax, and so on), then collect your taxpayer ID, tax year, and amount, then your card details. It reads back the convenience fee before charging anything. You approve the total, and the system gives you a confirmation number. Write it down. That number is your proof of payment.¹

What It Costs

The convenience fee goes to the processor, not the IRS:¹

Personal debit card: a flat $2.10 (ACI) or $2.15 (Pay1040)
Personal credit card: 1.75% of the payment (Pay1040) or 1.85% (ACI), $2.50 minimum
Commercial or corporate card: 2.89% (Pay1040) or 2.95% (ACI), $2.50 minimum

Debit is by far the cheapest option for anything but a small balance. On a large payment the percentage-based credit card fee adds up quickly, and none of it counts toward your tax bill.

How Often You Can Pay by Card

The IRS caps card payments by tax form and payment type. For most individual and business forms, the limit is two card payments per year for the same form and payment type. Estimated tax payments have their own allowance of up to four per year, matching the quarterly schedule. If you’ve hit the cap, you’ll need to use a different method for the next payment.⁴

Paying Through EFTPS by Phone

If you already have an active EFTPS enrollment, call the Voice Response System at 800-555-3453. It’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, covers all federal tax types, and charges no fee.²⁵

Individual EFTPS enrollments are closed to new signups. Businesses can still enroll by calling EFTPS Customer Service at 800-555-4477 or through the EFTPS website, and the PIN arrives by mail in five to seven business days.⁶

Before you call, have your SSN or EIN, your four-digit EFTPS PIN and password, your bank’s nine-digit routing number and account number, the tax form and period the payment covers, and the amount and date you want the debit to hit. Enter your PIN and password when prompted, pick the tax form, enter the period and amount, confirm the bank details, and choose today or a future date for the debit. The system issues an EFT Acknowledgment Number as your receipt.

Canceling a Scheduled EFTPS Payment

Call 800-555-3453 to cancel. You’ll need your taxpayer ID, PIN, the tax form number, and the last eight digits of the EFT Acknowledgment Number. The deadline is firm: cancel by 11:59 p.m. ET at least two business days before the scheduled payment date. To change an amount, cancel the original and schedule a new one.⁷

Making Sure the Payment Counts as On Time

EFTPS payments must be scheduled by 8:00 p.m. ET the day before the tax due date to count as timely. Same-day EFTPS payments have to be submitted before 3:00 p.m. ET on a business day.⁶⁸

Card payments are generally credited on the date of the call, but processing can vary. Don’t wait until the last hour of the deadline.

If You Can’t Pay the Whole Balance

Pay what you can, then set up a plan. The failure-to-pay penalty is 0.5% of the unpaid balance for each month or partial month it stays unpaid, up to 25%, and interest runs daily at the federal short-term rate plus 3%.⁹

You can request an installment agreement by phone: individuals call 800-829-1040, businesses call 800-829-4933. Individuals who owe $50,000 or less in combined tax, penalties, and interest can also apply online. Once an installment agreement is in place, the failure-to-pay penalty drops to 0.25% per month.¹⁰⁹

A Note on Incoming Calls

Paying the IRS by phone means you place the call, using one of the four numbers above. The IRS itself does not initiate contact by phone demanding payment. It sends a written notice first, and it will not ask for payment by gift card, prepaid debit card, or wire transfer. Anyone calling with threats of arrest, license revocation, or deportation unless you pay immediately is running a scam. Hang up, and if you want to check whether you actually owe anything, call the IRS at 800-829-1040.¹¹

1
Internal Revenue Service. Pay Your Taxes by Debit or Credit Card or Digital Wallet
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Internal Revenue Service. EFTPS The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System
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Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayer Identification Numbers TIN
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Internal Revenue Service. Frequency Limit Table by Type of Tax Payment
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IRS. IRS Offers a Variety of Ways to Pay Your Taxes
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Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). Welcome to EFTPS Online
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EFTPS.gov. Payment Instruction Booklet
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Internal Revenue Service. Publication 509 2026 Tax Calendars
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Internal Revenue Service. Topic No 653 IRS Notices and Bills Penalties and Interest Charges
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Internal Revenue Service. Payment Plans Installment Agreements
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Internal Revenue Service. Ways to Tell if the IRS Is Reaching Out or if Its a Scammer