The IRS requires that you pay federal estimated tax over the course of the tax year. This is done either through withholdings from your earnings or by the payment of estimated taxes.
Estimated taxes are to be paid quarterly (April 15th, June 16th, September 15th, and January 15th) and are generally paid by taxpayers who receive their income from sources other than salaries and wages, such as a sole-proprietor, partner, S corporation shareholder and/or a self-employed individual.
You can also elect to pay federal estimated quarterly tax payments if the amount of income tax being withheld from your salary, pension, or other income is not enough.
To determine the amount of estimated federal payments you should be making, you will need to fill out Form 1040-ES. Please be aware that our software does not automatically calculate your estimated tax due.
You may access the 1040-ES by following the path below:
- Federal
- Payments & Estimates
- Vouchers for 2026 Estimated Payments
- 1040 Estimated Payments Calculator
Am I required to make Estimated Tax Payments?
The general rule is to pay estimated tax for the current tax year if both of the following apply:
- You expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax for the current tax year after subtracting your withholding and credits.
- You expect your withholding and credits to be less than the smaller of
- 90% of the tax to be shown on your current tax return, OR
- 100% of the tax shown on your prior year tax return. Your prior year tax return must cover all 12 months.
How do I print an estimated payment voucher?
If you would like to print out Estimated Payment Vouchers, you must first generate them by logging into your account and going to:
- Federal Section
- Payments and Estimates
- Vouchers for Next Year's Estimated Payments
After you have completed the vouchers, you can print them from your PDF by navigating to the Summary/Print section.