How Do I Pay Quarterly Taxes? A 2026 Guide

You pay quarterly taxes by sending the IRS an estimated payment four times a year, using IRS Direct Pay, an IRS Online Account, EFTPS, or a mailed Form 1040-ES voucher. You generally must do this if you expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax that is not covered by withholding, which is common for self-employed and 1099 workers. For 2026 the payments are due April 15, June 15, September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027.

Who actually has to pay quarterly taxes

The rule is about withholding, not about being self-employed as such. Employees have income tax and payroll tax pulled from each paycheck, so they rarely owe quarterly. If you earn money with no tax withheld, that job falls to you. You are generally required to make estimated payments if both of these are true:

• You expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax for the year after subtracting your withholding and refundable credits, and
• Your withholding and credits will be less than the safe-harbor amount (explained below).

This catches freelancers and gig workers paid on a 1099, sole proprietors, landlords, and anyone with large interest, dividend, or capital gains income that is not withheld. If you also have a W-2 job, you can often avoid quarterly filing by increasing withholding on that job instead.

The 2026 quarterly due dates

Estimated taxes are paid in four installments that do not line up with even calendar quarters. Here are the dates for the 2026 tax year.

If a due date lands on a weekend or holiday, it moves to the next business day. You can skip the January 15, 2027 payment if you file your full 2026 return and pay any balance by February 1, 2027.

The safe harbor that keeps you penalty-free

You do not have to predict your income perfectly. The IRS gives you a safe harbor: pay enough during the year and no underpayment penalty applies, even if you owe more at filing. You are covered if your payments plus withholding equal the smaller of:

• 90 percent of this year's total tax, or
• 100 percent of last year's total tax (110 percent if your prior-year adjusted gross income was over $150,000, or over $75,000 if married filing separately).

The prior-year option is the easy one, because you already know last year's number. Take last year's total tax, divide by four, and pay that each quarter. As long as you hit it, you are protected no matter how much your income grows this year.

How much to send: estimating self-employment income

Self-employed people owe two taxes on their profit: income tax at their regular rate, and self-employment tax. Self-employment tax is 15.3 percent (12.4 percent for Social Security plus 2.9 percent for Medicare). For 2026 the 12.4 percent Social Security portion applies to net earnings up to $184,500; the 2.9 percent Medicare portion applies to all of it, with an extra 0.9 percent above $200,000 single or $250,000 married filing jointly. Half of your self-employment tax is deductible against income tax.

A rough rule that works for many freelancers is to set aside 25 to 30 percent of net profit for federal tax, more if you are in a higher bracket. Base your estimate on your actual net income, which means keeping current books. If you track spending as you go with an app that reads and categorizes your receipts, your quarterly number is a subtraction away instead of a scramble. Our guide to quarterly estimated taxes walks through the math in more detail, and the quarterly tax calculator gives you a number in a minute.

The four ways to actually pay

Direct Pay and EFTPS are the two most common. EFTPS lets you schedule all four payments at the start of the year so you never miss one. Whichever you use, keep the confirmation number.

What happens if you underpay

Miss the safe harbor and the IRS charges an underpayment penalty, figured on Form 2210. It is really interest on the amount you were short, calculated for each period you underpaid. The rate resets quarterly and was 7 percent for the first quarter of 2026, compounded daily. Because it is per-period, paying a big lump in December does not erase a shortfall from the spring; the fix is to pay steadily across the four dates. If your income is uneven, the annualized income method on Form 2210 lets you match payments to when you actually earned the money.

Frequently asked questions

How do I pay quarterly taxes?

Pay quarterly taxes by sending the IRS an estimated payment four times a year through IRS Direct Pay, your IRS Online Account, EFTPS, or a mailed Form 1040-ES voucher. Estimate your income and self-employment tax for the year, divide by four, and pay by each deadline. Direct Pay and EFTPS are free and let you pay straight from a bank account.

Who has to pay quarterly estimated taxes?

You generally must pay quarterly if you expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax after withholding and refundable credits. This applies to self-employed people, 1099 and gig workers, landlords, and anyone with substantial income that is not subject to withholding. Employees whose paychecks cover their tax usually do not need to make estimated payments.

When are 2026 quarterly taxes due?

For the 2026 tax year, estimated payments are due April 15, 2026, June 15, 2026, September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. Dates that fall on a weekend or holiday shift to the next business day. You can skip the January payment if you file your full 2026 return and pay the balance by February 1, 2027.

How do I avoid an underpayment penalty?

Avoid the penalty by paying the smaller of 90 percent of this year's tax or 100 percent of last year's tax (110 percent if your prior-year AGI was over $150,000). The simplest approach is to take last year's total tax, divide by four, and pay that amount each quarter. Pay steadily across all four dates rather than in one late lump sum.

How much should I set aside for quarterly taxes?

A common rule for self-employed people is to set aside 25 to 30 percent of net profit for federal taxes, covering both income tax and the 15.3 percent self-employment tax. Higher earners should reserve more. Base the estimate on your actual net income after business expenses, and adjust each quarter as your earnings change.

TaxFile is self-prepared tax software and does not provide personalized tax advice. Estimated-tax rules have exceptions; for a complex situation, consult a CPA or tax professional.