Pay quarterly when you expect to owe 1000 dollars or more
Four due dates a year, not evenly spaced. Pay via Form 1040-ES.
- For tax year 2026: April 15 (Q1, already past). June 16 (Q2). September 15 (Q3). January 15, 2027 (Q4).
- Pay at irs.gov/payments using IRS Direct Pay.
- Easy way to avoid the underpayment penalty: pay 100 percent of what you owed last year (110 percent if your income was over $150K).
- Miss Q1? Catch up at Q2. You only pay penalty on the days you were short, not the whole quarter.
- Form 2210 figures the penalty if you miss.
SourceIRC §6654; IRS Form 1040-ES (2026)