
Paying quarterly business taxes online can be a straightforward process, but it's essential to understand the basics first.
You can pay quarterly business taxes online through the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) or through your tax professional if you have one.
The IRS requires businesses with estimated tax liability of $1,000 or more per year to make quarterly payments.
Each payment is due on the 15th day of April, June, September, and January of the following year.
You can pay online 24/7 and receive immediate confirmation of your payment.
Quarterly Taxes Basics
As a freelancer or small business owner, paying quarterly taxes can be a bit tricky, but it's essential to stay on top of it. You're considered self-employed if you work as an independent contractor, sole proprietor, member of a partnership, or run a business as your own, including part-time.
To be organized, maintain a file electronically and via paper, and keep a record of your profits, losses, expenses, etc. throughout each quarter. This will help you estimate the payment you think you'll owe the government. If you consistently budget for taxes, submitting on time will be less of an issue.
The payment schedule for quarterly taxes varies, but according to the IRS, the payment dates for 2016 were April 18, June 15, September 15, and January 17, 2017. However, if you file your 2016 tax return by January 31, 2017, and pay the entire balance due with your return, you're not required to make the fourth quarterly payment due January 17, 2017.
You have several options to submit your payment, including:
- Sign up for the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)
- Paying online via the IRS website
- Paying using debit or credit card
- Remitting a check or money order using estimated tax payment voucher
To avoid penalties, you should pay your taxes quarterly if you expect to owe more than $1,000 after subtracting withholding and tax credits when filing your return, or if you expect your withholding and tax credits to be less than 90% of your current year tax or 100% of your prior year tax. The IRS uses a couple of rules to determine if you need to make quarterly estimated tax payments.
Payment Methods
You can pay your quarterly business taxes online through various methods, each with its own set of fees and processing times.
The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System allows you to submit payments online, while paper forms supplied by the IRS can also be used.
You'll need to have your routing number and checking or savings account number handy, as well as your TIN number.
There's a 50-cent handling fee for E-Check transactions, which take 3-4 business days to apply to your tax account.
For credit card transactions, you'll need to provide your account or vendor's license number, and a convenience fee of 2.0% + $0.25 per card transaction will be applied, regardless of amount.
Here are some payment options available through the Ohio Business Gateway:
Tax Calculations
As a business owner, it's essential to stay on top of your tax calculations to avoid any surprises. You can estimate your self-employment tax using a self-employment tax calculator.
To find deductions as a 1099 contractor, freelancer, or creator, or if you have a side gig, use a self-employed tax deductions calculator. This will help you identify potential tax savings.
If you're registered for sales tax in your state, you can use the provided links to register a new sales location, consumer's use location, or vendor's use location. Make sure to follow the instructions for each option.
To pay the balance due from a monthly, quarterly, or annual Sales Tax Return, you can select the corresponding option and upload your sales return as an Excel spreadsheet. This feature is new and can save you time.
You may also need to pay the balance due from a monthly, quarterly, or annual Vendor's Use Tax Return or Consumer's Use Tax Return. These payments do not constitute filing of a return, but you can still use the links to upload your returns as Excel spreadsheets.
If you need to download a text file that includes a listing of your Sales or Use tax locations for filing with a third-party system, select the corresponding option.
Employer and Sales Tax
As a business owner, you're likely familiar with the importance of paying quarterly business taxes online. But did you know that you can also register for sales tax and use tax online? If you're registered for sales tax in the state, you can use this link to register a new sales, consumer's use, or vendor's use location.
You can also add a new location if you're only registered for consumer's use tax in the state, or add a new vendor's use tax location if you're only registered for vendor's use tax in the state. To do this, simply use the corresponding links and follow the instructions.
If you're already registered for sales tax, you can use the online system to file and pay the balance due from a monthly, quarterly, or annual Sales Tax Return. This includes options to upload your sales return as an excel spreadsheet, which can save you a lot of time and hassle.
Employer Withholding Tax
As an employer, you're required to withhold taxes from your employees' wages and pay them to the state. You can do this by filing and paying your Withholding MO-941 Tax Return online.
To file and pay your Withholding MO-941 Tax Return online, you'll need to use the online payment system and follow the requirements. This will automatically file your return for the period.
You can also use the online payment system to file a Zero Withholding MO-941 Tax Return online, which is useful if you don't have any taxes to report.
Sales Tax
If you're registered for sales tax in the state, you can register a new sales, consumer's use, or vendor's use location using this link.
You'll need to follow the instructions provided to complete the registration process.
To add a new location if you're only registered for consumer's use tax in the state, use this link.
You can also add a new vendor's use tax location if you're only registered for vendor's use tax in the state using this link.
To file and pay the balance due from a monthly, quarterly, or annual Sales Tax Return, select this option. These payments don't constitute filing of a return (Sales voucher, Sales Form 53-1).
You can now upload your sales return as an excel spreadsheet without having to enter each line of data using the below links to access this feature. For helpful filing instructions, select Here.
Here are the options for making payments:
- Monthly, quarterly, or annual Sales Tax Return: select this option to pay the balance due
- Monthly, quarterly, or annual Vendor’s Use Tax Return: select this option to pay the balance due
- Monthly, quarterly, or annual Consumer's Use Tax Return: select this option to pay the balance due
Note that electronic payments are required for Quarter-Monthly Sales Tax filers.
Sources
- https://www.tax.newmexico.gov/businesses/how-to-make-a-payment/
- https://tax.ohio.gov/business/pay-online
- https://www.sba.gov/blog/quarterly-taxes-basics
- https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/self-employment-taxes/a-guide-to-paying-quarterly-taxes/L6p8C53xQ
- https://mytax.mo.gov/rptp/portal/home/fileandpaybusinesstaxesonline
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