How Long Do You Have to Pay Taxes?

As a taxpayer, you have to file and pay your taxes by the IRS deadline — but tax deadlines vary based on the type of taxes you’re paying.

There are different deadlines for personal income tax, estimated tax, estates and trusts, and farmers and fishermen.

So, how long do you have to pay your taxes? Let’s go over the details to make sure you’re filing and paying your taxes on time.

When are taxes due?

Are you filing your taxes for the first time or filing under different circumstances and wondering when your tax return is due? Tax due dates can vary based on your employment status, how much you earn, and the type of income you earn.

The deadline for filing your personal income tax return is April 15. You can request an extension to file your tax return, but your total tax due will still need to be paid by April 15.

Your tax due date can vary based on your employment status and what you do for a living.

For self-employed filers

Self-employed filers usually have to pay estimated taxes, which are quarterly taxes you pay when you don’t have an employer withholding taxes.

If you’re self-employed, there are four quarterly deadlines you need to remember for tax year 2024:

• 1st quarter: April 15
• 2nd quarter: June 17
• 3rd quarter: September 16
• 4th quarter: January 15, 2025

You can use Form 1040-ES to calculate your estimated quarterly taxes. You can make payments when it’s convenient for you as long as you pay the total estimated taxes you owe by each quarterly deadline.

Farmers and fishermen

Tax due dates and regulations are slightly different for farmers and fishermen. If at least two-thirds of your income is from farming or fishing, there are two ways you can pay your taxes:

• You can pay all of your estimated taxes by January 15, or
• You can file your tax return and pay your taxes by March 1

If you file and pay your taxes by the March 15 deadline, fill out Form 2210-F to figure out if you paid the estimated taxes you owed. If you didn’t pay the amount you owed, you can attach Form 2210-F to your tax return when you file.

For estates and trusts

Tax due dates for estates and trusts are circumstantial.

If you’re filing a tax return for an estate or trust and using the standard calendar year, your deadline to file is April 15. When you file using your fiscal year, your deadline is the 15th day of the 4th month after the taxable year ended.

If you’re filing a tax return for a bankruptcy estate with the standard calendar year, you have the same April 15 deadline. If you file using your fiscal year, you have a fiscal year period to file after receiving income, but the period cannot exceed 12 months.

International filers

Your deadline is later if you file a tax return while living or traveling outside the U.S. If you’re outside of the U.S. on April 15, you have until June 17 to file and pay your taxes.

You can still request an extension as an international filer. If you need more time to file, the IRS will grant you an automatic extension to December 16 to file your tax return, but you will need to send the IRS a letter requesting this extension.

Even if you’re requesting an extension to file, you should pay your taxes by the June due date in order to avoid paying tax penalties for not paying on time.

How long do you have to pay taxes after the due date?

The official deadline to file and pay your taxes is April 15. The good news is that the IRS is more than happy to work with you if you need an extension to file your tax return.

You can file an extension with TurboTax or by completing Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. You can also use the IRS Free File to request an automatic extension.

When you request an extension, you have until October 15 to file your tax return. Keep in mind that you still have to pay your taxes by the April 15 due date — this is just an extension to file the return.

How to request a payment plan

If the amount of tax due is substantial and you just don’t have the money available to pay what you owe in full, you may want to look into setting up a payment plan with the IRS.

To set up a payment plan with the IRS, file Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request. You’ll need to let the IRS know how much you’re able to pay each month and provide your routing and account numbers if you want to make your payments by direct debit.

You can also choose to make payments by payroll deduction if you can’t afford to make monthly payments. On Form 9465, check the box on line 14, then complete and attach Form 2159 when you apply for an installment agreement.

If you owe $50,000 or less in taxes, you may be able to set up a payment plan online instead of filing Form 9465. Use the Online Payment Agreement application to save time and pay a reduced user fee.

Payment options

If for whatever reason you don’t set up an installment plan, you can always use funds from alternative sources to pay your tax bill in full. For example, using some emergency savings is an option if you have that available to you. 

What you typically don’t want to do is tap into sources of money that will penalize you or charge you interest. An example would be paying with a credit card. Unless you have a zero percent interest rate or very low interest rate card, the interest charged on a credit card may outweigh the penalties assessed by the IRS. 

Another thing people mistakenly do is tap into retirement accounts to pay Uncle Sam. Use caution if you think you need to take this route. Most retirement accounts will penalize you for early withdrawals, and you may owe even more taxes on that amount next year when you file your taxes.

What happens if you don’t pay taxes?

Each year, your taxes are due by the April 15 filing deadline. If you don’t pay your taxes on time, you may have to pay back taxes plus any penalties the IRS charges you with.

The penalties you owe are a percentage of your unpaid taxes. The failure-to-pay penalty is 0.5% of your unpaid taxes each month — with a maximum penalty of 25%.

What if you also owe taxes for a prior year?  How long do you have to pay those back taxes? The length of time will depend on the arrangement you’ve made with the IRS, but the longer you take to pay back your tax debt, the more it will cost. The IRS charges interest on back taxes equal to the federal short-term rate plus 3%. Interest compounds daily, so your tax bill increases the longer it goes unpaid.

Penalties and interest are typically the worst consequences of unpaid taxes. The IRS can garnish wages and seize property, but these actions are usually rare. As long as you’re compliant and try to pay your unpaid taxes, the IRS will usually help you find a solution.

If you have unpaid taxes, the best thing you can do is start making payments. Paying off back taxes eliminates stress and helps you minimize penalties and interest.