Credit card payments
Taxpayers can, of course, still tell Uncle Sam to "charge it." And this year, debit cards are part of the mix.
Official Payments and Link2Gov remain the two IRS-approved plastic processors. Both companies accept payments from electronic as well as paper filers, either via phone or the Internet, in Spanish as well as English.
American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa are accepted for charged payments. If you want to avoid potentially costly interest charges, Link2Gov also accepts debit or check card payments as long as your card carries the NYCE, Star or Pulse logos.
Companies that accept and process credit/debit card tax payments
Keep in mind, however, that this electronic payment method will cost you more than just your tax bill. Each company has its own fee schedule. For credit card payments it's generally 2.49 percent of your tax bill. Pay by debit or check card, and your account also will be out a $2.95 processing fee.
And if you don't pay off your credit card in full, you'll start racking up interest charges on your account.
Electronic Federal Tax Payment System
You can avoid credit card vendor fees by using the federal Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, known as EFTPS. Businesses have been using EFTPS for years to directly transfer various taxes to the IRS. Now the agency is stepping up efforts to get individual taxpayers to use the system.
EFTPS is a free service and is available year-round. Individual taxpayers can make use of EFTPS to pay taxes associated with more than two dozen tax forms, including the family of 1040 forms (estimated and amended returns, too).
You must, however, enroll and get a personal identification number and password before you can use the service. It's a two-step process that involves a confirmation sent through the postal service, so don't wait until the last minute if this e-payment option appeals to you. And, again, check with your bank to see if it charges a transfer fee.
As with electronic funds transfers, EFTPS users can make payments 24 hours a day, seven days a week and schedule payments in advance. The online system also let taxpayers review their last 16 months of tax-payment history and search, print or download the data by date, tax type, amount, tax form and other factors.
In addition to paying an annual tax bill, filers who pay quarterly estimated taxes also can use these e-payment methods.
For more information on electronic tax options, check out the Bankrate feature "The many ways to electronically file your return" on ways you can e-file and "Getting the most from tax software" on selecting tax software with which you can electronically file your return and pay any tax due.
Freelance writer Kay Bell writes Bankrate's tax stories from her Austin, Texas, home. She also writes two tax blogs, Bankrate's Eye on the IRS, and Don't Mess With Taxes.