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Can you pay your taxes with a credit card?

Yes. Two IRS-approved processors take cards, for a fee of 1.75% or 1.85%. If you can't pay the card off quickly, an IRS payment plan usually costs less; the calculator shows by how much.

Checked 2026-09-27 · All guides

The fees

IRS-approved processor	Credit card	Debit card
Pay1040	1.75% ($2.50 minimum)	$2.15
ACI Payments	1.85% ($2.50 minimum)	$2.10

The fee goes to the processor, not the IRS. Different fees apply if you pay while e-filing. Paying straight from a bank account (IRS Direct Pay) costs nothing. Checked on IRS.gov, 2026-09-27.

Card or payment plan? Work it out

Enter what you owe, your card's interest rate and how many months you'd take to pay it off.

Tax you owe ($)Your card's interest rate (APR, %)Months to pay it off

	Credit card	IRS short-term plan (180 days or less)
Processing or setup fee	$35–$37	$0
Interest	$145	$41
Late-payment penalty	—	$18–$35
Estimated total cost over 6 months	$180–$182	$58–$76

Estimate. Assumes equal monthly payments. IRS interest at the current 7% a year (it's reset every quarter). The IRS late-payment penalty is 0.5% a month, or 0.25% a month during an approved payment plan if you filed on time; we show both ends. Plans of 180 days or less have no setup fee; longer plans cost $29 (online, direct debit) to $178 (by phone or mail, other payment). If the tax is already late, penalty and interest before today come on top either way.

A worked example

Maria owes $2,000 and can pay it off over six months. On a card at 24% a year, the processing fee is $35–$37 and the card interest adds about $145: about $180 in total. On an IRS short-term payment plan (no setup fee), interest adds about $41 and the late-payment penalty $18–$35: about $58–$76. The payment plan costs roughly $100 less.

When a card can make sense

A 0% introductory rate that lasts until you've paid it off: then the only cost is the 1.75% fee ($35 on $2,000), which can beat six months of IRS interest and penalty. Check the intro period and what happens to the rate afterwards.
You'll pay the card in full this month and just need the timing: the fee is the whole cost.
Rewards rarely beat a 1.75% fee; check your card's actual rate before counting on it.

If you can't pay in full

File on time anyway. The failure-to-file penalty is much larger than the failure-to-pay penalty (in a month where both apply, it's 4.5% plus 0.5%).
Ask for a payment plan. Short-term (180 days or less) has no setup fee. Here's what to say, or apply online at IRS.gov/payments.
Low income? For long-term plans, the setup fee is waived with direct debit if your income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.

Sources

Sources checked 2026-09-27.

General information, not tax advice. Rules and figures change; each figure shows where it comes from and when we checked it. Free help: IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Low Income Taxpayer Clinics.