Pay your 3rd quarter estimated tax today!

September 17, 2012

A quick nag reminder about today's estimated tax payment deadline.

Your third 1040-ES of 2012 is due by midnight if you pay electronically. In this case you don't have to actually send in the Internal Revenue Service voucher, just the amount you owe via your credit or debit card or bank account transfer.


Estimated tax payment voucher 3 2012 Click for a larger view.

Or if you're mailing your payment via paper check or money order, you have until your post office closes. Estimated tax payments, just like your annual 1040 filing, are considered filed on time as long as the envelope is postmarked by the due date.

Which is today, Monday, Sept. 17, since the regular 15th deadline was Saturday.

Pay now or pay more later: If you need more than this friendly nag reminder, keep in mind that ignoring this tax deadline could cost your more money later.

Even if you end up getting a refund next year, if you should have paid estimated tax on some earnings that weren't subject to payroll withholding and didn't, you could end up owing the IRS a late-payment penalty.

That's because U.S. tax collection is a pay-as-you-earn system. Not getting your taxes in via withholding or estimated tax payments means you were late paying your due taxes.

And Uncle Sam charges for that.

So if you made money in June, July and August and taxes weren't taken out of that income, pay the proper amount.

Today!

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The More Tax Posts tab at the top of this page will take you to, well, more tax posts. You also can search below for a tax topic. 

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The ol’ blog is here to help you finish up your extended Form 1040. You can start with January’s tax tips page, which has links to the rest of the year’s tips by-month collections. You also can peruse various tax categories for more tailored advice by clicking on the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of this (and every) page.

And to make sure you don’t miss your new filing deadline, the count-down clock below will let you know just how much time you to file by Oct. 15. At the latest.e. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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