Ah, tax season.
As many Americans are starting to procrastinate finalize their tax returns, questions about earning points for making those payments always come up.
I pay all my estimated quarterly and annual taxes by credit card, so figured it would be helpful to go through the details of that for people who haven’t done it before or might need a refresher.
How much does it cost?
If you need to pay State or Local taxes, those rules (and fees) vary tremendously, so you’ll want to check with your local tax authority. For Federal taxes, however, there are three services that can accept credit cards for tax payments, with the following fee structure:
- Pay1040.com — 1.87%
- PayUSAtax.com — 1.97%
- OfficialPayments.com — 1.99%
Obviously the best play here is to utilize the service with the lowest fees, but in certain circumstances using one of the others can make sense as well.
Splitting your payments
If you have a very large payment to make that exceeds your limits on your credit card (and if so, congrats on your success last year / I’m sorry), or if you want to spread your spending across multiple cards for other reasons, you can do that.
The IRS page notes that most forms allow you to make two payments via credit card. What isn’t clearly stated, however, is that in practice you can make two payments via credit card with each service, for each period or form.
So theoretically you could make six payments for your 2018 balance due this April, and then another six payments for your Q1 2019 estimated tax payment.
Hopefully you don’t need to do that, and keep in mind that the fees for some of the services are higher, but it is an option. The IRS helpfully(?) tracks everything by the primary taxpayer’s social security number, so regardless of which method or service you use, you can easily verify that all payments were received.
Calculate the return
Just because you can put taxes on a credit card doesn’t mean that you should. With fees fluttering around 2%, you shouldn’t pay your taxes this way without calculating your net cost/gain.
These numbers will vary based on how you value miles, but let’s look at a few examples. If you’re using Pay1040.com, for example, which levies a 1.87% fee, here’s what a $5,000 payment (with $93.50 in fees) would look like using Ben’s values on a few different cards:
| Card | Return on everyday spend | Value of rewards | Net cost of $5k payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Blue Business℠ Plus Credit Card from American Express | 2x points (up to the first $50,000 spent per calendar year) | 1.70¢ / $170.00 | ($76.50) |
| The Business Platinum® Card from American Express | 1.5x points (on purchases of $5,000 or more) | 1.70¢ / $127.50 | ($34.00) |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® | 1.5x points | 1.70¢ / $127.50 | ($34.00) |
| Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card | 2x miles | 1.10¢ / $110 | ($16.50) |
| Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business | 2x miles | 1.10¢ / $110 | ($16.50) |
| Citi® Double Cash Card | 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay | 1.00¢ / $100.00 | ($6.50) |
| Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Silver Card | 1x miles | 1.30¢ / $65.00 | $28.50 |
| Hilton Honors Ascend Card from American Express | 3x points | 0.40¢ / $60 | $33.50 |
Obviously there are many other cards you could consider using here, but hopefully, that helps you get the idea.
Keep in mind that how you are going to use the points matters as well. With The Business Platinum® Card from American Express, you’d not only be getting 1.5 points/$1 for a purchase over $5k, the card also gives you a 35% refund when you redeem points through the “Pay with Points” option. This is essentially an opportunity to redeem Membership Rewards points for 1.35 cents of airfare each (either on your designated airline in economy, or on any available airline in business or first class).
So that $5,000 tax payment earns 7,500 Membership Rewards points, which can be used for $115.38 towards airfare through the Pay With Points option. Subtract out the $93.50 in fees, and you’re still coming out ahead even if you don’t accumulate additional points to transfer for a big award (provided you were going to spend money on airfare this year, but I assume that’s why you’re all here).
As you can see, using the right card is critical in order for this to be worthwhile. Though there are a few exceptions where you might accept a lesser return in exchange for another benefit.
Meeting minimum spend
If you apply for a card this week and are approved promptly, you should receive it in plenty of time to make a payment by April 15th.
Otherwise, American Express often issues temporary cards that can be used for online purchases until your physical card arrives, provided you sign up online and are instantly approved. If you’ve been considering an Amex card, it may make sense to apply for one of those, get the temporary card, and knock out the minimum spend quickly.
And of course, if you’re working towards a large welcome bonus, the return for each $ spent towards the minimum spend is significantly higher, which helps the math as well.
Achieving threshold bonuses
Sometimes it’s not the points themselves that are most valuable, but the extra perks you get for spending a certain amount on a credit card.
For example, the Hilton Honors Ascend Card from American Express and The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card offer a Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 in purchases on your card in a calendar year. A $15,000 tax payment would have a net cost of ~$100.50 once you subtract out the value of the Hilton points earned. If you have a particular trip in mind, that could still be an excellent value.
In general, if meeting those spending thresholds wouldn’t otherwise be possible, it’s worth considering if the 1.87-1.99% fee for paying taxes via a card could still be a good value.
Promotional or low-interest opportunities
In general, I wouldn’t recommend putting any large purchase on a credit card unless you also have the cash to pay it off. An unexpectedly large and unaffordable tax bill, for example, is likely best resolved by setting up a payment plan with the IRS.
If you just need a bit of wiggle room, however, it could be worth examining the many cards offering a promotional interest rate on purchases as part of the welcome bonus. The number of months at the promotional rate vary by card, so check the terms, but if you can plan and budget such that the full balance could then be paid in a few months, putting your taxes on an extremely low or even 0% card (that also earns points) could be a good option.
Promotional interest cards
Bottom line
Earning a chunk of points can take some of the sting out of making tax payments, but be sure the return or benefits make sense for your situation before paying that extra fee.
Who else pays taxes with a credit card? Which card are you using this time around?
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