IRS Tax Tips

April 5, 2006 – AT-2006-67

Making Tax Payments Correctly

When filing your return, remember to make sure your tax payment check or money order is payable to the "United States Treasury."

Whether you are filing your current year's return, a prior year's return or an amended return, always provide your correct name, address, Social Security number, daytime telephone number, tax year and form number on the front of your check or money order. Enclose your payment with your return, but do not staple it to the form. Do not mail cash with your tax return.

If you have a balance due on your 2005 Form 1040, complete and include Form 1040-V, Payment Voucher, when sending your payment and tax return to the IRS. This will help the IRS process your payment more accurately and efficiently.

If you are paying by electronic debit of your bank account, you will need to know your account number and your financial institution's routing number. You can check with your financial institution to make sure that an electronic withdrawal is allowed and to get the correct routing and account numbers.

If you are paying by credit card, call toll free or visit the Web site of either service provider listed below and follow the instructions:

• Link2Gov Corporation: 1-888-PAY-1040 (1-888-729-1040), www.pay1040.com
• Official Payments Corporation: 1-800-2PAY-TAX (1-800-272-9829), www.officialpayments.com

The service providers charge a convenience fee which may vary between the providers. You will be told what the fee is during the transaction and you will have the option to either continue or cancel the transaction. You can also find out what the fee will be by calling the provider's toll-free automated customer service number or visiting the provider's website. You will be given a confirmation number at the end of the call.

For more information, call toll free 1-800-829-4477 to check out TeleTax Topic 158, "Ensuring Proper Credit of Payments." This information is also contained in Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax.