The fourth-quarter estimated tax deadline for 2025 is Thursday, and missing this deadline can result in penalties and interest for late or unpaid taxes. Typically, individuals who owe estimated payments are those with income that doesn’t have tax withholding, such as earnings from self-employment, contract, freelance, or gig economy work. Many filers also make payments for investing income, such as year-end capital gains, or bonuses if needed.<\/p>\n
According to Tom O’Saben, director of tax content and government relations at the National Association of Tax Professionals, the January deadline serves as a “chance to catch up” on 2025 taxes. The quarterly tax deadlines for 2025 were April 15, June 16, September 15, and January 15, 2026. These deadlines can easily be missed since they don’t align with calendar quarters, experts say.<\/p>\n
The January 15 fourth-quarter estimated tax deadline comes as the IRS prepares to start accepting individual returns for 2025 on January 26. Many workers could see bigger tax refunds this season due to changes enacted by President Donald Trump’s tax legislation, which includes a bigger standard deduction, a new $6,000 tax break for seniors, plus tax breaks on tip and overtime income, among others.<\/p>\n
However, the amount of the refund depends on which provisions impact an individual’s situation, according to Garrett Watson, director of policy analysis at the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit think tank. For example, the tip or overtime deductions are “pretty large compared to some of these smaller items that might be impacting a larger group of folks,” he said. Refunds or taxes owed also depend on paycheck withholdings, which generally didn’t change after Trump’s legislation, or other estimated tax payments made throughout 2025.<\/p>\n
To avoid an IRS underpayment penalty, individuals can follow the “safe harbor” by paying at least 90% of their 2025 taxes or 100% of their 2024 taxes, whichever is smaller. This threshold jumps to 110% if the 2024 adjusted gross income was $150,000 or more, which can be found on line 11 of Form 1040 from the 2024 tax return.<\/p>\n
The safe harbor could prevent a penalty, but individuals can still owe additional 2025 taxes after filing their return, experts say. Electronic payments are the “most secure, fastest and easiest way to pay,” according to the IRS. <\/p>\n Individuals can use their IRS Online Account, which has key information that could be helpful for the upcoming season. Other payment options include Direct Pay or the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System. While paper checks are still accepted, the IRS announced plans to transition to electronic payments in September, which includes refunds and payments made to the IRS.<\/p>\n For more information on the fourth-quarter estimated tax deadline and how to make payments, individuals can visit the IRS website or consult a tax professional. As the tax season approaches, it’s essential to stay informed about the deadlines and requirements to avoid penalties and ensure a smooth tax filing process. Read more about the fourth-quarter estimated tax deadline Here<\/a><\/p>\n When making quarterly tax payments, consider setting reminders for the deadlines and keeping accurate records of payments made to ensure you meet the safe harbor requirements and avoid any potential penalties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Understanding the Fourth-Quarter Estimated Tax Deadline The fourth-quarter estimated tax deadline for 2025 is Thursday, and missing this deadline can result in penalties and interest for late or unpaid taxes. Typically, individuals who owe estimated payments are those with income that doesn’t have tax withholding, such as earnings from self-employment, contract, freelance, or gig economy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/image.cnbcfm.com\/api\/v1\/image\/108252518-1768414707649-gettyimages-2182944398-dsc_6109copy.jpeg?v=1768414717&w=1920&h=1080","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1912","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1914,"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions\/1914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sosahustle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Conclusion and Further Information<\/h2>\n
Smart Tip for Readers<\/h2>\n