The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) is a secure service provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, making it easy to pay your taxes online or by phone. Whether you're handling personal income taxes or managing corporate payments, EFTPS offers the flexibility to schedule and submit payments at your convenience. You can skip the hassle of in-person visits or mailing checks and save time with this streamlined, reliable solution.
What is Direct Pay?
Direct Pay is a free service from the IRS that allows you to make secure tax payments online directly from your bank account. It’s designed for easy, direct payments to the IRS and is not used for receiving tax refunds via direct deposit.
The key difference between EFTPS vs. direct Pay
When making tax payments, both Direct Pay and the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) offer options for businesses, but they come with some key differences.
Direct Pay doesn't require registration. EFTPS requires registration, and first-time users must receive a Personal Identification Number (PIN) by U.S. mail before using the service.
Direct Pay allows up to two payments within a 24-hour period for multiple payments. Exiting the application requires you to verify your identity again when you return. EFTPS allows you to make up to four payments in a session and up to five in a 24-hour period.
Direct Pay lets you look up one payment at a time if you save the confirmation number. For a comprehensive history (up to 24 months), you must register and log in to your account. EFTPS provides easy access to all pending payments and lets you view up to 16 months of past payments. You must log in to your account if you need a full payment history beyond 16 months.
Direct Pay does not offer free phone payments. EFTPS provides free, automated phone payments available 24/7, even during website maintenance. Additionally, EFTPS offers live customer service, while Direct Pay has limited phone support, primarily to assist with lost payments or identity verification.
If you're making large payments, Direct Pay has a cap of $10 million per payment, whereas EFTPS Payments allows for payments up to $50 million.
Feature
Direct Pay
EFTPS
Registration Required
No
Yes, PIN by U.S. mail for first-time use
Number of Payments
Up to 2 payments per day (24 hours)
Up to 4 payments per session and 5 per day (24 hours)
Payment History
One payment lookup at a time (confirmation number required); full history available with account registration
View pending payments and up to 16 months of past payments
Free Phone Payments
No (available for a fee through a partner company)
Yes, available 24/7
Live Customer Service
Limited
Yes, available 24/7
Payment Limit
$10 million per payment
$50 million per payment
What type of payments can be made through EFTPS?
EFTPS supports a wide range of tax payments, including:
Employment & Payroll Tax
Form 941: Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return.
Form 940: Employer's Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return.
Form 943: Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return for Agricultural Employees.
Form 945: Annual Return of Withheld Federal Income Tax.
Non-Profit Organization Tax
Form 990-PF: Return of Private Foundation or Section 4947(a)(1) Trust Treated as Private Foundation.
Form 990-T: Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return.
Corporate - Business Income & Excise Tax
Form 1120 - U.S. Corporation Income Tax Return
Form 720 - Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return
Railroad Retirement Tax
Form CT-1: Employer’s Annual Railroad Retirement Tax Return.
Estate & Trust Tax
Form 1041: U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts.
Withholding Tax
Form 1042: Annual Withholding Tax Return for U.S. Source Income of Foreign Persons.
Pay your Federal Taxes with TaxBandits EFTPS Online Payment Solution!
TaxBandits offers a seamless EFTPS Online solution to simplify your federal tax payments. With TaxBandits, you can securely pay your federal taxes 24/7 from anywhere, anytime. Our platform makes the tax payment process quick and easy, eliminating the complexities of EFTPS registration. You’ll stay updated with instant email notifications as soon as your payments are scheduled. Even if you’ve filed your tax forms elsewhere, you can still make fast and secure federal tax payments through TaxBandits. Want to know how to pay your taxes using EFTPS with TaxBandits? Follow these steps:
Select or Add Taxpayer - Choose a taxpayer from your address book or add a new one. Then, select the bank account for payments.
Authorize with Form 8655 - Review and e-sign Form 8655, giving TaxBandits permission to handle your tax payments.
Add & Verify Bank Account - Enter your bank account details for EFTPS payments and verify them.
Review & Schedule Payments - Check your payment summary, complete the registration, and schedule your payments with ease.
