Fourth-quarter estimated tax deadline for 2025 is Jan. 15

The fourth-quarter estimated tax deadline for 2025 is Thursday — and you could face a penalty and interest for late or unpaid taxes if you miss the due date.  

Typically, you owe estimated payments for income without a 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.

The January deadline is a “chance to catch up” on 2025 taxes, Tom O’Saben, director of tax content and government relations at the National Association of Tax Professionals, told CNBC.

For 2025, the quarterly tax deadlines were April 15, June 16, Sept. 15 and Jan. 15, 2026. These can easily be missed since they don’t match calendar quarters, experts say.

The Jan. 15 fourth-quarter estimated tax deadline comes as the IRS prepares to start accepting individual returns for 2025 on Jan. 26. 

Many workers could see bigger tax refunds this season based on changes enacted by President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” which includes a bigger standard deduction, a new $6,000 tax break for seniors, plus tax breaks on tip and overtime income, among others.

However, your refund depends on which provisions impact your 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.

Your refund or taxes owed also depends on paycheck withholdings — which generally didn’t change after Trump’s legislation — or other estimated tax payments made throughout 2025.

You can avoid an IRS underpayment penalty by following the “safe harbor” — paying at least 90% of your 2025 taxes or 100% of your 2024 taxes, whichever is smaller.

That threshold jumps to 110% if your 2024 adjusted gross income was $150,000 or more, which you can find on line 11 of Form 1040 from your 2024 tax return.

The safe harbor could prevent a penalty, but you can still owe additional 2025 taxes after filing your return, experts say.

Electronic payments are the “most secure, fastest and easiest way to pay,” according to the IRS.

You can use your 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.

“Can people still submit the vouchers with a paper check? It appears the answer is yes,” O’Saben with the National Association of Tax Professionals said. “But when is there going to be a moratorium?”