Posted on 03/30/2026 3:55:47 PM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
This thread is about EO 14247. I just got my tax returns back and I am told that all of my 2026 estimated taxes for Federal and State must be electronic. That is, they must be sucked out of an account by ACH transfer. No more mailing of checks. However, the government will graciously accept my mailed in check for what is due on the return itself.
I checked with CoPilot, and it said that EO 14247 of March 25, 2025 mandates that all payments to the Federal Government (including estimated taxes) must be electronic via a portal (IRS.Gov/Payments, I believe). Which, means the government gets direct access to my bank account, which I have to load up for the payment.
This is a real PITA for me. It's yet another account, another round of passwords and identifications, and the nagging worry about the security of government data protection.
I'm aware this is designed to make things more efficient for the government, but it makes things harder for me as I head toward 80.
Is anyone aware of this, and is there any group vehicle of complaint?
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
I could set up a separate account. I mostly use my bank account for light bills, repeated utility bills, where I give access, and receipt of SS checks (after deduction of Medicare premiums). I don’t use my debit card.
But what I won’t do is use my brokerage checking. That would be extremely foolish.
Off topic, it was just last week that I got the third inquiry about the extended US census visit. Two years ago I got that visit at my previous home, and after I saw the list of what was being asked, I threw the smarmy census taker out. All these assurances about how your data is protected by law ring hollow. All you have to do is read the papers to see the data breach of the week. Sure, you can have Experian or one of the other bureaus monitor your account, but it’s yet another pull on my attention.
Maybe this move will cut off some of the fraud.
Well, my accountant might just be “progressive” here. I will ask.
You answered the question with your own speculation. Criminals do not usually understand how cryptocurrency works. Neither do the rest of us for that matter.
Convenience is the main reason criminals use cryptocurrencies. It is safer and quicker and cheaper to use them than to handle large amounts of cash. People believe that those transactions are untraceable. That belief is false.
What criminals do understand is that governments cannot trace all of the transactions, or anything but a small percentage of transactions. It is too much work. Criminals take their chances. Usually, it works out for them.
The EO states that it will involve payments running the other way (i.e, refunds), but I don’t know if that’s been implemented yet.
As some have pointed out, maybe my accountant is being aggressive on behalf of his true employer, the IRS.
I don’t pay quarterlies.
On average, I make more in the stock market that the cost of the penalties. So it’s cheaper to stiff the fees until April 15th each year. With a check.
Good point!
Could also just use a plain credit card and then pay it down a week or two after the tax pmt is processed...
IRS already has access to your bank account via your social security number. If you fail to pay taxes, IRS can raid your bank account and grab your house next.
I have been paying taxes electronically for a dozen years. I pay on the day tax is due, such as noon time on April 15th. Never had a problem. If your paper check is late in the mail, will IRS charge you penalty for late payment?
Many thanks for the info. Comes in handy since my CPA isn’t the quickest in the world about replying to emails. Heh.
Any info re timeline? One year, five years, ten? (I just jumped back online and FR is the place I usually come to first.)
I was definitely "affected" when the post office lost my return last year. I even paid for certified mail with tracking. The tracking said it never left the post office. I was due a huge refund, and it took me over 6 months to get the refund. It's electronic filing for me from now on.
Makes me glad I've never had the need for an accountant. I've never owned anything, no property, never had stocks, bonds, savings, nothing. I've always filled out the 1040 form by myself because I've had nothing to declare. No dependents for a very long time. For decades, I had the IRS send me a refund check until a few years ago, when I finally broke down and had them deposit them in my checking account.
No need to get paranoid. Electronic payment saves government lots of clerical work to handle the paper envelopes and record payments manually.
Could this be America’s “Boston Tea Party” moment, I wonder?
No firm announcement yet.
I just sent over $10K payment for Q1 taxes to IRS in Louisville and they deposited it without issue. They have electronic payment as an option but I’ve never heard of it to be mandatory.
gets direct access to my bank account,
= = =
Yes, a PITA like you said: accounts, passwords, etc.
For some of these I have made a separate bank account. It only has enough to pay what they want.
But, another account -
That doesn’t sound good. Some of the possible taxpayers I know don’t have computers, so guess they should consult their banks.
Seems like this might be a good time to be completely anonymous. Our world is becoming quite complicated. Of course ,if one could manage to understand all this complication, there might be some ways through it that no one has discovered yet. But all this is a very disturbing trend.
Been paying estimated taxes quarterly on line for several years now. As simple as paying your credit card bill.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.