Quarterly estimated tax dates for 2026
Four deadlines cover 2026 income, and only one of them lands where a calendar quarter would put it. The dates below are from the IRS 2026 Form 1040-ES calendar; the estimator underneath computes what each payment should be for your numbers and highlights the next deadline — including the catch-up if you’ve missed one. Wi-Fi optional: the math runs on your device.
Preset: 2026 deadline schedule — enter your income to fill it in
How it works
- Open this page — the estimator is already set up for "Quarterly estimated tax dates for 2026".
- Enter your expected 2026 income and business expenses. Estimates update as you type.
- Add a W-2 job, kids, or last year’s tax if they apply — the safe-harbor math handles the rest.
- Read off your quarterly payment and the remaining IRS deadlines. Nothing you typed leaves your device.
Why the quarters are lopsided
The “quarterly” system actually runs 3-2-3-4: Q1 covers January–March, Q2 only April–May, Q3 June–August, and Q4 September–December. The June 15 deadline arriving six weeks after April 15 catches people every year — there is no good reason for it beyond history, but it’s the law of the calendar. If you budget monthly, set aside the same amount every month and simply pay whatever has accumulated at each deadline; the IRS cares that payments track income, not that they’re identical.
Deadlines falling on a weekend or federal holiday shift to the next business day. All four 2026 dates fall on weekdays, but confirm at irs.gov if you’re paying at the wire — the IRS calendar, not this page, is authoritative.
Late, or about to be? Ranked by cost
Missing a deadline starts an interest-based penalty clock on that quarter’s shortfall — it accrues daily until paid or until the filing deadline. So: pay now, not at the next deadline; a payment three weeks late costs three weeks of interest, not a fixed fine. If withholding exists anywhere in your household, raising it late in the year works retroactively (withholding is deemed evenly paid). And if your income arrived unevenly, the annualized-income method on Form 2210 can erase penalties for quarters before the income existed.
One legal shortcut closes the year: skip the January 15, 2027 payment entirely if you file your complete 2026 return and pay the balance by January 31, 2027 (per the IRS 1040-ES instructions; if that date shifts for a weekend, irs.gov will say so). Useful mainly for early filers with simple returns.
The 2026 payment calendar
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Q1 — due April 15, 2026 | Covers income earned Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026 |
| Q2 — due June 15, 2026 | Covers income earned Apr 1 – May 31, 2026 |
| Q3 — due September 15, 2026 | Covers income earned Jun 1 – Aug 31, 2026 |
| Q4 — due January 15, 2027 | Covers income earned Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026 |
Compiled July 2026 from the IRS 2026 Form 1040-ES calendar. Weekend/holiday adjustments and any disaster-relief postponements are the IRS’s — confirm at irs.gov before a deadline you’re cutting close.
Good to know
- Payments made online (IRS Direct Pay or EFTPS) count on the date you submit, not when they clear — an 11:59 pm Direct Pay payment on deadline day is timely.
- Each payment stands alone: there’s no need to “file” anything quarterly. The voucher in Form 1040-ES is only for paper checks.
- State estimated taxes run on their own calendars — many states copy the federal dates, several don’t. Check your state’s revenue site separately.
Frequently asked questions
What if I just pay everything on January 15?
The final payment covers only the fourth period. Underpayments for the first three quarters keep their penalty interest even if you’re fully paid by January — the system is pay-as-you-earn, not pay-by-year-end. The exception: if the safe-harbor target spread over four timely payments was met, timing is forgiven by construction.
Do I need to pay Q1 if I had no income yet that quarter?
No — payments are supposed to track income. If freelancing starts in July, your first payment is September 15 for the June–August period. Keep records of when income arrived; if the IRS computes a penalty assuming even income, Form 2210’s annualized method shows the true timing and removes it.
Can I pay more often than quarterly?
Yes — the IRS happily takes weekly or monthly payments through Direct Pay or EFTPS, all credited to your year. Monthly payments are a genuinely good discipline for volatile income: you can never be far behind, and each deadline arrives mostly pre-paid.