One of the things about moving towards self-employment and full-time side hustling (admittedly an oxymoron) is that I’m on the hook for paying all of my taxes. When you’re employed in a regular job, taxes often seem like an afterthought – they just get taken out of your paycheck by your employer without you really noticing it (and a good reason why automating your savings is the key to actually saving money).
But when you’re self-employed or earning income from a side hustle, the responsibility for paying taxes lands squarely on you. And that tax bill can be hefty. You not only have to pay federal and state taxes, but you’re also on the hook for self-employment taxes, which adds another 15.3% to your tax bill.Â
Since taxes on self-employment income and side hustles are such a big deal, it’s important to take steps to reduce our tax burden however we can. Some of the more common strategies are to take advantage of tax-advantaged accounts like a Solo 401k or to be aggressive with deducting expenses. But perhaps one of the lesser-known ways to reduce the impact of taxes is to pay your taxes using a credit card.
I recently did just that, using a number of credit cards to make a large payment towards my federal taxes. The idea here isn’t to use credit cards because I can’t afford to pay my taxes. Indeed, I’ve been purposefully setting aside money for taxes with every bit of income I earn by using apps like Catch and bank accounts like Lili, which all automatically set aside money for me that’s earmarked for taxes.
Rather, the point (pun not intended) is to use credit cards as a way to optimize my tax payments, allowing me to get a significant amount of money back in the form of points and miles, which I can then use for free travel.Â
The way I see it, paying taxes using credit cards is a smart way to handle your necessary tax payments and take some of the sting out of your taxes. And it can help you reduce your tax burden by giving you something back in return.
Why You Should Pay Taxes With Credit CardsÂ
You can take a lot of steps to reduce your tax burden, but the fact is, even if you take advantage of everything at your disposal, taxes will still likely be your single largest expense each year.
Most people will simply pay any taxes they owe by writing a check or doing an ACH bank transfer. If you’re a little savvier, though, you might take advantage of the government’s credit card processing system to pay your taxes with a credit card and earn a large number of points and miles. You can then use these points and miles for free travel, which helps offset some of the taxes that you had to pay.Â
The key to this strategy is to open credit cards that offer high signup bonuses and then use your tax payments in order to hit any minimum spend requirements. Here’s an example based on my own experiences.
I recently made a few tax payments in order to hit the minimum spend requirements on a few credit cards – in particular, the Southwest Performance Business Credit Card. This card required me to spend $5,000 within 3 months, and in order to earn the bonus in the most optimal way possible, I needed to hit the minimum spend requirement as close to the beginning of the year as possible. By making a large tax payment with this card, I was able to hit the minimum spend with one large payment and earn the bonus early in the year.Â
As you can see, paying taxes with a credit card did come with a fee, but when you do the math, it makes sense for me to do this. Here’s how the math works:
- Paid $3,900 towards my federal taxes + $72.93 in fees for using a credit card
- Hitting the minimum spend earned me 80,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points, which typically can be valued at 1.5 cents per point (I signed up for this card back when it offered a signup bonus of 80,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points).
- At 1.5 cents per point, 80,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards Points are worth $1,200.
- Since this helped me earn the Southwest Companion Pass, I can now fly two people for free for the next two years. This makes the 80,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points worth twice as much since I can use them to fly two people. As a result, the points are worth double, or $2,400
- This all comes back to me in the form of tax-free travel rewards, which I can then use for free travel.
The power of this little hack is important. I had a large tax bill that I had to pay. If I had used a regular bank account, I would have received nothing back. By strategically opening up new cards with high signup bonuses and then using those cards to pay my taxes, I was able to get back a significant amount in points and miles. Even though I paid $72.93 in fees, I received a much higher return on that spending, which makes paying that fee well worth it.
I haven’t paid for a flight in over three years. And it’s using strategies like this that have helped me do that.
Other Advantages To Paying Taxes With Credit Cards
There are a few other things you might want to think about that makes paying taxes with your credit card worthwhile.
First, I think it’s important to remember that credit card rewards are tax-free. For almost every consumer purchase you make, you’ll have to use post-tax money, which means that anything you buy actually costs more than what you actually paid for it since you have to pay taxes on your income first before you can buy anything. If you’re a high-income earner like I am, your consumer purchases are even more expensive. What makes credit card rewards so valuable is that the IRS classifies those points and miles as a rebate, which means you don’t have to pay taxes on those rewards. And when you use those points and miles for a plane ticket or hotel, you’re essentially making those purchases using tax-free money.
Second, depending on your situation, any credit card processing fees you pay may be a tax-deductible business expense. This isn’t that big of a deal, but it means that the cost of using your credit card to pay your taxes can be lower than it seems.
Third, it’s important to remember that it’s okay if you overpay your taxes (assuming you have the money on hand to pay off your credit card bill). You’ll get the money back as a tax refund, so even if you’re not sure exactly how much you owe, it’s worth just paying more if you have to and getting it back later, especially if you’re paying near the tax filing deadline anyway and won’t have to wait long for your tax refund.
How To Pay Taxes With Credit CardsÂ
With all that said, you’re probably wondering how you go about paying your taxes with a credit card. Luckily, this isn’t difficult and the IRS has a section on their website where you can do just that. You can find the IRS credit card payment website here.Â
There are three payment processors that the IRS partners with. Each payment processor charges a different fee, so of course, you’ll want to use the one that charges the least and work your way up from there as needed.Â
Each processor allows you to make two tax payments with a credit card each quarter. In practice, that means it’s possible to make up to 6 tax payments in a quarter using the official IRS credit card payment processors. I’ve only ever used Pay1040 since I haven’t ever had to make more than two tax payments in a quarter.
And remember, even though Pay1040 charges a 1.87% fee, you’re also getting back at least 1 cent per point (and likely more) on your spending, which makes the effective fee of any of these processors under 1% in practice. When you combine that with any signup bonus you’re earning, you’re going to get back much more than any fee that you pay.Â
When you make your tax payment, be sure to keep any receipts and keep a record of how much you paid. The IRS does have a tax account where you can keep track of your tax payments, but you’ll want to keep your own records just in case. Importantly, you’ll also need the information so you can input it when you file your taxes. Basically, there’s a section on your tax return that asks you about any tax payments you’ve made, so you’ll need to input that information into your tax return when you file. I keep all of these receipts in an Evernote folder that I created for taxes, but you can use any filing system that works for you.
SuggestionsÂ
The key to making tax payments using your credit card is that you need to be doing the payment in order to meet a minimum spend requirement to earn a signup bonus on a new card. If you’re not doing that, then it generally won’t be worth paying your taxes this way.Â
Below are a few suggestions on cards that you can get some good value out of:Â
- Paying taxes with your credit card can be a great way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, which allows you to fly two people for free for as much as two years. I wrote a post about the Southwest Companion Pass that you should read if you want to learn more about how it works and how to earn it. At a minimum, if you earn all of the points necessary to get the Southwest Companion Pass, you’ll have as much as $3,750 worth of free travel, depending on how you value the points.
- The Chase Ink Preferred is another great business credit card that you can use to pay your taxes, especially if you have a big tax bill. It currently offers a 100,000 point signup bonus after spending $15,000 in three months, so it’s worth getting if you have a lot of spend to hit. This bonus is worth a minimum of $1,250 if used for travel in the Chase portal.
- If the spend requirement on the Chase Ink Preferred is too high, then the Chase Ink Cash and the Chase Ink Unlimited might be the cards for you. These cards both have no annual fee and give you 50,000 points after $3,000 worth of spend in three months.
- The Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Preferred are two other cards that are worth getting if you haven’t already. Both cards should get you around $750 in travel rewards. I typically recommend getting the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but it does come with a high annual fee that can scare some people away.
There are a ton more options out there, and this is by no means an exhaustive list. The point is simply this. If you’re going to pay taxes anyway, you might as well take these small actions to get something back in return and effectively lower the impact of your taxes. That’s the Financial Panther way.
Financial Panther has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Financial Panther and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
- SoFi Invest ($50) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $50 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Upgrade ($150) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $150 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $150 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- Fifth Third Bank ($350) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($75) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $75 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Netspend ($40 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $40 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
- Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.25% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
Good to know this early in 2020. Thanks neighbor. Do you have recommendations for ways to do the same with rent payments?
Best bet is Plastiq to do that, but fees are pretty high at 2.5%. You gotta do a little research as I know about Plastiq, but actually haven’t personally used it.
Thanks for sharing. This can be a good option for students paying large tuition bills too. Students might not have the credit history/score to qualify for some of these cards, but for those that do, a tuition bill can often easily fulfill those minimum spending requirements. Like the IRS, schools usually do charge an extra fee to pay by credit card, but the intro bonuses can make it worth it.
Yep, good point. A few years ago, my wife and I were buying Gift of College cards to pay her tuition. We’d buy $500 gift cards at Toys-R-Us, fund her 529 plan with the cards, then take the money out to pay her tuition. This not only gave us a state tax deduction for funding the 529, but it also allowed us to put significant spend on a lot of cards at a very low fee (about 1.1% fee when you do the math). Unfortunately, we all know what happened to Toys-R-Us and now you can’t buy $500 versions of these gift cards very easily anymore.
Good stuff. It’s not only good for intro bonuses. It’s worthwhile anytime you have cash back of over 1.87%
True. Any 2% card like a Citi DoubleCash or Fidelity Cashback card would make it worthwhile. Not a lot of money obviously, but if you’re not going to for a minimum spend, no reason not to just pay with those cards and get a little bit of money back. Best thing to do though is still hitting minimum spends since that offers you the most return on your spend.