What this line means
The amount your total tax (line 24) exceeds your total payments (line 33). This is the balance due to the IRS. Pay by the filing deadline (April 15 for calendar-year filers) to avoid interest and late-payment penalties. You can pay by electronic funds withdrawal, IRS Direct Pay, credit card, or check.
Does this apply to you?
- Your withholding and estimated payments did not cover your total tax
- You had a large one-time income event (Roth conversion, property sale, lump-sum pension)
- You did not adjust withholding or estimated payments when income increased
- You under-withheld from pension or Social Security payments during the year
Easy to overlook
Underpayment penalty avoidance through the safe harbor If you owe more than $1,000 and did not pay at least 90% of the current year’s tax or 100% of the prior year’s tax (110% if prior-year AGI exceeded $150,000) through withholding and estimated payments, you face an underpayment penalty. Seniors who retire mid-year and switch from employer withholding to pension income frequently trip this threshold in the transition year. 1 IRS Publication 505 — Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax
Installment agreements are available for balances you cannot pay immediately If you owe less than $50,000, you can request a monthly installment agreement using Form 9465 or the IRS Online Payment Agreement tool. The IRS charges interest and a setup fee, but the monthly payment plan prevents enforced collection. Seniors on fixed income should apply before the filing deadline to avoid escalating penalties. 2 General filing pattern — underpayment penalty for retirees
Watch out for this
Filing late because you owe money. The failure-to-file penalty (5% per month, up to 25%) is separate from and more expensive than the failure-to-pay penalty (0.5% per month). If you cannot pay the full amount, file on time anyway and pay what you can. Filing on time cuts the combined penalty substantially.
Footnotes
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IRS Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax, Penalty for Underpayment. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p505.pdf ↩
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IRS Form 9465 Instructions, Installment Agreement Request. https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i9465 ↩