Hi.

My name is Rachel, and I work for the IRS.

Filing your return and paying what you owe on time is always best.

However, if you can't pay your bill in full at the time of filing, be sure you still file on time and pay whatever you can.

Doing so will keep the penalties and interest on your balance due to a minimum.

As for the balance due you can’t pay in full right now, you may want to consider one of the other options to pay that the IRS offers.

These options include: • An agreement to pay within the next 10 days.

• A short-term payment plan to pay within 11-120 days.

• A long-term payment plan, also called an installment agreement, to pay your balance due off with monthly installment payments.

You may even be able to set it up your payment option online – which means no calling the IRS and waiting to speak to a representative, or sending in a form and waiting for the IRS to get back to you.

And if you qualify online, you will get immediate confirmation that your payment plan or installment agreement has been approved.

So, how do you know if you can apply online?

You can use the IRS's Online Payment Agreement Application if you’ve filed all of your tax returns, you owe $50,000 or less, and you can pay off what you owe in 72 monthly payments or less.

Businesses owing $25,000 or less from the current and prior calendar year and that can pay off what they owe in 24 monthly payments or less also qualify to use the online application.

In most cases, you have two options for making your payments once you’ve entered into a long-term payment plan or installment agreement with the IRS.

There's the old-fashioned way, sending in a check every month, or you can make your payments by direct debit from your bank account.

We encourage you to make your payments by direct debit, and in some cases, doing so is required.

Direct debit is more convenient, and there's less chance you'll miss a payment.

Plus, if you make your payments by direct debit, the set-up fee is reduced to only $31, versus the usual $225, so it saves you some money.

The set-up fee may even be waived completely, or reimbursed, if you meet the low- income guidelines.

Recent improvements to the online application have made it even faster and easier to use.

And your information is safe and secure.

So, if you need a payment plan or installment agreement to pay your balance due to the IRS, visit IRS.gov/OPA to get started.

On the site you will find a list of the information you need before you begin.

In addition to what you see listed, you should have a monthly payment amount and due date in mind.

And if you want to make your payments by direct debit, have a blank check handy so you'll be able to enter your bank routing and account numbers.

So, as a reminder, even if you can’t pay in full at the time required for filing your tax return, save money by filing on time and paying as much as you can.

And if you need time to pay the remaining balance, use the IRS Online Payment Agreement Application to set up a payment plan or installment agreement.

Thanks for watching