To pay NYC estimated tax online, use an Online Services account at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance website, tax.ny.gov, and authorize a direct withdrawal from your bank account. The state collects both New York State and New York City income taxes together, so a single payment through the state’s site covers your city obligation; you won’t deal with the city directly.1New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Estimated Taxes Paying straight from a checking or savings account is free. Card payments work too, but carry a 2.20% convenience fee charged by the state’s processor.2New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Credit and Debit Card Payment Information
What You Need Before You Start
Have three things ready: your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, your bank’s nine-digit routing number and your account number, and the amount you intend to pay this quarter. The routing number sits at the bottom left of a paper check; the account number is to the right of it. If you’re calculating the payment yourself, the worksheet inside the instructions for Form IT-2105 walks through estimating state and city tax together.3New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Instructions for Form IT-2105 Estimated Tax Payment Voucher for Individuals
A quick boundary before you log in. Estimated tax payments through tax.ny.gov are for New York City residents (and for state tax more broadly). If you commute into the city but live elsewhere, your employer handles NYC withholding on your W-2 and you typically don’t owe separate estimated NYC income tax. Self-employed people with unincorporated businesses operating in the city file through a different channel — the NYC Department of Finance uses its own forms (NYC-5UB and NYC-5UBTI) for the Unincorporated Business Tax.4NYC Department of Finance. Unincorporated Business Tax UBT
Step by Step Through Online Services
The process has five parts, and the first one is the slowest only once.
- Create your Online Services account. Go to tax.ny.gov and set up an individual account using your SSN or ITIN and a valid email address. If you already have one, log in.
- Open the estimated tax payment option. From your account dashboard, choose the option to make an estimated income tax payment. The system will ask you to pick the tax year and enter the amount.
- Enter your bank information. Provide the routing number and account number. The state initiates an ACH transfer directly from your account at no charge.5New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Make an Estimated Income Tax Payment
- Pick a payment date. You can process the withdrawal today or schedule it for any future date up to the quarterly deadline.
- Review and authorize. Confirm the details, submit, and save the confirmation number the system returns.
One trap worth flagging. The state site also offers a “Quick Pay” tool that lets you pay without logging in, but Quick Pay is built for bills, notices, and installment agreements, not estimated tax.6New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Make a Payment For quarterly estimates, you need the full Online Services account. Setting it up takes a few minutes once; after that, each quarterly payment is faster, and the account keeps a running history of what you’ve paid.1New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Estimated Taxes
Paying By Card Instead
If you’d rather use a credit or debit card, the option exists, but Wells Fargo (the state’s payment processor) charges 2.20% on every card transaction.2New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Credit and Debit Card Payment Information On a $5,000 estimated payment, that’s $110 added to the bill. For most people the bank withdrawal is the obvious choice. Approved third-party tax preparation software can also submit estimated payments electronically, and paper vouchers using Form IT-2105 with a check are still accepted by mail.5New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Make an Estimated Income Tax Payment
When Payments Are Due
Quarterly estimated tax deadlines for 2026 are:7New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Estimated Tax Payment Due Dates
- 1st quarter: April 15, 2026
- 2nd quarter: June 15, 2026
- 3rd quarter: September 15, 2026
- 4th quarter: January 15, 2027
You can pay the full year’s estimate with the first installment or split it into four. When a due date lands on a weekend or state-recognized holiday, the deadline shifts to the next business day; recognized holidays include federal holidays plus Juneteenth.8New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Nonbusiness Days: Holidays Estimated payments are generally required if you expect to owe at least $300 in NYC income tax after withholding, and that $300 threshold applies separately for state tax, city tax, and Yonkers tax.9New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Who Must Make Estimated Tax Payments?
Confirming the Payment Went Through
After you submit, the site displays a confirmation number. Save it. Print it, screenshot it, or hold onto the confirmation email. That number is your proof of payment and the figure you’ll want handy when you file your annual return to reconcile what you’ve already paid.
Check your bank account within a couple of business days to confirm the withdrawal cleared. The transaction typically appears as a debit from the New York State tax department. If a payment fails because of insufficient funds or a typo in the account number, you may not get a second notification, and the state will treat the quarter as unpaid for penalty purposes. Your Online Services account also keeps a complete record of estimated tax payments, which is steadier than tracking four separate confirmation numbers across the year.
Changing a Scheduled Payment
Income rarely arrives in four identical chunks. A freelancer may close a big contract in Q3; an investor may realize unexpected capital gains. You aren’t locked into whatever you estimated back in April. Recalculate using the IT-2105 worksheet with updated figures and pay the revised amount for the next installment.
If you’ve already scheduled a future payment through Online Services and need to change the amount or date, contact the Department of Taxation and Finance to modify it. Payments you’ve already submitted can’t be pulled back, but future scheduled ones can be adjusted before they process.