Safest way to pay tax owed

[Youngster]

E-filed this year and owe minimal tax payment to a State. I have always been leary of paying with a personal check and writing my SSN on it, fearing that if stolen, they would get my SSN and bank account number.

Is this fear unreasonable? What do you think is your most secure way of paying taxes owed? I was considering using an Official Bank check or money order; but, how would I prove it has been cashed?

 

[wmc1000]

At least here in Indiana we can pay via the states website.

 

[brett]

etransfer. Cannot remember the last time that we wrote a cheque to anyone.

 

[Youngster]

At least here in Indiana we can pay via the states website.

Thanks. The state involved in my case also has that avaialbe; but, then I have to put my SSN on-line with my computer.

 

[Youngster]

etransfer. Cannot remember the last time that we wrote a cheque to anyone.

Thanks. What is "etransfer"?

 

[davebarnes]

Why are worried about your SSN getting out there?
Equifax already gave it away.

 

[Chuckanut]

I mail in a check with my SSN # on it. Thanks to a former insurance company and now Equifax, my personal data have been out in the wild for years.

 

[pb4uski]

E-filed this year and owe minimal tax payment to a State. I have always been leary of paying with a personal check and writing my SSN on it, fearing that if stolen, they would get my SSN and bank account number.

Is this fear unreasonable? What do you think is your most secure way of paying taxes owed? I was considering using an Official Bank check or money order; but, how would I prove it has been cashed?

A true "youngster" would not have such trepediations.

On my state tax dept website when I get on to pay taxes it is a secure site (https rather than http).

 

[Aerides]

The risk of ID theft from a paper check is less than entering your info into a browser. Either way the data is in a DB somewhere at the end.

 

[Hermit]

I don't put my SSN on the check. They still cash it.

 

[davebarnes]

Delusions of security

my state tax dept website when I get on to pay taxes it is a secure site (https rather than http).

https://scotthelme.co.uk/ssl-does-not-make-site-secure/
"Unfortunately, using SSL/TLS doesn't mean that a site is secure."

 

[littleb]

There have been so many comedy of errors with the Revenue Department in my state.

I pull out my dusty checkbook and mail the check to them so there is proof it was received and applied to my account.

 

[W2R]

I owed both the IRS and Louisiana some money this time. So, I let TurboTax send money to both electronically, directly from my checking account.

I don't know what the most secure way to pay might be, but I have never had problems handling payments this way.

Now, one can also pay through EFTPS (for the IRS), or through Louisiana's equivalent to the EFTPS. That would leave TurboTax out of the loop. But TurboTax already has my SSN in order to file my tax returns, so I didn't bother.

 

[audreyh1]

E-filed this year and owe minimal tax payment to a State. I have always been leary of paying with a personal check and writing my SSN on it, fearing that if stolen, they would get my SSN and bank account number.

Is this fear unreasonable? What do you think is your most secure way of paying taxes owed? I was considering using an Official Bank check or money order; but, how would I prove it has been cashed?

I use the electronic tax payment system eftps.gov which schedules payments to the IRS by ACH. They pull it from one of my online savings accounts. I don’t have to worry about checks in the mail, deadlines, etc.

You could always have a separate checking or savings account if you were concerned about the IRS having access to your funds and messing something up. It’s easy to open and find online accounts.

I’ve used it for well over a decade with never a problem. Big businesses use it as well as us individual peons.

 

[GrayHare]

https://scotthelme.co.uk/ssl-does-not-make-site-secure/
"Unfortunately, using SSL/TLS doesn't mean that a site is secure."

Yup. I've noticed lately more and more sites are switching back to http from https, or at least providing ordinary content via either method.

 

[candrew]

Most Secure Method of Paying Taxes Owed?

what do you think is your most secure way of paying taxes owed?

Most secure? Schlep your state taxes owed into one of these buildings. There's probably one just like it in your state.

 

[jazz4cash]

I assume you were not comfortable providing your account number info when you efiled and you're not comfortable providing SSN on a check. I would use an obscure checking or better yet savings account and that should limit your exposure. If it's too late for that I would use priority mail or certified. Priority mail costs $6. Use a money order or bank check if you like.

 

[brett]

etransfer.

I either go to my bank account, the pay bills section, and transfer money electronically to the tax dept, to my various credit cards, etc.

For personal, I simply long into into my on line bank account and do an etransfer to someones email account. They accept it and the monies get deposited in their account. Did it yesterday for a belated wedding gift to a nephew who was married whilst we were away.

The only cheque that I have written in the past year was to the City for a photo radar ticket. This is because those dopes actually charge $5. extra from me to pay electronically. It should be the other way because of the cost of handling the mail, the payment, and entering into their system. That's local Government for you.

 

[audreyh1]

I don't put my SSN on the check. They still cash it.

Yeah - but they might not credit your IRS payment to your SSN.

 

[gauss]

Youngster -- Yes you seem a bit more cautious/concerned about identity theft than is warranted IMHO in the year 2018 - in the 1980s this would be a different story.

Do you have security freezes (ie the ones you have to pay for) at all three credit bureaus? If not, get on this asap.

Do you check your accounts at least monthly for fraudulent activity and know how to contact the firm if you find a transaction that you didn't authorize?

Do you have multiple separate bank accounts and credit card accounts so that if one gets compromised, you won't have a cash flow crisis in the interim until the fraud transactions are reversed?

Do you avoid clicking on attachments/links that you receive via email?

If you can say yes to all of these, I don't think you have much to worry about.

-gauss
p.s. I use to worry about this stuff, then I learned about all the measures described above. I sleep fine at night now.

 

[Youngster]

Thank you for the responses. I guess I just have to figure out what presents the least of the risks.

 

[Hermit]

Yeah - but they might not credit your IRS payment to your SSN.

Certainly you don't mean the IRS might screw something up?

If they do, I will have a cancelled check image that they cashed.

 

[frayne]

I don't put my SSN on the check. They still cash it.

Same here and I always stable the check to the invoice.

 

[gerntz]

Why does one want to e-file a state return when TT charges another $25 to do so vs. printing one off & snail mailing? We owe. Thanks.

 

[Winemaker]

I wouldn't be afraid of an SSN on a check. I've been doing some research on a few ancestry sites and was appalled at the private information I could acquire.