If you owe taxes with your tax return this year, you should know a few things before you file. Here are 10 helpful tips from the IRS about how to pay your federal taxes.

1. Never send cash.
2. If you e-file, you can file and pay in a single step with an electronic funds withdrawal. If you e-file on your own, you can use your tax preparation software to make the withdrawal. If you use a tax preparer to e-file, you can ask the preparer to make your tax payment electronically.
3. You can pay taxes electronically 24/7 on IRS.gov. Just click on the ‘Payments’ tab near the top left of the home page for details.
4. You can also pay by check or money order. Make your check or money order payable to the “United States Treasury.”
5. Whether you e-file your tax return or file on paper, you can also pay with a credit or debit card. The company that processes your payment will charge a processing fee.
6. You may be able to deduct the credit or debit card processing fee on next year’s return. It’s claimed on Schedule A, Itemized Deductions. The fee is a miscellaneous itemized deduction subject to the 2 percent limit.
7. Be sure to write your name, address and daytime phone number on the front of your payment. Also, write the tax year, form number you are filing and your Social Security number.
8. Complete Form 1040-V, Payment Voucher, and mail it with your tax return and payment to the IRS. Make sure you send it to the address listed on the back of Form 1040-V. This will help the IRS process your payment and post it to your account. You can get the form on IRS.gov.
9. Remember to enclose your payment with your tax return but do not staple it to any tax form.
10. For more information, call 800-829-4477 and select TeleTax Topic 158, Ensuring Proper Credit of Payments. You can also get information in the instructions for Form 1040-V.

The IRS today renewed its Oct. 2013 warning about a pervasive phone scam that continues to target people across the nation, including recent immigrants. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration called it the largest scam of its kind. As of March 20, TIGTA reported that it has received reports of over 20,000 contacts related to this scam. TIGTA also stated that thousands of victims have paid over $1 million to fraudsters claiming to be from the IRS.

In this scam, the thief poses as the IRS and makes an unsolicited call to their target. The caller tells the victim they owe taxes to the IRS. They demand that the victim pay the money immediately with a pre-loaded debit card or wire transfer. The caller often threatens the victim with arrest, deportation or suspension of a business or driver’s license. In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting. Thieves who run this scam often:

• Use common names and fake IRS badge numbers.
• Know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security Number.
• Make caller ID appear as if the IRS is calling.
• Send bogus IRS e-mails to support the bogus calls.
• Call a second time claiming to be the police or department of motor vehicles. The caller ID again appears to support their claim.

If you get a call from someone who claims to be with the IRS asking you to pay back taxes, here’s what you should do:

• If you owe, or think you might owe federal taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
• If you don’t owe taxes, call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
• You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint.

Here are a few warning signs so you can protect yourself and avoid becoming a victim of these crimes:

• Be wary of any unexpected phone or email communication allegedly from the IRS.
• Don’t fall for phone and phishing email scams that use the IRS as a lure. Thieves often pose as the IRS using a bogus refund or warnings to pay past-due taxes.
• The IRS usually first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes.
• The IRS won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The IRS also won’t ask for a credit card number over the phone.
• The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of e-communication, such as text messages and social media channels.
• The IRS doesn’t ask for PINs, passwords or similar confidential information for credit card, bank or other accounts.

The IRS urges you to be vigilant against the many different types of tax scams. Their common goal is to steal your money, and often to steal your identity. Visit the genuine IRS website, IRS.gov, for more on what you should do to avoid becoming a victim.

Additional IRS Resources:

• IRS Warns of Pervasive Telephone Scam
• TIGTA – IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting
• TIGTA Warns of “Largest Ever” Phone Fraud Scam Targeting Taxpayers
• Identity Protection
• Report Phishing
• Don’t Fall for the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams
• FTC Complaint Assistant