Do I Need to Pay Quarterly Taxes?
By Karl Kniseley·3 min read·Updated June 2026
Employees have tax taken out every paycheck. The self-employed do not, so once you earn enough on your own, you are generally expected to pay estimated tax through the year instead of one giant bill at the end. It is the same tax, just paid as you go.
What happens if you ignore it
Skip the estimated payments and you can face penalties on top of the tax, plus a brutal lump sum at filing time. Setting tax aside from each payment makes the quarterly payment painless, because the money is already waiting. A tax pro is worth it once your income is real.
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