I noticed a minor error on my tax form when I was about to pay on another site (it was the wrong initial on one form. I was afraid this would have messed up the payment/identification process so that's the #1 reason why I didn't pay. Silly? I'm not sure if the main thing that matters is SSN), so I fixed it and amended right away.
...However, after I saw that 0 was owed. I realized that both on it and the amended return it said 0. And then I saw something worse on another site: that you should wait until you pay your taxes + get your refund.
This didn't at all occur to me and I'm not sure if this is misinformation.
Just how much did I mess up? Should I try to contact the IRS as soon as I am able? Or should I go through with the payment?
It sounds like you did not change any income amounts so the amended tax return had zero change in liability. If you owed money on the original, you should pay the IRS by the 4/18/2023 deadline. The IRS will see your tax account and the money paid on time.