As independent contractor I was able to defer part of my SS tax for 2020. It is due in Dec. 2021. How do I tell the IRS what the payment is for when I send it in?

[mwarney]

Unless you have actually tried to pay using EFTPS, you won't understand why this information is useless.

[Critter-3]

You have to set up an account in the EFTPS system which you may not be able to do so by the 12/31 deadline so your other options are to mail in a check/MO.  

[mwarney]

I've had an account with EFTPS for years.  It's how I pay all of my estimates and any other federal taxes due.  Like I said... Try to pay your deferred SS tax and you will see what the problem is.

[Critter-3]

Then mail a check.

[mwarney]

No kidding... LOL

[fanfare]

On EFTPS, you must :

Ignore the "Tax Form Number" box.

Select a Tax Form: 1040 in the first pulldown.

Leave the second pulldown alone,

Click NEXT>

[mwarney]

Correct...  Then you select "Deferred Social Security Tax" and click "next."  Then what do you select? (Hint...  You are required to select which month your payment applies to.  You can't leave this blank)

The point here is, if you want to pay electronically (which I assume most of us do) and given that the IRS has said it is important to designate your payment properly as "deferred social security tax," and not comingle it with other tax payments, the IRS has yet to issue clear instructions on how to do this.  It seems like the only safe way to clearly designate is to mail a paper check and writ it in the memo (assuming someone will read it).

[fanfare]

If you are stymied as to what month to select, select DECEMBER.

Beyond clicking the correct Radio Button (which you already found) what more instructions could you be lacking ?

[mwarney]

Tried that.  It will not accept December.  You can't ignore the radio button.  It won't let you proceed.

[tarao2121]

yes.. this is what I see too.  They do not make it clear how to assign the payment clearly to the deferred 2020 SS amount.   It's a lot of money to just toss out there to limbo-land to see where they might let it land. 

[tarao2121]

and to make it even harder I cannot find my PIN and I have moved to another state.   UGH..  such a pain.  

[Critter-3]

Sending a check or MO is your other alternative ... make sure it is postmarked by 12/31

[tarao2121]

I read online its 1/3/22 because of the holidays.   But.. yes.. that is probably what I will do. 

[Critter-3]

This still says 12/31 ...  https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-self-employed-individuals-and-household-employers-repay-deferred-so...

[mwarney]

Just for I fun thought I would try the EFTPS "telephone payment" option.  (You still need an account and login but there is a phone number on the main page of EFTPS for "pay by phone").  So I called this number and went through the prompts to make my payment and guess what?  There was no prompt to enter which month to apply your payment to.  It only asks for tax form, tax year, type of payment (there is an option for deferred social security tax) and amount of payment.  Later I checked payment history on my EFTPS account and the payment was there.  Whether it gets applied properly is yet to be seen but I fulfilled my obligation.