Updated October 19, 2026. Quick answer: Publication 505 is the IRS guide to paying tax during the year, through withholding or estimated payments. It covers Form W-4, supplemental wages, tips, pensions, gambling winnings, backup withholding, who owes estimated tax, and when each payment is due. The web edition is titled 2026 and is marked “For use in 2026”.
Quick reference
| Item | As the IRS publication states it |
|---|---|
| Tax expected to be owed that triggers estimated tax (Estimated Tax, General Rule) | at least $1,000 |
| Current year safe harbor (Estimated Tax, General Rule) | 90% |
| Higher income prior year safe harbor (Estimated Tax, Higher Income Taxpayers) | 110% |
| Prior year AGI where 110% applies (Estimated Tax, Higher Income Taxpayers) | more than $150,000 ($75,000 if married filing separately) |
| Estimated tax due dates, tax year 2026 (When To Pay Estimated Tax) | April 15, 2026; June 15, 2026; Sept. 15, 2026; Jan. 15, 2027 |
What the publication covers
The introduction says “The federal income tax is a pay-as-you-go tax.” “There are two ways to pay as you go.” The two ways are withholding and estimated tax, and the publication also explains how to take credit on your return for what was withheld and paid.
It adds that “If you didn’t pay enough tax during the year, either through withholding or by making estimated tax payments, you may have to pay a penalty.”
Chapters and parts in plain words
Chapter 1 is Tax Withholding for 2026. It covers salaries and wages, determining the amount withheld using Form W-4, changing and checking your withholding, Form W-4P for pensions, the part-year and cumulative wage methods, exemption from withholding, supplemental wages, tips, taxable fringe benefits, sick pay, pensions and annuities, gambling winnings, unemployment compensation and backup withholding.
Chapter 2 is Estimated Tax for 2026. It covers who does not have to pay, who must pay, special rules for farming and fishing, household employers, higher income taxpayers, aliens, and estates and trusts. It then covers how to figure estimated tax, when to pay, the regular and annualized income installment methods, and how to pay. A final chapter covers credit for withholding and estimated tax.
Worksheets, tables and charts inside
The publication lists “Worksheet 1-3. Projected Tax for 2026” and “Worksheet 1-4. Tax Computation Worksheets for 2026” in the withholding chapter. In the estimated tax chapter it lists the “2026 Estimated Tax Worksheet” and “Worksheet 2-9. 2026 Annualized Estimated Tax Worksheet”. It also points to the “Tax Withholding Estimator”.
On this site, see Form W-4, Form 1040-ES and the estimated tax worksheet.
The figures that matter
On who must pay estimated tax, the IRS publication says “In most cases, you must pay estimated tax for 2026 if both of the following apply.” “You expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax for 2026 after subtracting your withholding and tax credits.”
The second condition compares your withholding and credits with the smaller of “90% of the tax to be shown on your 2026 tax return, or” the tax shown on your 2025 return, and “Your 2025 tax return must cover all 12 months.”
For higher incomes, it says “If your AGI for 2025 was more than $150,000 ($75,000 if your filing status for 2026 is Married filing a separate return), substitute 110% for 100% in (2b) under General Rule, earlier.”
On the final payment, it says “If you file your 2026 Form 1040 or 1040-SR by January 31, 2027, and pay the rest of the tax you owe, you don’t need to make the payment due on January 15, 2027.”
On Form W-4, it says “You may have to pay a penalty of $500 if both of the following apply.”
What the 2026 edition says is new
The What’s New for 2026 section includes “You can’t deduct more than $25,000 of those tips.” It also says “Beginning in 2026, your gambling loss deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040) will be limited to lesser of (1) 90% of your gambling losses or (2) your gambling winnings.”
Where to go next
See Form W-4, estimated tax due dates, Form 2210 for the underpayment penalty, and Form 1040 line 25 and line 26 for where the credits are claimed.
Where this comes from
The IRS page About Publication 505 opens with “This publication explains the two methods for the pay-as-you-go federal income tax, withholding and estimated tax.” It links the PDF and eBook editions and the earlier revisions of the publication.
This page describes the web edition of Publication 505 (2026), Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax, as served on irs.gov on October 19, 2026. The IRS can revise a publication after we read it, and the IRS page controls. General information, not tax or legal advice.
Common mistakes
- Treating estimated tax as only for the self-employed. The IRS publication says “You may have to pay estimated tax if you receive income such as dividends, interest, capital gains, rents, and royalties.”
- Expecting a refund to prevent a penalty. The publication says “If you don’t pay enough by the due date of each payment period (see When To Pay Estimated Tax, later), you may be charged a penalty even if you are due a refund when you file your tax return.”
- Mixing up the safe harbor years. The general rule compares your payments with both the current year and the prior year, and the prior year return must cover 12 months.
- Skipping the weekend rule. The publication says “If the due date for an estimated tax payment falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the payment will be on time if you make it on the next day that isn’t a Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday.”
Related: IRS publications by number, Form W-4, Form 1040-ES, Estimated tax worksheet, Estimated tax due dates, and Form 2210.
Sources
- IRS, Publication 505 (2026), Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax (irs.gov): https://www.irs.gov/publications/p505
- IRS, About Publication 505 (irs.gov): https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-505
Read from the IRS pages linked above on October 19, 2026. General information, not tax or legal advice. The IRS publication and the instructions for your own form control, and your own facts decide the outcome.