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Tax Day: Seven alternative ways to pay your taxes

Most payments come in the form of a paper check or a withdrawal directly from a bank account, but those aren't the only ways to pay the tax man. 

Sending a pile of hard-earned money to the IRS in April is probably one of the least pleasurable financial experiences in the universe, but lots of people do it every year.|

For many, the payment comes in the form of a paper check made out to the U.S. Treasury or a withdrawal directly from their bank account.

But those aren鈥檛 the only ways to pay The Tax Man.

For cash-only types

1. 7-Eleven

Thanks to a partnership announced last year between the IRS, 7-Eleven and the cash-payments service PayNearMe, you can pay your taxes in greenbacks at your local convenience store 鈥� and get a Slurpee to boot.

Pros:听You don鈥檛 need a bank account or a credit card. Instead, you enter your information online, get a payment code via email and take that code (with your cash) to a participating 7-Eleven, which will take your money and give you a receipt.

Cons:听There鈥檚 a $3.99 fee per payment, and you can鈥檛 pay more than $1,000 per day. Also, it can take a couple of days for your payment to post,听. Not all 7-Elevens do this;听.

2. IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers

It might be less convenient than going to the corner store, but you can pay your tax bill in cash at most IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers.

Pros:听This is also where you can go to听.

Cons:听You鈥檒l need an appointment, a photo ID and a Social Security number or Taxpayer Identification Number to get in the door. And don鈥檛 ask if they can break a $20 鈥� the IRS wants exact change.

禄 MORE:听

For money shufflers

3. Plastic

Credit cards can be a tantalizing payment method at tax time because they offer the ability to pay over time (in effect) or earn rewards.

Pros:听Credit cards are convenient. Plus, 鈥渓ots of clients want the miles,鈥� says Melinda Nelson, a CPA and partner at Henry+Horne in Tempe, Arizona.

Cons:听Paying with a credit card doesn鈥檛 usually make financial sense, Nelson warns. Running up a balance and accruing interest charges can be dangerous, for one thing. There鈥檚 also a fee to pay with plastic. Expect to shell out around 2% to pay with credit, maybe more if you鈥檙e doing it through听.

Debit card payments have a fee, too: They can cost around $2 to $4, depending on the size of the payment. And note that paying with a debit card and having the IRS take money straight out your bank account are two different processes 鈥� the first one comes with a fee; the second one, called Direct Pay, doesn鈥檛. You also can use a digital wallet, but you won鈥檛 avoid the debit or credit card fee.

4. Wire transfer

If you鈥檝e got to pay the IRS right away or want to pay from a foreign account, this might work for you.

Pros:听You can use a bank or nonbank provider such as Western Union to get the money there. Domestic transfers usually are processed in a few hours; international ones can take days.

Cons:听. The entity wiring the money for you might charge around $25 if the account is in the U.S.; foreign accounts typically cost more, and the exchange rates might be so-so. Though secure, a wire can鈥檛 be canceled once it鈥檚 sent, so if you go this route be sure to follow the IRS鈥� wire instructions perfectly.

For people on the go

5. IRS2Go

This is the IRS鈥� mobile app. You can use it to track your refund,听听or make a payment directly from your bank account or with plastic.

Pros:听Paying via an app on your phone could be a time-saver and free you from the shackles of a computer.

Cons:听The IRS still has to verify your identity and find out how you want your payment applied, so it鈥檚 going to take more than a few taps.

6. Phone it in

The IRS鈥� payment processors have toll-free numbers that accept payments.

Pros:听If you want to pay with a credit or debit card but aren鈥檛 crazy about entering your card information online, you can pay via phone.

Cons:听You鈥檒l still need to cough up your credit or debit card information and the processing fee for paying with plastic, plus you may be asked for a Social Security number or other identifying information.

For planners

7. The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System

If you want to schedule a payment in advance, check out this free service from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Pros:听You can set up payments from a bank account as much as a year ahead on its website. You can change or cancel scheduled payments two business days in advance, too.

Cons:听It takes a week or so to enroll and have the IRS validate your information. Once you鈥檙e in, you have to schedule your payment by at least 8 p.m. ET on the night before the due date.

Tina Orem is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email:听torem@nerdwallet.com.

The article听听originally appeared on听.