Quarterly Tax Payments for Creators: A Global Guide
When you have a regular job, taxes come out of every paycheck automatically. As a creator, nobody's doing that for you—which means most tax authorities expect you to pay throughout the year, not just when you file your return. The details vary by country, but the principle is universal: pay as you earn, or pay penalties later.
Why Pay Before Year End?
Tax systems worldwide operate on a "pay as you go" principle. When you're employed, your employer withholds taxes from each paycheck and sends them to the tax authority throughout the year. By the time you file your return, you've already paid most of what you owe.
Self-employed people—including content creators—don't have an employer doing this for them. If you waited until filing time to pay your entire tax bill, you'd essentially be getting an interest-free loan from the government all year. Tax authorities don't love that idea.
So instead, self-employed people are expected to estimate their taxes and pay them in installments. Miss these payments and you'll face penalties on top of your tax bill—penalties that are entirely avoidable with a bit of planning.
Do You Need to Make Advance Payments?
The threshold varies by country, but the principle is similar: if you expect to owe a meaningful amount of tax that isn't being withheld at source, you should be making advance payments.
You need to make quarterly estimated tax payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more when you file.
Exception: If you had zero tax liability last year (got a full refund), you may be exempt. But if you owed anything and expect similar income this year, quarterly payments apply.
There's also an exception in most countries if you have a regular job alongside your creator income: you can often increase tax withholding at your day job to cover your creator earnings, avoiding the need for separate advance payments entirely.
Payment Schedules by Country
Here's where things get country-specific. Payment schedules, tax years, and deadlines vary significantly.
Q1 (Jan–Mar): April 15, 2026
Q2 (Apr–May): June 16, 2026
Q3 (Jun–Aug): September 15, 2026
Q4 (Sep–Dec): January 15, 2027
Note: The "quarters" aren't equal—Q2 is only 2 months while Q4 is 4 months. Payments are made using Form 1040-ES.
If a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, you typically have until the next business day—but don't cut it close. Set reminders for a few days before each deadline.
How Much Should You Pay?
Estimating future income is tricky when creator income fluctuates month to month. Fortunately, most tax authorities provide "safe harbor" methods that protect you from penalties even if your estimate is off.
Safe Harbor Methods (avoid penalties):
- 100% of last year's tax — Pay this year what you owed last year, divided by 4. Simplest option if income is stable or growing.
- 90% of this year's tax — If you can estimate accurately, pay at least 90% through the year.
High earners note: If your AGI exceeded $150,000 last year, the safe harbor is 110% of last year's tax, not 100%.
If you don't have a prior year to base it on, a reasonable approach: take your expected net income, multiply by 30-35% for combined income and self-employment taxes, then divide by the number of payments in your country.
How to Make Payments
Every country has its own payment systems. Here's the easiest method for each:
Easiest method: IRS Direct Pay
Go to irs.gov/payments, select "Estimated Tax" and "1040-ES." It's free, pulls directly from your bank account, and gives instant confirmation. Alternatively, use EFTPS to schedule all four payments at the start of the year.
Whatever method you choose, keep records. Save confirmation numbers, take screenshots, or download receipts. If the tax authority ever claims you didn't pay, you'll want proof.
Common Situations
You have a day job and creator income. In most countries, you can increase tax withholding at your day job to cover your creator earnings. This avoids the hassle of separate payments—the tax authority doesn't care where the money comes from, only that you've paid enough throughout the year. Check with your employer about adjusting your withholding.
Your income is wildly inconsistent. Got a huge sponsorship deal one quarter but almost nothing the next? Most countries have provisions for adjusting payments based on when you actually earned the income. It's more paperwork, but can reduce or eliminate penalties if your income was genuinely uneven.
You missed a payment. Pay it as soon as you can. Penalties are typically interest-based—the longer you wait, the more you owe. A payment that's a month late costs much less in penalties than one that's six months late. Don't let embarrassment turn a small problem into a bigger one.
If you're in the US, Canada, or Australia and live somewhere with state/provincial income tax, you likely need separate advance payments to that authority as well. Schedules usually align with federal dates, but payment systems differ. Check your state/province's tax authority website.
You overpaid last year. In most countries, you can apply your refund to this year's advance payments instead of receiving it as cash. This is a convenient way to prepay your first instalment without thinking about it.
Plan Your Payments
Our quarterly planner calculates your payment amounts based on your country, shows upcoming due dates, and tells you how much to set aside each month.
Open Quarterly Planner