Here's how to earn credit card rewards while doing your taxes
How to pay your taxes with a credit card

There are three IRS-approved third-party payment processors for credit card payments. All the processors accept cards from the major credit card networks, including Visa, Mastercard, Discover® and American Express. Each payment processing company charges different fees. These are the three payment processors and their fees: PayUSAtax.com: 1.82% (minimum $2.69)

Pay1040.com: 1.87% (minimum $2.50)

ACI Payments, Inc.: 1.98% (minimum $2.50) Keep in mind that if you pay your business taxes with a credit card, the card processing fees are also tax deductible. However, individuals cannot deduct the fees from their personal tax return.

Open a new travel credit card with a welcome bonus

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Learn More Rewards 5 Miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 2X miles per dollar on every other purchase

Welcome bonus Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening

Annual fee $95

Intro APR N/A for purchases and balance transfers

Regular APR 19.99% - 29.99% variable

Balance transfer fee $0 at the Transfer APR, 4% of the amount of each transferred balance that posts to your account at a promotional APR that Capital One may offer to you

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent/Good See rates and fees, terms apply.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Learn More On Chase's secure site Rewards Enjoy beneﬁts such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, and $50 annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.

Welcome bonus Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Annual fee $95

Intro APR None

Regular APR 21.49% - 28.49% variable on purchases and balance transfers

Balance transfer fee Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent/Good

Terms apply. Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review.

The Platinum Card® from American Express Learn More On the American Express secure site Rewards Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, 1X points on all other eligible purchases

Welcome bonus Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card®, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.

Annual fee $695

Intro APR None

Regular APR See Pay Over Time APR

Balance transfer fee N/A

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit Needed Excellent/Good

See rates and fees, terms apply. Read our The Platinum Card® from American Express review.

If you're looking for a new business credit card, the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and The American Express® Business Gold Card are worth considering.

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card Learn More On Chase's secure site Rewards Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases in select categories each account anniversary year (travel; shipping purchases; internet, cable and phone services; and advertising purchases with social media sites and search engines), 1X point per $1 on all other purchases

Welcome bonus Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Annual fee $95

Intro APR None

Regular APR 21.24% - 26.24% variable

Balance transfer fee Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Good/Excellent

Terms apply. Read our Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card review.

American Express® Business Gold Card Learn More On the American Express secure site Rewards Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle from 6 eligible categories. While your top 2 categories may change, you will earn 4X points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1X thereafter). Only the top 2 categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap. 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card.

Welcome bonus Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership

Annual fee $375

Intro APR Not applicable

Regular APR 19.49% - 28.49% variable

Balance transfer fee N/A

Foreign transaction fee None

Credit needed Excellent See rates and fees, terms apply.

Use a credit card that offers a high cash-back rate

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card Learn More On Wells Fargo's secure site Rewards Unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases

Welcome bonus Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months

Annual fee $0

Intro APR 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate

Regular APR 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers

Balance transfer fee 3% intro for 120 days from account opening then BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5

Foreign transaction fee 3%

Credit needed Excellent/Good See rates and fees, terms apply.

Citi Double Cash® Card Learn More Rewards Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24

Welcome bonus Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.

Annual fee $0

Intro APR 0% for the first 18 months on balance transfers; N/A for purchases

Regular APR 19.24% - 29.24% variable

Balance transfer fee For balance transfers completed within 4 months of account opening, an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies; after that, a balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies

Foreign transaction fee 3%

Credit needed Fair/Good/Excellent

See rates and fees. Terms apply. Read our Citi Double Cash® Card review.

Business owners looking for a cash-back card can consider The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, which earns 2% cash back on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%.

The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card Learn More On the American Express secure site Rewards Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1% cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement

Welcome bonus Earn a $250 statement credit after you make $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.

Annual fee $0

Intro APR 0% for 12 months on purchases from date of account opening

Regular APR 18.49% - 26.49% variable; APRs will not exceed 29.99%

Balance transfer fee

Foreign transaction fee 2.7%

Credit needed Excellent See rates and fees, terms apply.

Use a credit card with bonuses for meeting spending thresholds

If opening a new credit card isn't an option, you can pay your taxes with one of your existing credit cards with a bonus for meeting a high spending threshold. With this strategy, you may earn airline or hotel elite status, airline companion certificates or free hotel night certificates just by using the right card to pay your taxes. Here are some examples: You can earn American AAdvantage Loyalty Points that go toward qualifying for elite status with the Citi®/AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® or the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®. Elite status begins at 40,000 Loyalty Points for Gold status and you earn 1 point per dollar for credit card spending. The Aviator card also earns a companion certificate for one guest at $99 plus taxes and fees each anniversary year when you spend $20,000. You can earn 25 Premier qualifying points (PQP) for every $500 in net card spending in a calendar year, up to a maximum of 1,000 PQP with the United℠ Explorer Card. The points can be applied toward qualifying for United Premier status up to and including the Premier 1K level. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card earns a free night certificate when you spend $15,000 in a calendar year. Complimentary Hilton Gold elite status comes with having the card, but you can be bumped up to Diamond elite status by spending $40,000 in a year. Terms apply. The World of Hyatt Credit Card comes with a Category 1 to 4 free night certificate given each anniversary year, but you can also earn a second free night by spending $15,000. Complimentary Discoverist status comes with having the card, but you also earn two elite night credits for every $5,000 spent, which can go toward elevating your status to Explorist or Globalist.

Check online shopping portals and look for credit card merchant offers

TurboTax Learn More On TurboTax's secure site Cost Costs may vary depending on the plan selected - click "Learn More" for details

Free version TurboTax Free Edition. ~37% of taxpayers qualify. Form 1040 + limited credits only.

Mobile app Yes

Live support Available with some pricing and filing options Click here for TurboTax offer details and disclosures. Terms apply.

H&R Block Learn More On H&R Block's secure site Cost Costs may vary depending on the plan selected (Free Online, Deluxe, Premium, or Self-Employed) - click "Learn More" for details

Free version Yes (for simple returns only)

Mobile app Yes

Live support Available with some pricing and filing options Terms apply.

You can use a shopping portal aggregator like Cashback Monitor to compare rewards earnings on tax prep software to see which program may offer the highest return. Offers change frequently and sometimes without advance notice, so if you see a high offer, it's best to jump on it. You may also see increased offers the closer we get to the tax filing deadline on April 15. You can combine, or "stack," the shopping portal rewards with a discount from any card-linked offers you may have. Limited-time card-linked offers, such as Chase Offers, Amex Offers, Citi Merchant Offers and BankAmeriDeals provide savings at select merchants when you link your associated credit card to that offer. They can be found in your online account with the card issuer. Credit card merchant offers are targeted, meaning the same offer may not be available for everyone with that card, and require enrollment, but here are some tax prep software offers we've seen in the past: Amex Offer of spend $500 or more, get $100 on TurboTax Live Small Business Tax Preparation

Amex Offer of 30% back, up to a total of $60, on your TaxAct purchase

Chase Offer of $10 cash back on TurboTax when you spend $25 or more, plus get additional savings up to 10% at checkout when you purchase through Chase's link

Chase Offer of $7 cash back on your TaxAct purchase

Citi Merchant Offer of 25% back, up to a total of $60, on your TaxAct purchase

Citi Merchant Offer of $10 back from TurboTax on a purchase of $25 or more, plus extra savings when you purchase through Citi's link Be sure to add the offer to your credit card before making your purchase and check the fine print for any exclusions.

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Bottom line

Paying your taxes with a credit card is quick and easy, but it's important to take some time to plan how you can maximize your rewards earnings. Some ways to earn more points, miles or cash back during tax season include signing up for a new credit card or using one you may already have that offers bonuses for high spending thresholds. Be sure to only charge what you can pay back in full to avoid paying interest. If not, any interest payments will likely negate the rewards you've earned. Whether or not you owe any taxes, there are also ways to earn rewards and potentially save a little money if you are planning to purchase tax preparation software.

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Information about the Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Card, AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication. For rates and fees of the Platinum Card® from American Express, click here. For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, click here. For rates and fees of the American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, click here.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.