I tried to log in to EFTPS last night to pay my 2023Q4 estimated taxes and was surprised that they’ve revamped their authentication flow.
They now have three options for Multi-Factor Authentication, and I had to pick one and set that up before I could even get to the page to enter my EFTPS credentials.
The first option they have, PIV/CAC is only for federal employees, so that’s not helpful to me.
The next two options for everyone else are login.gov and id.me.
I looked at both options and login.gov seemed easier to set up quickly (and they’re not a private company that collects biometric data), so I’m gonna recommend them.
If you like processes, I took notes on my steps:
1. Visit https://www.eftps.gov/eftps/
2. Click the “MAKE A PAYMENT” button
3. Wait for a new page to load with three login options
4. Click the “LOGIN.GOV” button
5. Wait for the Login.Gov|Treasury page to load
6. Click “create an account”
7. Enter your e-mail address
8. Select English
9. Accept the Rules of Use
10. Click Submit
11. Check your e-mail for a confirmation link
12. Load the URL from the confirmation link
13. Enter a secure password
14. Set up MFA with your preferred methods (app-dependent and out of scope for these instructions)
15. At this point, if you were quick enough, it might take you straight to the EFTPS traditional login page, which still requires your old EFTPS enrollment credentials. If not, head back to the EFTPS page and click MAKE A PAYMENT and use your login.gov credentials and MFA now.
I would strongly recommend setting that all up now, and not waiting until January 16th, as this will be the first tax deadline this system was in place for and we have no idea how well the servers can handle the load.
Until next time, y’all, this is Joe Hills from Nashville, Tennessee.
Keep quarterly estimating!