Buy a Slurpee + Pay Your Taxes? Yep

PHOTO: Slurpee photo courtesy of company

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WASHINGTON — Buy a Slurpee and pay your taxes at the same time? Yep. The Internal Revenue Service has teamed up with 7-Eleven to make it easy for taxpayers, especially those without a checking account, to pay Uncle Sam.

The IRS announced the new payment option this week for individual taxpayers who need to pay their taxes with cash.

In partnership with ACI Worldwide’s OfficialPayments.com and the PayNearMe Company, individuals can now make a payment if they don't have a bank account or credit card, at more than 7,000 7-Eleven stores nationwide.

“We continue to look for new ways to provide services for our taxpayers. Taxpayers have many options to pay their tax bills by direct debit, a check or a credit card, but this provides a new way for people who can only pay their taxes in cash without having to travel to an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center," IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in an announcement about the new option.

Taxpayers who want to take advantage of the new payment option should visit the IRS.gov payments page, select the cash option in the "other ways you can pay" section and follow the instructions:

• Taxpayers will receive an email from OfficialPayments.com confirming their information.
• Once the IRS has verified the information, PayNearMe sends the taxpayer an email with a link to the payment code and instructions.
• Individuals may print the payment code provided or send it to their smart phone, along with a list of the closest 7-Eleven stores.
• The retail store provides a receipt after accepting the cash and the payment usually posts to the taxpayer’s account within two business days.
• There is a $1,000 payment limit per day and a $3.99 fee per payment.

Because PayNearMe involves a three-step process, the IRS urges taxpayers choosing this option to start the process well ahead of the tax deadline (Monday, April 18) to avoid interest and penalty charges.

The IRS has been partnering with Official Payments since 1999 for taxpayers wanting to use a credit card to pay taxes, the revenue service said.

In this new option, PayNearMe is currently available at participating 7-Eleven stores in 34 states. Most stores are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week,. For details about PayNearMe, the IRS offers a list of frequently asked questions on IRS.gov.

The IRS continues to remind taxpayers to watch out for email schemes. Taxpayers will only receive an email from OfficialPayments.com or PayNearMe if they have initiated the payment process. The IRS reminds taxpayers who haven’t taken this step to be watchful of any emails they receive saying there are tax issues involving the IRS or from others in the tax industry.