According to one automated website Louisiana residents are just 58 days and a few hours away from one of our least favorite days of the year. That day is in mid-April and it’s the day we, the people, are required to submit our federal and state income tax returns.

For the majority of Louisiana residents that isn’t as bad as it could be for residents of other states. That’s because it’s estimated that 79.3% of Louisiana residents who file a federal or state tax return will get a refund. Only three other states, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Indiana have a higher percentage of taxpayers getting money back.

That still leaves about 20% of us having to make a payment to Uncle Sam or Uncle Jeff, it used to be Uncle John Bel but Jeff got elected in the last gubernatorial race, so we’ll blame him now. 

And depending on how you have your withholdings structured where you work you could find yourself owing a few bucks, a few hundred bucks, or in some cases a few thousand bucks or more. This leads to another question, “How am I going to pay this”.

Can You Use a Credit Card to Pay Your Federal Income Taxes?

The short answer from the Internal Revenue Service is “yes”. Yes, you may use a credit card to pay your tax obligation. Certain service fees apply but you may pay that bill with a credit card. The IRS accepts VISA, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Most of the fees amount to just under 2% of the total transaction cost. So, it’s a minimal charge for the convenience and security of paying by card.

Just so you know, when you get your credit card statement the payment will be listed as “The United States Treasury Tax Payment” and the convenience fee will be noted as “Tax Payment Convenience Fee” or something similar. We should not that the Internal Revenue Service does not collect any monies from the “convenience fees”.

Can You Use a Credit Card to Pay Your State Taxes?

The answer to that question is “probably”. It depends on which state you live. But if you live in Louisiana you are in luck. You may use your fantastic plastic to cover your state tax obligation too. And just like with the federal taxes, there are convenience fees that have to be paid.

In Louisiana, the convenience fee for paying taxes on a charge card is 2.45% of the total transaction. Again, it’s not a lot of money when you compare it to the convenience and security using a card offers.

Pay Your Taxes Earn Hotel Stays and Airline Miles

When you pay your taxes with a credit card there are a few other benefits you might consider. Those “purchases” can earn you reward points on your card. You might redeem those for free hotel stays or airline tickets depending on which card you use and what rewards program you subscribe to.

Paying with a credit card also allows you to “pay over time”. While the IRS or State Treasury gets their money instantly, you’ll have the ability to pay what you owe over a period of months. Again, that is dependent on what your credit card agreement states.

Can You Buy Lottery Tickets in Louisiana with a Credit Card?

This just seemed like a great follow-up question to include. The answer is “yes”. But there is a caveat. The Louisiana Lottery says you may purchase tickets with a credit card but the choice to sell tickets via credit card is up to individual retailers. Since most of the retailers don’t make a lot of money on a lottery purchase that has “credit card fees” attached, most of them don’t and now you know.