While most of us don’t like paying taxes, the silver lining is that paying taxes through credit cards that earn rewards—in the form of cash back, points or miles—can be profitable compared to paying taxes from bank accounts using checks or electronic payments. Despite the processing fees associated with paying taxes with credit cards, the value of the rewards earned often exceeds the fees.

Tax Payment Basics

Before getting into the details of earning points and miles by paying taxes with credit cards, let’s review some basics about paying taxes, specifically individual (personal), federal income taxes.