Estimated Taxes Criteria
Independent contractors and freelancers, among others, usually do not have taxes automatically withheld from their earnings. Similarly, income from sources such as interest, dividends, rent, taxable unemployment compensation, retirement benefits, and the taxable portion of Social Security benefits often does not have taxes deducted at the source. If you receive any of these types of income, then it may be necessary for you to make Estimated Taxes payments throughout the year.
The criteria for making Estimated Taxes payments vary depending on whether you are an individual or a business. Generally you need to make Estimated Taxes payments if you expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax after subtracting your withholding and refundable credits, and if your withholding and refundable credits are expected to be less than the smaller of 90% of the tax shown on your current year's tax return or 100% of the tax shown on your previous year's tax return (110% if your adjusted gross income for the previous year exceeded $150,000).