You Can Actually Pay Your Taxes Here Now

Who would have thought your go-to stop for Slurpees could also be your go-to stop for getting square with the Internal Revenue Service? Americans can now pay our taxes in cash at 7-Eleven, as the IRS announced this week. So if you still haven't filed your taxes and you're planning to pay in cash, you can now make the process slightly less soul-destroying by adding a Slurpee while you do it.

As IRS Commissioner John Koskinen explained in a statement, “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." Which is awesome for a few reasons. For one thing, just hearing the phrase "IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center" is enough to conjure up beige walls and a sense of existential dread; a 7-Eleven is a much friendlier atmosphere.

But more importantly, since recent budget cuts handed down by Congress, many IRS centers are now understaffed, leading to massive wait times. This, obviously, is awful; not only does it mean you have to spend even more time in an IRS facility than necessary, but also because many people can't afford to take a day off of work in order to stand in a six- to eight-hour line — especially since people who need to pay in cash are much more likely to be low-income. And although the IRS is trying out potential fixes for the delay problem, there's really no way to make up for not being able to hire enough personnel to meet demand. So making it possible for people to pay their taxes in cash elsewhere should help the problem by simply reducing the number of people using centers during tax time.

Plus, it's delicious.

As of now, there are more than 7,000 7-Eleven stores in 34 states participating in the program, many of which are open 24 hours a day. But don't think that this means you can just pop in at 11:30 p.m. on April 18, grab some chips, pay your taxes, and be fine. The IRS notes that the process in place at participating 7-Eleven stores requires five to seven business days to process, so people paying there should do so well ahead of the April 18 filing deadline to make sure you avoid any fees.

In other words, you should be paying your taxes right about now. But hey, at least this way you can immediately reward yourself with a Slurpee afterwards. Never let it be said that America isn't great, guys.

You can find more information about paying your taxes in cash at 7-Eleven on the IRS website.

Image: Giphy