De Niro, 71, learnt of the massive lien from news accounts on Thursday, his spokesman said, adding that the actor had a check for the full amount hand-delivered by day's end, reported the New York Post.
The notice was filed with the city Department of Finance on February 3 against his Tribeca investment property at 114 Hudson Street.
The IRS first put De Niro on notice about his 2013 personal-income tax arrears three months ago, said Post quoting a legal source.
De Niro and his wife, Grace Hightower, live on Central Park West in a USD 125,000-a-month rental in a posh locality of the city.