Penalty Abatement
IRS Penalties Can Double Your Tax Debt. We Remove Them.
The IRS assesses over 150 different penalties — failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, accuracy-related, estimated tax, and more. Combined, they can exceed the original tax. First-Time Abate, reasonable cause, and statutory exceptions can eliminate them. We know every abatement path.
Free Penalty Review
Find out which penalties can be removed from your account.
Penalty Abatement Strategies
First-Time Abate (FTA)
If you have a clean compliance history for the prior 3 years (no penalties, all returns filed, all extensions filed), the IRS will automatically remove failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, and failure-to-deposit penalties for the first tax period where they're assessed. This is the most commonly approved abatement — and many taxpayers don't know it exists.
Eligibility: Clean 3-year compliance history
Reasonable Cause
You had a legitimate reason for failing to comply: serious illness, death in immediate family, natural disaster, incorrect professional advice, IRS error, or inability to obtain records. Requires a written statement and supporting documentation. The IRS evaluates each case on its facts.
Eligibility: Documented extenuating circumstances
Statutory Exception
Specific Internal Revenue Code provisions mandate penalty removal in certain situations: reliance on written IRS advice (§ 6404(f)), mathematical error on return, military service deferral, or disaster-area designation. These are law-based, not discretion-based — if you qualify, the penalty must be removed.
Eligibility: Specific IRC provisions apply
Appeals & Penalty Appeal
If the IRS denies your abatement request, you can appeal through IRS Appeals or request a Collection Due Process hearing to challenge the penalties. Appeals officers have settlement authority and often resolve cases that were denied at the initial level.
Eligibility: After initial denial