Remove IRS Penalties That Have Inflated Your Balance
IRS penalties can add 25–47% to what you already owe — and many can be legally removed. Most taxpayers don't know to ask.
What Is IRS Penalty Abatement?
IRS Penalty Abatement is the process of formally requesting that the IRS reduce or eliminate penalties that have been added to your tax balance. These penalties — failure to file, failure to pay, and accuracy-related penalties — can represent 25% to 47.5% of your original tax liability, significantly inflating what you owe.
The IRS has two primary abatement programs. First-Time Penalty Abatement (FTA) is available to taxpayers with a clean compliance history who missed one filing or payment deadline. Reasonable Cause Abatement applies when you can demonstrate that your failure to comply was due to circumstances beyond your control — illness, natural disaster, bad professional advice, or similar hardship.
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Penalty abatement is one of the most underused IRS resolution tools. Many taxpayers overpay significantly because they don't know these programs exist or how to apply for them.
25–47.5%
Of your IRS balance may be removable penalties
Speak with a licensed professional today. We'll tell you honestly whether you qualify — and what your best path forward is.
Free Case EvaluationOr call (833) 415-0253Quick Qualification Check
Types of Penalty Abatement
Start Your CaseFirst-Time Abatement (FTA)
Available if you have a clean compliance history for the prior 3 years. No financial documentation required. Can eliminate failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties entirely for one tax period.
Reasonable Cause Abatement
Applies when penalties arose from circumstances beyond your control: serious illness or death in the family, natural disaster, destroyed records, reliance on erroneous professional advice, or demonstrated inability to pay.
Statutory Exceptions
Certain penalties cannot be charged under specific legal conditions — for example, if the IRS provided incorrect written advice that you relied upon in good faith.
Administrative Waivers
The IRS occasionally issues administrative waivers for new tax provisions where guidance was unclear. These are systematic and may apply to your situation without a formal application.
Do Your Penalties Qualify for Removal?
The specific criteria depend on which abatement path applies to you. Here's what we look for:
Don't self-disqualify
More taxpayers qualify than the IRS's initial rejection letters suggest. A professional evaluation takes 15 minutes and costs nothing.
Clean prior history (FTA)
No penalties for the same type in the prior 3 tax years. The IRS generally grants FTA once per taxpayer without documentation.
Documented hardship (Reasonable Cause)
Medical records, death certificates, FEMA disaster declarations, or other documentation supporting your inability to comply.
All returns filed
The IRS will not grant penalty abatement on returns that haven't been filed. We resolve unfiled returns first.
Current tax compliance
You must be in compliance for the current tax year — either paid up or in an active resolution program.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about penalty abatement.
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