Despite being a vital part of the economy, not many of us like paying taxes. While we may not disagree with what the revenue is eventually spent on, the process of paying the IRS can cause quite a headache. This is made even worse when you consider that not paying on time, or not paying exactly what we owe, can result in a few different consequences that can be quite significant. Because of that, sometimes the process can be enough for us thinking about leaving society so that we don’t have to go through it.
However, this sadly isn’t a reality for the vast majority of us, so we’ll have to ensure that we pay the IRS on time. This may not always happen, though, and some people might find that they’re either paying their taxes late or even filing them late. These penalties can be caused by a variety of different things, such as failure to deposit estimated tax payments, insufficient check funds and much more. When this happens, it can cause quite a considerable amount of stress, especially when we consider how much we might have to pay in penalties and more. That doesn’t have to be the case, however, as the IRS Penalty Forgiveness program might be able to help you.
There can be a significant number of people who may not know what this is; as a result, a considerable amount of people who are eligible for the assistance might go without it. Because of that, they might go through a significant amount of financial burden as a result of the penalties associated with not paying your taxes on time. Then there’s the stress that may also come with figuring out how to pay these back taxes. With that in mind, it’s worth looking at what the IRS Penalty Forgiveness program is and how it might help you going forward.
What Is IRS Penalty Forgiveness?
While there is a certain amount of people who choose not to pay their taxes either on time or at all, this isn’t the case for everyone. Instead, the majority of people who pay or file their taxes late may do so because they weren’t financially able to pay on time. This is something that many people feel they shouldn’t be punished for, and the IRS agrees. This is what the focus of the penalty forgiveness program is. In essence, it’s when the IRS agrees to forgo any penalties or fees for failing to pay your taxes as a result of matters beyond your control.
Types Of Penalty Forgiveness
While many people may assume that there’s one type of penalty forgiveness, they’d be mistaken. Instead, the IRS has noted that there are a few different types. The first of these is a First Time Penalty Abatement, which is what the name suggests. As such, it’s something that can only be gotten if it’s the first time you’ve paid your taxes late. It should be noted that you can only apply for this abatement once you’ve paid your back taxes in full, as the fees and penalties grow for as long as you have an outstanding balance.
Perhaps the most common reason that the IRS has forgiven tax penalties is for reasonable cause. This is when someone is unable to pay their taxes because of unforeseen events that may be outside of their control. However, it should be noted that financial troubles may not be considered here, although the cause of this hardship may be considered. For example, paying off debt may not be considered reasonable cause. Some of the most notable reasons that the IRS has forgiven these penalties are a natural disaster, serious illness or loss of access to documents.
When you’re applying for the Reasonable Cause program, you’ll also need to provide proof of reasonable cause. This will include the likes of factual accounts and documentation of events, as well as how they caused you to miss your tax payments. This shouldn’t be too difficult, though, and the IRS will work with you to inform you as to what kind of documentation you’ll need to provide.
The IRS may also issue a Statutory Exception for your penalties, although this is relatively uncommon. This typically occurs when the IRS provides you with inaccurate information for filing your taxes which results in you underpaying or missing a payment.
