What are the types of Penalty Abatement?
First-Time Penalty Abatement (FTA): Available to taxpayers who have a clean compliance history for the past three years and have not previously requested penalty abatement
Reasonable Cause Abatement: If you can demonstrate that your failure to comply was due to circumstances beyond your control, such as natural disasters, serious illness, or other significant life events.
Administrative Waivers: Sometimes, the IRS provides administrative relief for specific groups of taxpayers or under certain conditions.
To help you determine if reasonable cause is possible, Marcelino Dodge, EA, CTRC can review your circumstances. To qualify for reasonable cause relief, you must provide a written statement under penalty of perjury, detailing the reasons for your noncompliance. Marcelino can help you prepare supporting documentation that can strengthen the request. Some of the more common basis for reasonable cause relief include reliance on incorrect IRS advice and unavailability of records.
The IRS evaluates whether you the taxpayer made a genuine effort to comply with tax laws and whether the noncompliance was due to unforeseen events. The burden of proof lies with you the taxpayer, who must clearly link the reasons for noncompliance to the penalties imposed. By demonstrating reasonable cause, taxpayers can potentially avoid penalties and reduce their financial burden.
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