IRS Penalty Abatement attorney at Brotman Law

IRS Penalty Relief

IRS Penalty Abatement
Reduce What You Owe. Legally.

IRS penalties can double your original tax debt within a few years. We use every available legal strategy — first-time abatement, reasonable cause, and statutory exceptions — to eliminate or reduce your penalties.

Sam Brotman, J.D., LL.M.|Last updated April 2026

Key Takeaway

IRS penalty abatement is the process of requesting that the IRS remove or reduce penalties — such as failure-to-file (up to 25% of tax owed) and failure-to-pay (up to 25%) — that have been added to your tax bill. First-time penalty abatement (FTA) is available if you have a clean compliance history for the prior three years, and reasonable cause relief applies when circumstances beyond your control prevented timely filing or payment. Call Brotman Law at (619) 378-3138 for a free intro call about removing penalties from your account.

IRS Penalties Are Adding Thousands to Your Tax Bill — But Many Can Be Removed

Every year, the IRS assesses tens of billions of dollars in civil penalties against taxpayers. Failure-to-file penalties, failure-to-pay penalties, estimated tax penalties, accuracy-related penalties — they stack on top of each other and compound with interest. A $50,000 tax debt can easily become $80,000 or more once penalties and interest are added.

What most taxpayers do not realize is that the IRS has formal programs to remove or reduce these penalties. The first-time penalty abatement (FTA) program alone eliminates penalties for hundreds of thousands of taxpayers every year — but the IRS rarely tells you about it. You have to know to ask, and you have to ask correctly.

The Three Main IRS Penalty Abatement Strategies

First-Time Penalty Abatement (FTA) is an administrative waiver available if you have a clean compliance history for the three years prior to the penalty year. You must have filed all required returns and have no penalties (other than estimated tax penalties) during that period. If you qualify, the IRS removes the failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties for one tax year — often saving thousands of dollars. This is a one-time administrative waiver, and the IRS does not advertise it.

Reasonable Cause Relief requires demonstrating that you exercised ordinary business care and prudence but were still unable to comply with your tax obligations. The IRS evaluates factors such as serious illness, death of a family member, natural disasters, inability to obtain records, reliance on professional advice, and other circumstances beyond your control. Written documentation is critical — a simple phone call rarely results in reasonable cause relief.

Statutory Exceptions apply in specific situations defined by the Internal Revenue Code. For example, penalties may be removed if IRS written advice caused the error, if a federally declared disaster affected your ability to file or pay, or if you were serving in a combat zone. These exceptions are narrowly defined but provide automatic relief when they apply.

How IRS Penalties Compound

The failure-to-file penalty accrues at 5% of the unpaid tax per month, up to 25%. The failure-to-pay penalty accrues at 0.5% per month, also up to 25%. When both apply simultaneously, the combined rate is 5% per month for the first five months. Add the current interest rate (which adjusts quarterly and has been above 7% annually in recent years), and the growth is staggering.

Accuracy-related penalties (IRC § 6662) add 20% of the underpayment if the IRS determines there was a "substantial understatement" of income tax (generally more than the greater of 10% of the correct tax or $5,000 for individuals). Fraud penalties (IRC § 6663) add 75% of the underpayment. Civil fraud penalties are rare, but they are devastating.

Why Penalty Abatement Requires a Professional Approach

The IRS processes millions of penalty abatement requests each year. Requests that are well-documented with a clear legal basis are approved. Requests that simply say "I could not afford to pay" or "I did not know" are denied. The difference between approval and denial usually comes down to how the request is framed, what documentation is provided, and whether the right legal authority is cited.

At Brotman Law, we have secured penalty abatement for clients facing penalties ranging from $2,000 to over $500,000. We analyze your full penalty history, identify every available abatement strategy, and prepare comprehensive written requests with supporting documentation. If the initial request is denied, we pursue reconsideration and, when warranted, take the case to IRS Appeals or Tax Court.

Penalty Relief Services

Types of Penalties We Remove

First-Time Penalty Abatement

We identify FTA eligibility, prepare the request, and secure administrative removal of failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties for qualifying tax years.

Reasonable Cause Requests

We build documented reasonable cause arguments based on illness, disaster, reliance on professional advice, or other circumstances beyond your control.

Accuracy-Related Penalties

We challenge substantial understatement and negligence penalties by demonstrating reasonable basis, substantial authority, or adequate disclosure.

Estimated Tax Penalty Waivers

We prepare Form 2210 exceptions and annualized income installment calculations to reduce or eliminate estimated tax penalties for irregular income.

IRS Appeals & Tax Court

When penalty abatement is denied at the examination level, we escalate to IRS Appeals or petition Tax Court for penalty relief.

Penalty Abatement Refunds

If you already paid penalties that could have been abated, we file amended requests to recover those payments as refunds or credits.

Penalty Abatement In Depth

Understanding Your Penalty Relief Options

How does first-time penalty abatement work?

First-time penalty abatement (FTA) is an administrative waiver under IRM 20.1.1.3.6.1. To qualify, you must have filed all currently required returns, have no penalties (excluding estimated tax penalties) for the three tax years preceding the penalty year, and have paid or arranged to pay any tax due. FTA removes failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties for a single tax year. The abatement can be requested by phone for straightforward cases, but a written request with supporting documentation is more reliable for complex situations. Importantly, you should always calculate whether reasonable cause would yield a larger abatement before using FTA, since FTA is a one-time benefit.

What qualifies as reasonable cause for IRS penalty relief?

The IRS evaluates reasonable cause based on whether you exercised ordinary business care and prudence. Under IRM 20.1.1.3.2, factors include: death, serious illness, or unavoidable absence; fire, casualty, natural disaster, or other disturbance; inability to obtain records; erroneous advice from the IRS or a tax professional; ignorance of the law (in limited circumstances); and other factors showing due diligence. You must show that you took reasonable steps to meet your tax obligations and that the failure was due to circumstances beyond your control, not willful neglect. Written documentation such as medical records, insurance claims, or correspondence with advisors significantly strengthens the request.

Can penalties be removed if I relied on a tax professional?

Yes, reliance on a tax professional can constitute reasonable cause under certain conditions. You must show that you provided the professional with accurate and complete information, that the professional made an error or gave incorrect advice, and that you reasonably relied on that advice. Simply hiring someone to prepare your return is not sufficient — you must demonstrate active engagement and good faith reliance. Courts have generally held that taxpayers cannot blindly rely on advisors without reviewing their returns for obvious errors. If your tax professional made a clear error that resulted in penalties, we can build a compelling reasonable cause argument for abatement.

What if the IRS denies my penalty abatement request?

If the initial penalty abatement request is denied, you have several options. First, you can request reconsideration with additional documentation or arguments. Second, you can request a Collection Due Process (CDP) hearing if the penalty is part of a collection action. Third, you can request a conference with IRS Appeals, which provides an independent review by an experienced Appeals Officer. Fourth, you can petition the United States Tax Court within specific deadlines. Many penalty abatement cases that are initially denied are later approved through IRS Appeals or Tax Court, where the review is more thorough and the decision-maker is independent from the original examiner.

How much can penalty abatement save me?

Penalty abatement can save substantial amounts depending on the size of the underlying tax debt and how long penalties have been accruing. For a taxpayer who owed $100,000 in tax and filed two years late, the failure-to-file penalty alone could be $25,000 (25% maximum), and the failure-to-pay penalty could add another $12,000 or more. Accuracy-related penalties add 20% of the underpayment. In total, penalties can represent 30% to 50% or more of the original tax liability. When penalties are abated, the associated interest on those penalties is also removed, compounding the savings. We have secured penalty abatements ranging from a few thousand dollars to over half a million dollars for individual clients.

Why Brotman Law

Why Choose Brotman Law for Penalty Abatement

We Know the IRM Inside and Out

The Internal Revenue Manual contains the procedures IRS employees follow for penalty abatement. We cite specific IRM sections in every request, speaking the IRS's own language.

Written Requests, Not Phone Calls

While some practitioners try to resolve penalties over the phone, we prepare comprehensive written requests with legal citations and supporting documentation that create a permanent record.

Full Penalty History Analysis

We pull your complete IRS account transcripts and analyze your penalty history across all tax years to identify every available abatement opportunity.

Appeals and Tax Court Experience

When abatement is denied, we have the experience and standing to escalate to IRS Appeals or Tax Court — options not available to non-attorney representatives in all cases.

Combined Strategy Approach

Penalty abatement often works best as part of a broader resolution strategy. We integrate penalty relief with installment agreements, offers in compromise, or innocent spouse claims.

Refund Recovery

If you paid penalties in the past that could have been abated, we look back and file requests to recover those payments as refunds within the applicable statute of limitations.

Proven Results

The Numbers Behind Our Work

1,500+

Clients Represented

$500M+

In Tax Debt Resolved

25+

Years of Experience

See how we have helped clients just like you. View our results →

Client Testimonials

What Our Clients Say

Real results from real clients who trusted us with their tax problems.

★★★★★

“Brotman Law got over $45,000 in penalties removed from my account using the first-time abatement program. I had no idea this even existed. My previous accountant never mentioned it.”

$45K Penalties Removed— M.K., Business Owner in Carlsbad

★★★★★

“I had penalties stacking up for three years because of a medical situation. Sam's team put together a reasonable cause package with all my medical documentation and the IRS removed every penny of penalties.”

Full Penalty Abatement— T.R., Retired Professional in La Jolla

★★★★★

“After my CPA made errors on my business returns, I got hit with accuracy penalties. Brotman Law proved I relied on professional advice in good faith and got the penalties reversed.”

Accuracy Penalties Reversed— J.L., Restaurant Owner in San Diego

Free Guide

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Related Services

Case Study

$47,000 in IRS Penalties Fully Abated

A physician with 15 years of perfect tax compliance history had always filed and paid on time — never a late return, never a missed estimated payment, never a single penalty. Then an emergency surgery and six-week hospital recovery caused him to miss the October extension deadline. When his return was finally filed, the IRS assessed $47,000 in combined failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties on a $380,000 tax balance for the year. The penalties alone represented a devastating financial hit on top of the underlying tax liability. We pursued a two-pronged penalty abatement strategy. For the failure-to-file penalty — the larger of the two assessments — we applied for First-Time Penalty Abatement (FTA), an administrative waiver available to taxpayers who have been compliant for the prior three years. The physician’s 15-year clean record far exceeded the three-year requirement. FTA is a powerful tool because it does not require proving reasonable cause; the clean compliance history alone qualifies the taxpayer. For the failure-to-pay penalty, we filed a reasonable cause abatement request supported by comprehensive medical documentation: hospital admission records, surgical reports, discharge instructions specifying activity restrictions, a letter from the treating physician confirming the patient was physically incapacitated and unable to manage financial affairs during recovery, and pharmacy records showing post-surgical medications that impaired cognitive function. We also demonstrated that the physician had arranged payment within days of being medically cleared to resume normal activities.

Both penalty abatement requests were granted in full. The entire $47,000 in penalties was removed, and the physician paid only the underlying tax and a modest amount of interest.

Details have been changed to protect client confidentiality. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

IRS Penalty Abatement FAQs

What is the IRS first-time penalty abatement program?

First-time penalty abatement (FTA) is an administrative waiver that removes failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties for one tax year if you have a clean compliance history for the prior three years. You must have filed all required returns and have no penalties (other than estimated tax penalties) during that period. The IRS does not advertise this program, so you must specifically request it.

How long does IRS penalty abatement take?

First-time penalty abatement requests made by phone can sometimes be processed immediately. Written reasonable cause requests typically take 30 to 90 days for initial review. If the request goes to IRS Appeals, the process may take 6 to 12 months. Tax Court petitions can take 12 to 24 months. The timeline depends on the complexity of the case and the abatement method used.

Can I get penalties removed if I cannot afford to pay my taxes?

Inability to pay is not, by itself, reasonable cause for failure-to-pay penalty abatement. However, if you can demonstrate that you exercised ordinary business care and prudence in trying to meet your tax obligations — for example, by paying what you could and communicating with the IRS — you may qualify for reasonable cause relief. Financial hardship can also support an offer in compromise or currently-not-collectible status, which may indirectly address penalties.

Is there a deadline to request penalty abatement?

You can request penalty abatement at any time, but refund claims for penalties already paid are subject to the general refund statute of limitations: you must file within three years of the return due date or two years of the payment date, whichever is later. For penalties that have been assessed but not yet paid, there is generally no deadline for requesting abatement, though requesting it sooner stops additional interest from accruing.

Can a tax attorney get better results than I could on my own?

Yes, in most cases. A tax attorney understands the specific IRM provisions, knows which legal authorities to cite, and can prepare comprehensive written arguments that significantly increase approval rates. Additionally, a tax attorney can represent you before IRS Appeals and Tax Court — options that are more complex for unrepresented taxpayers. For penalties above $10,000, professional representation typically pays for itself many times over.

Do penalties get removed if I enter into an installment agreement?

Entering an installment agreement does not automatically remove penalties, but it does reduce the failure-to-pay penalty rate from 0.5% per month to 0.25% per month while the agreement is in effect. Penalty abatement must be requested separately. However, we often pursue penalty abatement simultaneously with installment agreement negotiations to reduce the total balance due.