One of the most common questions we are asked has to do with the reduction of interest and penalties on IRS accounts. Any reader of this blog knows that I am adamant about correcting the myths, lies, and half-truths perpetuated by tax resolution salespeople, and the IRS penalty abatement is one of the things least understood and grossly oversold by unlicensed salespeople at large, national tax resolution companies.
First of all, let’s get this out of the way: There is no reasonable cause interest abatement application process within the IRS. It simply doesn’t exist, period. If somebody is telling you they can get your interest reduced, you’re straight up being lied to, and you should seek assistance elsewhere.
There are two, and precisely two, instances in which interest is reduced:
- Any IRS employee gives you false information, which you acted on and resulted in the interest. This is one reason why all IRS correspondence should be conducted and follow up in writing.
- Since interest is calculated based on the tax liability, if an amended return is filed and the tax itself is lowered, then the interest is also reduced.
Now, on to penalties. The IRS charges dozens of different types of penalties, but the three that we most commonly talk about are the late filing penalty, the late payment penalty, and the penalty for not making Federal Tax Deposits. These three penalties combined can add a whopping 65% to your total IRS bill. If your tax debt is more than two years old, you’ve maxed out all these penalties, and therefore over half your total debt is penalties.
The IRS does actually have a compassionate side, and it’s generally found in the penalty abatement process. Penalty abatement applications can also be appealed if initially denied, so you can always get a second set of eyeballs on the issue. The thing to keep in mind is that the IRS has very strict guidelines for granting penalty abatements, and these guidelines are referred to as “reasonable cause criteria”.
It should be noted up front that “we didn’t have the money” is NOT a reasonable cause criteria. A drop in revenue, by itself, is insufficient argument for obtaining penalty relief. Any request for penalty abatement simply citing the economic recession will be immediately denied.
Why is this? Here is the IRS’ logic: You made the money, and should have paid the taxes at the time on that money. … Continue reading