The Internal Revenue Code imposes many different kinds of penalties, ranging from civil fines to imprisonment for criminal tax evasion.
Penalties are generally payable upon notice and demand. Penalties are generally assessed, collected and paid in the same manner as taxes. The notice will contain the name of the penalty, the applicable code section, and how the penalty was computed (or information on how to obtain the computation if not included).
Here are the first two penalties we will discuss in this post that the IRS assesses taxpayers.
1. Estimated Tax-Related Penalties
Employees have taxes withheld from their paychecks by their employer. When you have income that is not subject to withholding you may have to make estimated tax payments during the year.
This includes income from self-employment, interest, dividends, alimony, rent, gains from the sale of assets, prizes, and awards. You also may have to pay estimated tax if the amount being withheld from your salary, pension, or other income is not enough to pay your tax liability.
Estimated tax payments are used to pay income tax and self-employment tax, as well as other taxes and amounts reported on your tax return. If you do not pay enough through withholding or estimated tax payments, you may have to pay a penalty. If you do not pay enough by the due date of each payment period you may be charged a penalty even if you are due a refund when you file your tax return.
2. Penalty for negligence and disregard of the rules and regulations
“Negligence” includes (but is not limited to) any failure to:
- make a reasonable attempt to comply with the internal revenue laws
- exercise ordinary and reasonable care in preparation of a tax return or
- keep adequate books and records or to substantiate items properly
This penalty may be asserted if you carelessly, recklessly or intentionally disregard IRS rules and regulations – by taking a position on your return with little or no effort to determine whether the position is correct or knowingly taking a position that is incorrect. You will not have to pay a negligence penalty if there was a reasonable cause for a position you took and you acted in good faith.
For tax help ascertaining the validity of a penalty or if the computation is correct, or for assistance with penalty abatement, please contact us at 201-947-8081 or 646-688-2807, or email us at info@irstaxproblems.com
