IRS Penalties

You won't get an IRS penalty waived or reduced unless you ask. If this is the first time you have been hit with a penalty, the IRS will  give you a break as a first time offender. If there is a reasonable cause then the penalty can also be waived. What is a reasonable cause? If you can show that you exercised ordinary care and prudence through facts and circumstances but still could not comply with the tax law, then  your penalty will usually be waived. For instance the following circumstances can establish reasonable cause: death, illness, fire, natural disaster, undue hardship, and unavoidable absence.