Fort Lauderdale Penalty Abatement Attorney

Fort Lauderdale Penalty Abatement Lawyer

When you are assessed penalties by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) despite years of tax compliance or because of things outside of your control, you could get those penalties erased. A Fort Lauderdale penalty abatement attorney can assess if you are eligible for this relief and how to successfully minimize your tax liability.

You want to hire a penalty abatement attorney in Fort Lauderdale who can fight for your interests and deal with the IRS for you. At TaxSmith, LLC, we can do this for you. We have decades of combined legal experience and have helped many taxpayers navigate disputes with the IRS. We understand how stressful tax issues are.

Our team strives to bring you transparent, compassionate, and comprehensive guidance about taxes. When you have been assessed tax penalties by the IRS, we can help you secure penalty abatement. Our firm helps you assess other potential methods of debt settlement, and helps you negotiate with the Taxpayer Assistance Center Office on 1248 N. University Drive. We want to help you secure a new start.

Penalty Abatement in Fort Lauderdale

The IRS assessed 50.7 million civil penalties in 2024, including 43.5 million civil penalties for individual, trust, and estate income. These penalties can be for failing to file on time, not paying estimated taxes, or providing inaccurate information. The IRS takes these errors seriously. The agency began 60,000 new investigations into delinquent taxpayers from 2023 to 2024 for returns not timely filed.

In some cases, you can abate, or remove, these penalties from your tax debt. There are two types of IRS penalty abatement in Fort Lauderdale:

• First-time penalty abatement: If you have a history of compliance with IRS tax codes, you may be able to secure this type of abatement.
• Reasonable cause penalty abatement: If you tried to meet your tax obligations but were prevented by issues like natural disasters or unreliable tax advice, you might be qualified for this type of penalty abatement.

Abating penalties can make it easier for you to pay off any penalties that can’t be abated or any unpaid taxes. In addition to removing the penalties, penalty abatement can also clear the interest accrued by those penalties.

An attorney can help you navigate the penalty abatement process. If the IRS denies your request for penalty abatement, you can appeal this decision, and an attorney can also help with this. In 2024, there were nearly 4,100 penalty appeals cases.

What Penalties Can You Abate?

Penalty abatement does not apply to all penalties. Instead, it applies to specific penalties and their interest, such as:

• Failure to file tax returns
• Failure to pay taxes by the stated due date
• Accuracy penalties
• Information return failure to file penalties
• Failure to deposit the right way, on time, or the right amount

It’s important to act quickly when the IRS assesses a penalty, and you have existing tax debt. Ignoring the issue will only make the debt worse. Finding legal support can help you manage this.

Hire a Penalty Abatement Attorney

It is much easier to secure penalty abatement and review your other options for debt settlement with a penalty abatement attorney. To request penalty abatement, you need to call or submit a form. An attorney can help prepare you for that.

When requesting a reasonable cause penalty abatement, you must explain the situation that prevented you from filing your taxes or otherwise caused an issue. You must also provide documentation to prove the cause. This is much easier with an attorney, as they can help gather the right information and create a strong case that is more likely to get approved.

Your tax attorney can also consider other options, such as a payment plan, innocent spouse relief, and an offer in compromise. These may be helpful if you cannot repay your debt even after penalty abatement.

FAQs About Fort Lauderdale Penalty Abatement Law

What Is a Good Reasonable Cause for Penalty Abatement?

A good, reasonable cause for penalty abatement depends on the penalty and your unique case. For example, if the penalty was for an accuracy error, the IRS will consider if you acted in good faith, and consider the efforts you made to correct the issue, how complex it is, your education in tax codes, and if you got help from an advisor. Other reasonable causes for other penalties may include natural disasters and unavoidable absences.

What Is Penalty Abatement in Florida?

Penalty abatement in Florida happens when certain penalties in a tax liability are forgiven by the IRS or the Florida Department of Revenue. This can significantly lower the tax debt you owe. Both agencies have qualifications for forgiving certain penalties under reasonable cause. The IRS also has an option for first-time penalty abatement if you have a good tax compliance history. Penalties like failure to file, accuracy-related penalties, and information return penalties could be removed from your debt.

How Do I Request My First Penalty Abatement?

In order to request a first-time penalty abatement, you generally must file the right form with the IRS, although you can call the agency for certain penalties. When you reach out to the IRS, they will review your information to determine if you qualify for first-time penalty abatement. This means you must have a good history of tax compliance. This includes having filed the required tax forms for the past three years and not receiving a penalty during that time.

How Long Does a Penalty Abatement Take?

Each case for penalty abatement is different, so there is no set timeline. First-time penalty abatement is likely to resolve much faster than a for-cause penalty abatement. This is because you must provide documentation that proves your reason for incurring the penalty, and how it was outside your control, or that you exercised reasonable care. It takes longer for the IRS to assess this and determine whether to grant this abatement.

Contact Fort Lauderdale Penalty Abatement Attorney

You don’t have to deal with your tax debt alone. There are ways you can lower or eliminate your IRS tax liability, and TaxSmith, LLC can help you find them. Reach out to our team today to schedule a consultation and learn how we can help you.