Why is TurboTax saying I have an underpayment penalty?

Asked by: Meghan Weber  |  Last update: July 1, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (14 votes)

by TurboTax• 833• Updated 6 days ago The IRS levies underpayment penalties if you don't withhold or pay enough tax on income received during each quarter. Even if you paid your tax bill in full by the April deadline or are getting a refund, you may still get an underpayment penalty.

Why is TurboTax showing an underpayment penalty?

If you didn't pay enough tax throughout the year, either through withholding or by making estimated tax payments, you may have to pay a penalty for underpayment of estimated tax.

How do I get rid of underpayment penalty?

Another way out of an underpayment penalty is to report to the IRS the actual timing of your income. For instance, if it's your fourth quarter of income that is substantially higher than the rest, then your fourth quarter estimated payment should be the one that's higher.

How to enter underpayment penalty TurboTax?

by TurboTax• 795• Updated 1 week ago
  1. Open or continue your return.
  2. Navigate to the underpayment of taxes section: TurboTax Online/Mobile: Go to underpayment of taxes. ...
  3. The Underpayment Penalties screen will display the penalty amount. Select Continue to review this section and make any needed adjustments.

How do I waive the underpayment of estimated tax penalty form?

To request a waiver do all of the following: Check "Yes" on form FTB 5805, Part I, Question 1, and in the space provided, explain why you are requesting a waiver of the estimated penalty. If you need additional space, attach a statement. Be sure to include your name and tax ID number to any statement you attach.

IRS Underpayment Penalty | Tax Answers in 90 seconds | Mickle & Associates, P.A.

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Why do I have a penalty for underpayment of estimated taxes?

by TurboTax• 833• Updated 6 days ago

The IRS levies underpayment penalties if you don't withhold or pay enough tax on income received during each quarter. Even if you paid your tax bill in full by the April deadline or are getting a refund, you may still get an underpayment penalty.

How do I appeal an underpayment penalty?

You may file FTB 2918 or call 800-689-4776 to request that we cancel a penalty based on one-time abatement.

Is underpayment penalty tax deductible?

Interest and/or penalties paid to the IRS are not deductible on your tax return.

Why is TurboTax asking me for form 2210?

Use Form 2210 to see if you owe a penalty for underpaying your estimated tax. The IRS will generally figure your penalty for you and you should not file Form 2210. You can, however, use Form 2210 to figure your penalty if you wish to include the penalty on your return.

How much is the IRS underpayment penalty?

Penalty. 0.5% of the unpaid tax for each month or part of the month it's unpaid not to exceed 40 months (monthly).

How do I convince the IRS to waive a penalty?

Follow the instructions in the IRS notice you received. Some penalty relief requests may be accepted over the phone. Call us at the toll-free number at the top right corner of your notice or letter. You don't need to specify First Time Abate or provide supporting documents in your request for relief.

How do I correct an underpayment?

How to fix an underpayment
  1. Step 1: Work out how long the employee has been underpaid.
  2. Step 2: Work out how much the employee was actually paid.
  3. Step 3: Work out how much the employee should have been paid.
  4. Step 4: Calculate how much the employee has been underpaid.
  5. Step 5: Backpay the employee.

How to avoid owing taxes?

If you want to avoid a tax bill, check your withholding often and adjust it when your situation changes. Changes in your life, such as marriage, divorce, working a second job, running a side business, or receiving any other income without withholding can affect the amount of tax you owe.

How to avoid failure to pay penalty?

You can avoid a penalty by filing and paying your tax by the due date. If you can't do so, you can apply for an extension of time to file or a payment plan.

Can I pay estimated taxes all at once?

Answer: Generally, if you determine you need to make estimated tax payments for estimated income tax and estimated self-employment tax, you can make quarterly estimated tax payments or pay all of the amount due on the first quarterly payment due date. Special rules apply to farmers and fishers.

What happens if no federal taxes are taken out of my paycheck?

If your employer didn't have federal tax withheld, contact them to have the correct amount withheld for the future. When you file your tax return, you'll owe the amounts your employer should have withheld during the year as unpaid taxes. You may need a corrected Form W-2 reflecting additional FICA earnings.

Why does TurboTax say I have an underpayment penalty?

What is the IRS underpayment penalty? The IRS can charge a tax penalty for failure to pay the proper estimated taxes throughout the year. The IRS calculates this penalty by first figuring out how much you should have paid each quarter.

How to get underpayment penalty waived?

Penalty waiver

A waiver can be filed by filling out Part II of Form 2210 and attaching the required documentation detailed in the Form 2210 instructions.

Why am I getting underpayment penalty?

Simply put, underpayment of estimated tax occurs when you don't pay enough tax when you pay quarterly estimated tax payments. Failure to pay the right amount of estimated tax throughout the year might result in a penalty for underpayment of estimated tax.

How do I stop an IRS underpayment penalty?

Avoid a penalty

You may avoid the Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals Penalty if: Your filed tax return shows you owe less than $1,000 or. You paid at least 90% of the tax shown on the return for the taxable year or 100% of the tax shown on the return for the prior year, whichever amount is less.

What are examples of underpayment penalty?

If you owed $5,000 in taxes for the year but only paid $2,000, you would have underpaid your taxes by $3,000. You paid less than 90% of what you owed so you would be subject to an underpayment penalty. The penalty would be the federal short-term rate at the time plus three percentage points.

What happens if the taxpayer owes an underpayment penalty but does not compute it on Form 2210?

What happens if the taxpayer owes an underpayment penalty, but does not compute it on Form 2 2 1 0 ? Nothing, unless the taxpayer is audited. The taxpayer is immediately sent to the Tax Court. The IRS will compute and assess the penalty.

Can a substantial underpayment penalty be waived?

We may be able to remove or reduce some penalties if you acted in good faith and can show reasonable cause for why you weren't able to meet your tax obligations. By law we cannot remove or reduce interest unless the penalty is removed or reduced.

Is the IRS waiving penalties in 2024?

In June 2024, the IRS waived the penalty for the installment due on or before August 15, 2024, for a tax year beginning in 2024 (see Tax Alert 2024-1179).

What is the IRS one time forgiveness?

Also called first-time abatement, one-time forgiveness is when the IRS waives penalties for taxpayers with a history of compliance.