You may not need to pay a penalty if the IRS agrees you had a good reason for filing late. Some reasons the IRS accepts include:
- A natural disaster like a tornado, or other personal disasters like a fire.
- You tried, but were unable to obtain all the records you needed for filing.
- The taxpayer or a family member died, had a serious illness or unexpected absence, or was incapacitated in some other way.
There may be other reasons that kept you from meeting your tax obligation.
