IRS penalty and interest.
What filing or paying late adds to a tax bill: the failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties and daily interest.
Your penalties
Total due
$6,515
For $5,000 of tax due April 15, 2026, filed October 30, 2026, paid October 30, 2026.
- Tax
- $5,000
- Failure to file
- $1,125
- Failure to pay7 months or part
- $175
- Interest
- $215
- Total
- $6,515
Likely removed automatically: the IRS's automatic exemption from penalty applies to returns from tax year 2025 on when the three prior years were filed and paid on time.
Next
Can't pay it all?
A payment plan lowers the failure-to-pay penalty to 0.25% a month if you filed on time. See the monthly payment.
Questions people ask
How much is the IRS late filing penalty?
5% of the unpaid tax for each month or part of a month the return is late, up to 25%. In a month when the late payment penalty also applies, it is 4.5%. For returns more than 60 days late the minimum is $525 (returns due after 2025) or 100% of the tax, whichever is less.
How much is the late payment penalty?
0.5% of the unpaid tax for each month or part of a month, up to 25%; 0.25% a month while an installment agreement is in effect if you filed on time.
What is the automatic exemption from penalty?
Announced in July 2026: for original returns from tax year 2025 on, the IRS removes these penalties automatically when the three prior years were filed and paid on time, replacing First Time Abate for returns due from 2027.
Sources
- IRS: Failure to file penalty
- IRS: Failure to pay penalty
- IRS: Quarterly interest rates
- IRS: Automatic penalty relief (IR-2026-83)
Checked against these sources on October 30, 2026.