What Are the Penalties for Not Filing Taxes?

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Taxes are an important part of life, and the penalties for not filing them can be severe. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) takes non-filing very seriously and can impose a variety of penalties on those who do not file their taxes.

The most common penalty for not filing taxes is a failure-to-file penalty. This penalty is 5% of the unpaid tax amount per month that the return is late, up to 25%. If you owe taxes but don’t file your return by the due date, you will be subject to this penalty.

In addition to the failure-to-file penalty, there is also a failure-to-pay penalty. This penalty is 0.5% of your unpaid taxes per month, up to 25%. It applies if you owe taxes but don’t pay them by the due date. Both penalties will continue to accrue until either you file or pay off your tax debt in full.

If you fail to file your tax returns for multiple years, the IRS may take additional action against you such as levying bank accounts or garnishing wages in order to collect what it believes it is owed from you. In extreme cases, criminal charges may even be brought against taxpayers who willfully evade paying their taxes or fail to file returns for multiple years in a row.

It’s important that taxpayers understand these potential consequences when deciding whether or not they should file their taxes on time each year. Filing late can have serious financial repercussions and should always be avoided if possible.
 
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