Interest on a Penalty vs. Interest on the Tax
Removing a penalty takes its interest with it. Removing interest on the tax itself needs an IRS error. Two different rules, easy to merge into one wrong one.
Quick Answer
Penalty relief carries its own interest with it and reaches no further. The IRS states both halves plainly and on the same page: it will automatically reduce or remove the interest RELATED TO A PENALTY when the penalty goes, and "We don't remove or reduce interest for reasonable cause or as first-time relief." Interest on the tax is a separate matter with a narrower test — the IRS states it may reduce it only where the interest was applied because of an unreasonable error or delay by an IRS officer or employee, raised on Form 843 or by signed letter. This site had those two rules merged until 2026-08-21. Its penalty abatement page said in one list that interest on abated penalties is removed and in another that abatement removes "not interest or tax". Both were half right, neither was scoped, and the page contradicted itself in two adjacent columns.
Interest related to a penalty
Advantages
- It goes automatically. The IRS states: "We'll automatically reduce or remove the related interest if any of your penalties are reduced or removed."
- You do not ask for it separately. It follows the penalty.
- The same rule appears on the administrative relief page: "we'll automatically reduce or remove the interest related to a penalty if any of your penalties are reduced or removed."
Disadvantages
- It only reaches interest on the penalty. It does not reach interest on the tax.
- It depends entirely on the penalty being removed first, which is a separate question with its own tests.
Best For
What it follows: whatever happens to the penalty it sits on.
Typical Cost
No fee is published for either.
Interest on the tax itself
Advantages
- There is a route. The IRS states it may reduce interest "only if the interest is applied because of an unreasonable error or delay by an IRS officer or employee".
- It is raised on Form 843, or by a signed letter requesting that the IRS reduce or adjust the overcharged interest.
- The IRS also states that if you reduce the tax by filing an amended return, it will automatically reduce the related interest.
Disadvantages
- The two most common arguments do not work on it. The IRS states: "We don't remove or reduce interest for reasonable cause or as first-time relief."
- It requires an unreasonable error or delay by an IRS officer or employee — a narrower thing than a mistake.
- The IRS states interest is charged on underpayments from the due date and continues until the balance is paid in full, including on both penalties and interest, and that entering an installment agreement does not stop it.
Best For
What it needs: an unreasonable error or delay by the IRS.
Typical Cost
No fee is published for either.
The Verdict
Penalty relief carries its own interest with it and reaches no further. The IRS states both halves plainly and on the same page: it will automatically reduce or remove the interest RELATED TO A PENALTY when the penalty goes, and "We don't remove or reduce interest for reasonable cause or as first-time relief." Interest on the tax is a separate matter with a narrower test — the IRS states it may reduce it only where the interest was applied because of an unreasonable error or delay by an IRS officer or employee, raised on Form 843 or by signed letter. This site had those two rules merged until 2026-08-21. Its penalty abatement page said in one list that interest on abated penalties is removed and in another that abatement removes "not interest or tax". Both were half right, neither was scoped, and the page contradicted itself in two adjacent columns.
Frequently Asked Questions
If my penalty is removed, does the interest on it go too?
Can reasonable cause remove interest on the tax?
When can interest on the tax be reduced?
Does a payment plan stop interest?
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Sources
- Interest — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-08-21
- Penalty relief — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-08-21
- Administrative penalty relief — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-08-21
- About Form 843, Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-08-21
Sourced to primary IRS materials and editorially reviewed. Not reviewed by a tax professional. Not tax advice. Report a correction.