Information Return Penalties
Two separate penalties — one for the return, one for the payee statement — charged per document, on a schedule that steps up with lateness.
Full Definition
The IRS states a penalty may apply if you do not file information returns or provide payee statements correctly and on time, and that it charges monthly interest until the amount is paid in full.
The structure catches people out in two ways.
First, there are two penalties, not one. The IRS states it charges separately for failing to file a correct information return on time, and for failing to provide correct payee statements on time. The same missing Form 1099 can attract both.
Second, it is per document. The IRS states it charges "for each information return you didn't file correctly or on time, and for each payee statement you didn't provide correctly on time".
The amount steps up with lateness and there is a separate, much higher figure for intentional disregard. For returns due in 2026 the IRS publishes $60 up to 30 days late, $130 for 31 days late through August 1, $340 after August 1 or not filed, and $680 for intentional disregard. Those are per document and they are dated — the IRS publishes a different row for each year and adjusts them.
The IRS states that if you can correct an issue in the notice there may be a reduced penalty or none.
What to do next
Read the notice for the number of documents as well as the amount. Because the penalty is charged per return and per payee statement, the count is what drives the total, and correcting the underlying issue is the route the IRS names first.
What this page does not say
- The per-document amounts are adjusted annually and the IRS publishes a table by year due. The 2026 figures are quoted here with their year attached. They are not the figure for any other year, and this page does not carry the full table — the IRS page does.
Sources
- Information return penalties — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-08-21
- Administrative penalty relief (First Time Abate) — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-08-20
Last reviewed 2026-08-21 by Tax Resolution Clarity editorial.
Sourced to primary IRS materials and editorially reviewed. Not reviewed by a tax professional. Not tax advice.
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Related Terms
Where to go next
The IRS publishes the rules this page describes. Your own notice governs your dates.