Getting a late start to your taxes? Calculate how much you’ll owe in penalties with Keeper’s calculator.
If you didn’t file for extension, you will owe the Failure to File penalty. It starts at $450, or 5% of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month that a tax return is late. Whichever is greater. The penalty won't exceed 25% of your unpaid taxes.
If you didn’t file for extension, you will owe your State’s failure to file penalty. They generally mimic the Federal ones in structure with a minimum of around $100.
The Failure to Pay penalty is 0.5% of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month the tax remains unpaid. The penalty won’t exceed 25% of your unpaid taxes.
Every State has a different failure to pay penalty, but they generally mimic the Federal ones in structure. There is a minimum of around $100 depending on the State.
The IRS also charges interest on penalties. The amount of the penalty will track the general interest rates.
Your State will also charge interest on penalties. The amount of the penalty will track the general interest rates.
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Whether you have an unsent tax return that's been weighing on you or you’ve just had a sudden realization your taxes are late, we all know that facing a missed tax deadline is an unpleasant endeavor.
The good news is that using this calculator to estimate your penalties is the first step to tackling the challenge. Keeper’s calculator lets you know how much your late filing penalty will cost — and if you read on, you’ll also find tips for paying your late taxes and avoiding future penalties.
There’s a difference between filing and paying your taxes. Filing your taxes involves submitting your tax paperwork to the IRS, whereas paying your taxes involves sending money to the IRS for any owed taxes.
If you owe taxes, paying them late always comes with a penalty. So if you haven’t paid your taxes yet and the deadline has passed, you should give the calculator a whirl.
Filing your taxes late also typically comes with a penalty. However, there are a few situations that allow people to file after the deadline:
To learn more about the potential consequences of filing late and how to get your late taxes filed and paid as soon as possible, check our guide to missed tax deadlines.
If none of the above applies to you and the tax deadline has passed, there’s a good chance you owe late filing penalties. Keeper’s calculator is here to give you an idea of how much that’ll be.
To illustrate how the calculator works, we’ll fill in the fields using an example: Maya is an office administrator who lives in New York and owns a small jewelry business on the side.
It’s mid-November and Naomi hasn’t filed or paid her taxes yet. So she’s using the calculator to get started on sorting out her late taxes by figuring out how much her penalty will be.
Let’s get started.
The annual deadline to file personal income taxes is April 15. (Except for when this date falls on a weekend or public holiday, in which case the deadline is moved to the following business day.)
The failure-to-file penalty is calculated based on each month (or part of a month) that your tax return is late. So if you miss the April 15 deadline, your return will automatically be considered at least one month late.
In our example, Maya is using the calculator in mid-November. This means her tax return is eight months late.
If you know you’re going to be late filing your taxes, you can apply for an extension that gives you an extra six months. This moves your deadline from April 15 to October 15.
Keep in mind: the extension only applies to the filing deadline. You still have to pay your taxes by the deadline, or you’ll receive a failure-to-pay penalty. If you did not pay enough in estimated taxes or when filing your extension, you may also be subject to an underpayment penalty.
However, the penalty for filing late is actually ten times more than the late payment penalty. So whether or not you’re able to pay your taxes on time, you should still apply for an extension if you know you’ll be late filing. You can learn how to do so here.
Unfortunately, Maya didn’t file for an extension. (But she will for any future late returns!)
The IRS isn’t the only institution to dole out bills for late taxes. Most states also charge late filing penalties.
The Keeper calculator will automatically estimate state penalties for you, but to get the exact amount you'll want to go to the tax section of your state government website.
Maya lives in New York, where, just as with the IRS, the penalty charge is 5% of the tax due for each month (or part of the month) that the return is late.
Select the filing status that applies to you:
If you select “Single” or “Head of household,” you’ll only have to enter your own income in the next one or two calculator fields.
If you select “Married,” you’ll enter the sum of both your and your spouse’s W-2 and/or 1099 income.
In our example, Maya is a single filer.
This is where you’ll enter the income you earn as a “traditional” employee for a company that sends you a W-2 tax form documenting your earnings from the previous year.
Maya is an office administrator with an annual W-2 income of $50,000.
Finally, you’ll enter your annual earnings — minus expenses — from freelancing, contracting, or any other 1099 work you do.
On the side of her W-2 work, Maya runs a small business selling beaded jewelry on Etsy. Last year, she earned $10,000 in 1099 income after deducting business expenses.
Hit the “Calculate my penalty” button and the calculator will deliver your results.
Rounding off our example, Maya should expect to owe about $638 in penalties.
Now that you’ve got your results, you can turn to the task of filing and paying your late taxes. Luckily, we have a guide just for that!
Wondering how the calculator determines your late filing penalty? It takes into account these six components:
State penalty calculations vary based on state tax rules. However, here’s how the IRS penalties are determined.
If you file your tax return late… You’ll owe 5% of unpaid taxes for each month/part of a month the tax return is late, with a cap of 25%. (This means that after five months, the penalty will stop increasing.)
If you file and pay your taxes late… Late payments come with a penalty of 0.5% for each month/part of a month the payment is late. However, if you’ve also filed late, both penalties will be combined for a total of 5% per month.
If your return is at least sixty days late… You’ll owe a minimum penalty of $510 or 100% of the tax required to be shown on the return — whichever is less.
(The IRS hasn't released new yet on a penalty increase, but you can find annual penalty updates on the IRS website.)
If you still haven’t filed or paid your taxes after five months… The failure-to-file penalty will cap out at 25%. However, the late payment penalty will continue until you pay your taxes — or until you reach the cap of 25% of your unpaid taxes.
For each month your return and payment are late… You’ll also be charged interest on your unpaid penalty. The IRS updates interest rates each quarter. As of April 2025, the penalty interest rate is 7%.
Turning back to our example of Maya, here’s a breakdown of her $638 late filing penalty.
If you’re filing late this year, keep in mind that you’re not alone. In 2019, the IRS stated that $1.5 billion in tax refunds were sitting unclaimed due to unfiled taxes.
Here are some tips to stay on top of deadlines and avoid penalties for future tax seasons.
The silver lining of tax deadlines is that they’re consistent. The deadline to file and pay your taxes each year is April 15.
If you expect to owe at least $1,000 in self-employment taxes, you’ll have to pay your taxes in four quarterly installments throughout the year.
The deadlines for quarterly taxes fall on:
(If any of these dates fall on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline will move to the following business day.)
As mentioned earlier, if you know you’re going to need some extra time to file your taxes, you can apply for a tax extension.
This will give you an extra six months to file without accruing any late filing penalties.
However, the extension doesn’t apply to paying your taxes. If you don’t pay by the deadline, you’ll still receive a late payment penalty.
Luckily, the IRS does offer payment plans that allow people to pay off their tax returns in increments.
Short-term payment plans where you pay off your taxes in less than 180 days are free. Longer-term plans come with a set-up fee — although these are waived for low-income filers.
And the good news is that as long as you stick to your payment plan, you won’t be charged penalties or interest.
Filing taxes isn’t just unpleasant and potentially expensive. Understanding your taxes in the first place can feel daunting. Some people might just find it easier to put off the overwhelming learning curve.
Using tax software like Keeper can simplify the filing process and support you in deciphering tax forms and complicated IRS rules.
Take a look around Keeper’s other tax-filing resources, too (like this handy income tax calculator or this quarterly tax calculator). And hopefully, by next tax season, you’ll be ready to file with time to spare.
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If you don’t file and/or pay your taxes by the deadline, the IRS will charge penalties and interest. If you’re owed a refund, you won’t get it unless you file. If you’ve missed multiple years, you’re at risk for wage garnishment, bank levies, losing out on future refunds, and more. If you have past due returns or back taxes, it’s best to file as soon as possible and work with a tax professional to set up a payment or settlement plan with the IRS.
• Failure-to-file penalty: 5% of your unpaid taxes per month (up to 25%).
• Failure-to-pay penalty: 0.5% of your unpaid taxes per month (up to 25%).
• Interest also accrues on unpaid taxes; the interest rate is determined quarterly and is the federal short-term rate plus 3%.
The IRS Fresh Start Program helps individuals and small businesses resolve tax debt more easily through installment agreements, offers in compromise (OIC), and tax lien relief. To qualify, you would need to owe less than $50,000, have filed all your tax returns, and demonstrated financial hardship.
Yes, you can file tax returns for prior years. It’s important to file your taxes to avoid penalties and to avoid triggering more serious enforcement actions by the IRS like garnishment of your wages, liens, or levies. You might also be missing out on tax refunds!
Yes – but only for the most recent 3 years! The IRS allows you to claim a refund on a late tax return within three years of the original filing deadline. After that, your refund expires and the IRS keeps the money. For example, to claim a 2021 tax refund, you must file by April 15, 2025.
To catch up on years of unfiled taxes, start gathering your income documents (W-2s, 1099s, etc.) for each year. Then, you can file with tax software that supports prior year returns, work with a tax professional, or mail paper forms to the IRS. The IRS typically requires you to file the last 6 years of taxes to be considered “in good standing”. Keeper offers the convenience of software and expert guidance of a tax professional to help file your prior year returns with ease and accuracy.
While the IRS doesn’t report to credit bureaus, tax liens and unpaid debt can indirectly hurt your credit if they lead to collections or court judgments.
It can take a few days to several months to resolve back taxes. Timing depends on how quickly you gather all necessary documentation and which relief options (payment plan, Offer in Compromise, etc.), you qualify for. remitted. The longer you wait to resolve your back taxes, the more you’ll owe.
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