January 21, 2027

Webcast

2 CPE Credits

Don Farmer's Reasonable Cause Penalty Abatement: What Actually Works

January 21, 2027
Webcast
2 CPE Credits

Don Farmer's Reasonable Cause Penalty Abatement: What Actually Works

  • View Bio

    Instructor

    Nick
    Preusch

    View Bio

    Nick Preusch

    Bio

    Nick Preusch's, CPA, JD, LLM, primary focus is performing tax services for high wealth individuals and mid-to-large business entities. His responsibilities include tax research related to complex business transactions and tax return preparation and review. Nick also works closely with businesses to find tax efficiencies through ever-changing tax legislation.

    Nick is an IRS attorney at the IRS National Office in Washington, DC, where he was the lead attorney for several significant tax ethics cases. He is a licensed attorney in New York and a certified public accountant in Virginia. Nick earned an LLM in Taxation from Georgetown University, a JD from Case Western Reserve University, and an MS in Accounting from the University of Connecticut.

IRS penalties can add significantly to a client’s balance due, but many are eligible for relief when the taxpayer can show reasonable cause, and a well-supported request often makes the difference. This course focuses on practical strategies for obtaining IRS penalty abatement based on reasonable cause. Participants will review the statutory standards, IRS administrative guidance, and the factors that separate successful requests from denied ones. Emphasis is placed on documentation, narrative development, and distinguishing reasonable cause relief from first-time abatement so practitioners can choose the right approach for each client.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify penalties eligible for reasonable cause relief

2. Distinguish reasonable cause from first-time abatement

3. Apply reasonable cause standards when developing penalty abatement narratives

4. Select documentation that strengthens abatement requests

5. Analyze common reasons IRS penalty abatement requests fail

Major Topics

• Overview of IRS penalties and abatement authority

• Reasonable cause standards

• Reasonable cause vs. first-time abatement

• Penalty abatement requests and narrative development

• Documentation and substantiation requirements

• Common denial factors and compliance risks

CPE Credits Available

2 CPE Credits
2
Taxes

Things to Know About This Course

Course Level

  • Intermediate

Professional Area of Focus

  • Tax

Prerequisites

Working knowledge of federal tax compliance and IRS penalty assessment procedures.

Advanced Preparation

None

Intended Audience

CPAs and tax professionals involved in the world of tax.

Provider

Don Farmer Tax Education

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