Interest and Penalties

If you file Form 1042 late, or fail to pay or deposit the tax when due, you may be liable for penalties and interest unless you can show that the failure to file or pay was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.

Tip: You do not have to figure the amount of any interest or penalties you may owe. Because figuring these amounts can be complicated, the IRS will do it for you and send you a bill for any amount due.

If you include interest or penalties with your payment, identify and enter the amount in the bottom margin of Form 1042. Do not include interest or penalties in the balance due on line 69.

Interest. Interest is charged on taxes not paid by the due date, even if an extension of time to file is granted. Interest is also charged on penalties imposed for failure to file, negligence, fraud, and substantial understatements of tax from the due date (including extensions) to the date of payment. Interest is figured at a rate determined under section 6621.

Late filing of Form 1042. The penalty for not filing Form 1042 when due (including extensions) is 5% of the unpaid tax for each month or part of a month the return is late, up to a maximum of 25% of the unpaid tax.

Late payment of tax. The penalty for not paying tax when due is usually one-half of 1% of the unpaid tax for each month or part of a month the tax is unpaid. The penalty cannot exceed 25% of the unpaid tax.

Other penalties. Penalties may be imposed for negligence, substantial understatement of tax, and fraud. See sections 6662 and 6663.