As with most dealings with the IRS, requesting a penalty abatement can be difficult to accomplish on your own without extensive knowledge of tax law and experience in dealing with the specifics of what may or may not qualify for a successful penalty abatement and in many cases it may take appealing the denial of the abatement in order to have a successful outcome. Although penalty abatement is never guaranteed, having an experienced CPA or other licensed tax professional will typically give you your best shot at a favorable outcome.