26 U.S.C. § 6662
Imposition of accuracy-related penalty on underpayments
United States · Title 26 — INTERNAL REVENUE CODE · Status: effective
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- 26 U.S.C. § 6662, Imposition of accuracy-related penalty on underpayments, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/464234
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Full text
If this section applies to any portion of an underpayment of tax required to be shown on a return, there shall be added to the tax an amount equal to 20 percent of the portion of the underpayment to which this section applies.
This section shall apply to the portion of any underpayment which is attributable to 1 or more of the following:
For purposes of this section, the term “negligence” includes any failure to make a reasonable attempt to comply with the provisions of this title, and the term “disregard” includes any careless, reckless, or intentional disregard.
For purposes of this section, there is a substantial understatement of income tax for any taxable year if the amount of the understatement for the taxable year exceeds the greater of—
In the case of a corporation other than an S corporation or a personal holding company (as defined in section 542), there is a substantial understatement of income tax for any taxable year if the amount of the understatement for the taxable year exceeds the lesser of—
In the case of any taxpayer who claims any deduction allowed under section 199A for the taxable year, subparagraph (A) shall be applied by substituting “5 percent” for “10 percent”.
For purposes of paragraph (1), the term “understatement” means the excess of—
The amount of the understatement under subparagraph (A) shall be reduced by that portion of the understatement which is attributable to—
any item if—
Subparagraph (B) shall not apply to any item attributable to a tax shelter.
For purposes of clause (i), the term “tax shelter” means—
The Secretary may prescribe a list of positions which the Secretary believes do not meet 1 or more of the standards specified in paragraph (2)(B)(i), section 6664(d)(3), and section 6694(a)(1). Such list (and any revisions thereof) shall be published in the Federal Register or the Internal Revenue Bulletin.
For purposes of this section, there is a substantial valuation misstatement under chapter 1 if—
No penalty shall be imposed by reason of subsection (b)(3) unless the portion of the underpayment for the taxable year attributable to substantial valuation misstatements under chapter 1 exceeds $5,000 ($10,000 in the case of a corporation other than an S corporation or a personal holding company (as defined in section 542)).
For purposes of this subsection—
The term “net section 482 transfer price adjustment” means, with respect to any taxable year, the net increase in taxable income for the taxable year (determined without regard to any amount carried to such taxable year from another taxable year) resulting from adjustments under section 482 in the price for any property or services (or for the use of property).
For purposes of determining whether the threshold requirements of paragraph (1)(B)(ii) are met, the following shall be excluded:
Any portion of the net increase in taxable income referred to in subparagraph (A) which is attributable to any redetermination of a price if—
Any portion of the net increase in taxable income referred to in subparagraph (A) which is attributable to a redetermination of price where such price was not determined in accordance with such a specific pricing method if—
If the regular tax (as defined in section 55(c)) imposed by chapter 1 on the taxpayer is determined by reference to an amount other than taxable income, such amount shall be treated as the taxable income of such taxpayer for purposes of this paragraph.
For purposes of section 6664(c) the taxpayer shall not be treated as having reasonable cause for any portion of an underpayment attributable to a net section 482 transfer price adjustment unless such taxpayer meets the requirements of clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subparagraph (B) with respect to such portion.
For purposes of this section, there is a substantial overstatement of pension liabilities if the actuarial determination of the liabilities taken into account for purposes of computing the deduction under paragraph (1) or (2) of section 404(a) is 200 percent or more of the amount determined to be the correct amount of such liabilities.
No penalty shall be imposed by reason of subsection (b)(4) unless the portion of the underpayment for the taxable year attributable to substantial overstatements of pension liabilities exceeds $1,000.
For purposes of this section, there is a substantial estate or gift tax valuation understatement if the value of any property claimed on any return of tax imposed by subtitle B is 65 percent or less of the amount determined to be the correct amount of such valuation.
No penalty shall be imposed by reason of subsection (b)(5) unless the portion of the underpayment attributable to substantial estate or gift tax valuation understatements for the taxable period (or, in the case of the tax imposed by chapter 11, with respect to the estate of the decedent) exceeds $5,000.
To the extent that a portion of the underpayment to which this section applies is attributable to one or more gross valuation misstatements, subsection (a) shall be applied with respect to such portion by substituting “40 percent” for “20 percent”.
The term “gross valuation misstatements” means—
any substantial valuation misstatement under chapter 1 as determined under subsection (e) by substituting—
in paragraph (1)(B)(i)—
in paragraph (1)(B)(ii)—
In the case of any portion of an underpayment which is attributable to one or more nondisclosed noneconomic substance transactions, subsection (a) shall be applied with respect to such portion by substituting “40 percent” for “20 percent”.
For purposes of this subsection, the term “nondisclosed noneconomic substance transaction” means any portion of a transaction described in subsection (b)(6) with respect to which the relevant facts affecting the tax treatment are not adequately disclosed in the return nor in a statement attached to the return.
In no event shall any amendment or supplement to a return of tax be taken into account for purposes of this subsection if the amendment or supplement is filed after the earlier of the date the taxpayer is first contacted by the Secretary regarding the examination of the return or such other date as is specified by the Secretary.
For purposes of this section, the term “undisclosed foreign financial asset understatement” means, for any taxable year, the portion of the understatement for such taxable year which is attributable to any transaction involving an undisclosed foreign financial asset.
For purposes of this subsection, the term “undisclosed foreign financial asset” means, with respect to any taxable year, any asset with respect to which information was required to be provided under section 6038, 6038B, 6038D, 6046A, or 6048 for such taxable year but was not provided by the taxpayer as required under the provisions of those sections.
In the case of any portion of an underpayment which is attributable to any undisclosed foreign financial asset understatement, subsection (a) shall be applied with respect to such portion by substituting “40 percent” for “20 percent”.
For purposes of this section, the term “inconsistent estate basis” means any portion of an underpayment attributable to the failure to comply with section 1014(f).
In the case of any portion of an underpayment which is attributable to one or more overstatements of the deduction provided in section 170(p), subsection (a) shall be applied with respect to such portion by substituting “50 percent” for “20 percent”.
In the case of a taxpayer for which there is a disallowance of an applicable energy credit for any taxable year, for purposes of determining whether there is a substantial understatement of income tax for such taxable year, subsection (d)(1) shall be applied—
For purposes of this subsection, the term “disallowance of an applicable energy credit” means the disallowance of a credit under section 45X, 45Y, or 48E by reason of overstating the material assistance cost ratio (as determined under section 7701(a)(52)) with respect to any qualified facility, energy storage technology, or facility which produces eligible components.
Legislative history
The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone.
- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989House: no recorded tallySenate: 87–7
- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990
- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993
- Uruguay Round Agreements Act
- Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997
- American Jobs Creation Act of 2004
- Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005House: 415–4Senate: no recorded tally
- Pension Protection Act of 2006
- Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act
- Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
- Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014
- Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015
- An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018House: 256–167Senate: no recorded tally
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023House: 225–201Senate: no recorded tally
- An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14.