What This Notice Means

The IRS charged you a penalty for filing a late or incomplete Form 8955-SSA, Annual Registration Statement Identifying Separated Participants with Deferred Vested Benefits. Form 8955-SSA is filed for retirement plans.

What to Do

  • Pay the amount due electronically or by mail to avoid additional penalty and interest charges.
  • If you mail a payment, use the address on your notice. Write your employer ID number, plan number, type of plan, plan year ending date, and form number on the payment.
  • If your return was incomplete, you must provide the missing or incomplete information. You can fax it to the number on your notice.

Asking to Remove the Penalty

If you have an acceptable reason the return was late or incomplete, you can ask the IRS to remove the penalty. Send a signed statement that identifies which penalty you want reconsidered and explains why.

  • Mail a signed Form 843 with your missing or incomplete information to the address on your notice, or
  • Fax your reasonable cause statement and the missing information to the fax number on your notice.

Either way, you must still supply any missing or incomplete information. The IRS will review your request and let you know in about 45 days whether it accepts your explanation.

Be specific. A good reasonable cause statement explains what happened, when it happened, and what you did to fix it once you could.

If You Can't Pay

Pay as much as you can now to limit interest. If you can't pay the full amount, request a payment plan. Unpaid balances keep growing with additional penalties and interest.

Next Year

Form 8955-SSA is due the last day of the seventh month after the end of the plan year. Calendar this date for every plan year.

If you received a CP283C notice and want the penalty reviewed, call us at (813) 229-7100.