---
title: Is There Payroll Tax Debt Relief? 2026 Guide | TaxTruce
url: https://taxtruce.com/answers/is-there-payroll-tax-debt-relief
updated: 2026-10-29
---

# Is there payroll tax debt relief?

Updated October 8, 20263 sourcesTaxTruce team[Fact checked](/editorial-standards)

The short answer

The same options apply: payment plans, offers and penalty relief. But unpaid trust fund taxes can become your personal debt through the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty. Offers need deposits for the current and last two quarters. First Time Abate can cover failure to deposit penalties.

## Words to know

[First Time Abate (FTA)](/glossary)
:   IRS relief from some penalties if you filed and paid on time for the 3 years before.

[Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP)](/glossary)
:   A penalty that makes the people in charge of a business personally owe its unpaid trust fund taxes.

[Trust fund taxes](/glossary)
:   Taxes a business holds back from workers' pay, like income tax and the worker's share of Social Security and Medicare.

## Sources

1. [IRS: Employment taxes and the Trust Fund Recovery Penalty](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/employment-taxes-and-the-trust-fund-recovery-penalty-tfrp)
2. [IRS: Offer in compromise](https://www.irs.gov/payments/offer-in-compromise)
3. [IRS: First Time Abate and Automatic Exemption from Penalty](https://www.irs.gov/payments/penalty-relief-due-to-first-time-abate-or-other-administrative-waiver)

Run the numbers with our [free tax tools](/tools), like the penalty and payment plan math.